Life With….

After the Egyptian Museum, my asthma related bronchitis was causing me to fear that I may discover the inside of an Egyptian hospital – fortunately we had planned to get out of town and hitting Upper Egypt (i.e. heading south down the Nile), where the air is much cleaner.  Almost immediately – I began to slowly improve, though to be honest yesterday (two weeks later) was the first day I have felt anything close to normal – and I am still coughing and low on energy and not nearly recovered fully.

Our first stop was Aswan, where we stayed on Elephantine Island, and after a disastrous screw up at the Hotel; I headed out to Abu Simbel at 12:30 Am.   Essentially the hotel had told us we could book my tour when we arrived that night and then had now possible way for me to do that.  Nor did they inform us that due the “festival of the Sun” I would have to leave at 12:30 Am as opposed to the normal departure time of 4 am.  After some struggling it worked out – with my friend wrangling us free dinner and good service for the rest of our trip while I overpaid but got a position on a tour – as the third person meaning I had very personalized service.  Like many other thing on the trip – after a frustrating beginning, it worked out well!

Abu Simbel is a composed of two mortuary temples – one of Ramses II and one dedicated it to his favorite wife Nefatari, which is remarkable in and of it self as few women had their own temples, and even fewer were depicted as the equal of the Pharaoh which Nefetari was.  The temples were almost destroyed when Egypt dammed the Nile near Aswan – a high dam which according to my guide produces enough electricity a day to power the whole country and saved the country from floods, famine and Crocodiles.   In order to save the temple complex and the other Nubian temples, they were moved by UNESCO to higher ground – an engineering feat in and of itself, where today they stand approximately 70km from Sudan.

Abu Simbel - first sings of dawn

Abu Simbel - just before sunrise

After a long drive through the Sinai at night – we arrived at Abu Simbel in the dark.    For two hours I stood and watched the light change as the sun began to prepare to rise and the monuments began to be illuminated by the pink light of dawn.   I was pushed and prodded by more locals and Indian and Asian tourists, who were only there for the festival, while those there for the day waited patiently in line.  We were all hoping to see the sunrise – as we were fortunate enough to be there on February 22.  On that day, as well as October 22, the sunrise goes directly through the temple into the inner sanctum, illuminating three of the four gods depicted there (the fourth was the god of Darkness, Path, the other three figures are Horus, a deified Ramses and Amun-Ra (also called Amen)).

Festival Particpant just after sunrise

Rameses II as Osris inside his temple at sunrise.

At sunrise, the festival started in earnest. In front of the temple Nubian dancers performed, while in front of Nefatari’s temple what appeared to be Sufi Dancer paraded.  In the mean time, guards moved the crowd through at breakneck pace so that all of us, from 70+ tour buses could see the effect.  Although I can honestly say that I have never been more pushed and prodded in my life, and I feared I was about to be run over by three different Hindu women, the inside of the temple fascinated me and the light striking the faces was something breathtaking.    After the crowds left, I was able to spend an hour exploring both temples – which were mostly deserted as most people fled after the sun effects were done, and the amount of detail preserved in the Stila, Ossirum, and offertory rooms is breathtaking.  The hallways have most of their paint, and every surface is carved and painted, from the ceilings to the walls.  It was awe inspiring to see, and impressive to think they were created with primitive tools thousands of years ago – and then moved more recently.  Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures inside the temples – but I did sneak a few which are in the album.

Entry way to great temple as seen from inside Ossirum at Sunrise

Nefaria Flanked by Ramses II at her Mortauray temple

After sleeping back through the Sinai, and political discussions with a British couple and our guide– we arrived back in Aswan.   After sleeping and lunch on the Nile, my friend and I rented a Felucca and cruised around Elephantine Island.  I cannot describe how wonderful this was.  I was sick, tired, and cranky, my friend was also exhausted and wanted to get work done.  On the boat – we could relax, look at birds, see ruins, explore the city, and learn.  It was reinvigorating and fascinating – and our guide, who has four children and takes pride in educating all of them even the girls (again) truly seemed to love the water and the boat –even if his life was hard.  He offered to take us on a trip via a larger Felucca to Luxor – a trip that if I had had more time may have been worth very penny.    This trip reminded me of being on a pontoon boat or catamaran – but there was next to no wind or waves, and it was just relaxing, and a pleasing way to observe life on the Nile hundreds of years ago and how villagers use it today.  That said – picking our captain was aided by the fact that my friend lives in Cairo and is close to fluent – speaking the language helped us avoid touts and other ways of being taken, and I am not sure that picking someone off the street this ways is a great idea for those who don’t speak any Arabic to do without input from someone reputable.

Egret

Cows being led up hill outskirts of Aswan

Faluccas on Nile around Elephantine Island outskirts Aswan

After this relaxing trip – we fled to make our train.  I went on to Luxor while my friend went home, as I had prearranged a hotel and a tour for the following day.  The hotel was a charming bed and breakfast, Mara House, which honestly was one of the most special guest houses I have ever stayed in   you felt pampered while staying as a guest in suites decorated in rooms with luxurious canopied beds, inlaid tables, and other touches that made it felt charming and perfect.   After my first restful sleep in days, I woke, and felt almost like I could breathe.

My private guide met me, and we drove across the Nile through the green fields and farms that surround the West Bank- until we reached the Valley of the Kings.    While there, I toured three tombs, on a day that was near 100 degrees in the desert sun.   The three tombs I saw were in different stages of completion – one was mobbed and very detailed with antechambers and exemplary paintings paving the way through the afterlife, the coloring was outstanding.  One had a sketched room filled with miniature versions of 763 + gods, and an intricate and overwhelming sarcophagus with golden figures carved into the sides, top and bottom (as shown to me by a helpful attendant in the room) in a room showing the pharaoh and his mother and wife traveling into death, the third had intricate carvings and was midway in completion between the two – with an incredible depiction of the mythological dawn of the universes.

After leaving the Valley, we went to Hapetshut’s Temple, a true architectural wonder – but much of the décor has been destroyed over time.  Very few of the images remain, in carving or painting, but those that do remain are huge and disarming.   The first level tells of Hapetshut’s divine birth, the second shows images of festivals at the temple, and the third level had the inner sanctum, with images of Hapetshut, in the guise of man, dressed as Osiris, leading to the holy area.  In this section, remenats of Coptic Crosses can be found, and guides work hard to show images of Hapetshut honoring the guise in her female form, and other small details that may easily be overlooked.  But it was after we left that I was most impressed.

Horus God of Justice Flanking the Entrance to Haptsheut's Mortuary Temple

Pharoah Hapesthut as a man and the God Osris thrid leve, her temlpe

My guide took us to Medina Habu – the mortuary temple of Ramses III, which is remarkably intact.  You walk through pylons displaying his victory in wary, and images of Pharaoh trampling his enemies and slaves, walk through the viewing area, and the Osmium where he displayed his devotion to the Gods and showed his glory through history.  Later, this temple was used by Coptic Christians whose smoked destroyed much of the decor, but what even without the paint it is breathtaking – and unlike much of the area devoid of tourists.  The imagery shows Ramses III proving his victory by displaying the hands of his victims, when this was not believed he displayed their tongues, but still the people thought he could be showing Egyptian tongues, so finally he cut off the genitals and presented them.  As they were uncircumcised, the people believed the Egyptians had won the war.  Even though this was close to the era when Egypt came under the rule of Grecian Pharaohs, this temple looks almost Syrian or Babylonian in influence and very different then the hiegrolphyed exteriors of Luxor Temple and Abu Simbel.

Entry gate Medinet Habut

Pylons proclaiming heroic victory Medianet Habu

Goddess of War - Medianet Habu

After this tour, my guide walked me through the village.  As he lived in that town – sharing his house with his mother and brother and soon his wife, he was able to explain a lot about village life.  Much of it remains the same, with people working hard and farming from sunrise until well after 10 pm when the wife can finally relax, but others are in temporary marriages with western women for fun for a few years and the village treats them as locals.

Following this I went to the Luxor Museum, which in contrast to the Egyptian Museum, is tiny but beautifully organized and labeled.  Its first room is field with immaculate states that the ancient Egyptians buried when they were no longer used and thus have been protected for thousands of years and are immaculate.  Others are local to the area and depict slaves, daily life, architects tools and war.  From the museum I walked down the Nile at Sunset, ignoring the calls for Felucca or carriage rides and enjoyed being able to move freely and the beauty surrounding me.  I culminated the day with a breathtaking walk through Luxor Temple as the sunset – and at night while illuminated.  It gave a perspective on the architecture the work – and allowed it to seem alive, and vibrant.  The temple is in the middle of the city – and was actually covered by sand with a village on top – most of which has been removed, except for the mosque   which hosts a local religious leader’s remains and houses a huge Sufi style festival yearly.  The lights on the sphinx walkway, statutes, and carving interplaying with the city were remarkable – and the local men who worked there were happy to show sites you might otherwise overlook.   Watching the sunset over the water and the pylons was unique – reminding me of both Florida and the span of history at the same time.

Collonade, Luxor Temple

Faluccas on nile

Ramses II Luxor Temple

All text and copyrights preserved by the author 02csb For more information visit http://www.peebesalgy.com Courtney Brown

Create Your Badge  All text and copyrights preserved by the author for words and original pictures and may not be used without author's permission. For more information visit http://www.peebesalgy.com Follow me on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/peebesalgy or contact me directly through http://www.peebesalgy.com/blog/contact-me/ Courtney Brown | Create Your Badge