Egypt – The ancient Land of Mystery (Part 2): Luxor and Aswan

We reached Luxor airport around 10 at night, flight was of 45 minutes, but both of us were exhausted from our respective rendezvous during the day. Our guide for Luxor, Tareq came to receive us at the airport. It was a clean, picturesque city along the eastern bank of Nile; we could trace the river on our way to the hotel which was also on the bank of it. The beautiful waterside promenade was still lively, the well-lit roads were thriving with tourists mostly Europeans. We were told it was a safe and tourist friendly place.

Next day early morning, we woke up with the chirping of birds and the first ray of Sun dazzling on the Nile water. It was a beautiful sight, with the valley of Kings visible on the other bank.

We had an early start after a quick breakfast by the river, our first destination being the valley of Kings, the desert valley of mountains that housed the Royal tombs. Luxor was known as ‘Thebes,’ the capital of the ‘New Kingdom Era’ (16^th to 11^th Century BC) when the Pharaohs discovered the pyramid like shape of this mountain valley and decided to build tombs underneath. From that the name arrived.

At the Valley of Kings, the Entrance fees included any three of the tombs except, Seti I and Tutankhamun’s. I was keen to visit Seti I’s tomb also for its exquisite paintings, as Gamal made me aware of it earlier. So, we bought a separate ticket for that too. Tareq gave us a brief idea about the tombs we were to visit, those were of Ramesis IV, Ramesis I and Ramesis II. He wasn’t very amused with my idea of visiting Seti I’s tomb, as he seemed to be of controlling nature and accustomed to handle a category of European tourists who mostly came for photoshoots rather than having any real interest in history. We visited first the tomb of Ramesis IV, this became a refuge for the Christians during Roman rule, as the state was anti Christianity at that time. There were several cross marks to be traced in the encrypted walls of the entrance tunnel, the traditional paintings and inscriptions were also in quite good state retaining original colors. Tombs of Ramesis I and II were also well decorated and in reasonably good state, though Ramesis I’s was a steep decline, hence needed maneuvering of a good number of not so friendly stairs.

At Ramesis IV

At Ramesis II

Ramesis IV

Seti I’s tomb, as I imagined was spectacular with bright colored wall paintings almost intact; a particular one of Seti and his queen caught my fancy for its bold colors and romantic pose. In earlier tombs I did not notice any such couple painting, though later in many temples found such engraves of the God couples.

Seti I and his queen Tuya

Seti I tomb

Our next destination was Hatshepsut temple which was dedicated to the first female ruler of Egypt of the same name. The terrace temple structure was rebuilt by Polish archeologists' team during 20^th Century, though gave a fantastic feel of ancient time in the desert valley background.

Hatshepsut seen as a man and woman

After taking lunch break at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the temple, we took a short boat ride to cross the river and reach the Eastern bank to visit Karnak temple at a shorter time. Our car would join us later, we were told. Karnak Temple was a UNESCO site and the second most visited historical site in Egypt after Giza Pyramids. The beautiful column in the temple with their perfect alignment and colourful paintings stood out.

Karnak temple columns

Lines of Sphinx at the entrance

Later, we visited the Luxor temple site, which was not much than a ruin. Though, from the promenade in front we could witness a beautiful sunset on the Nile water.

Luxor temple

We bought papyrus paintings from one of the certified shops in Luxor, they also explained us the process and showed different stages of the weathering. Luxor was known for authentic papyrus.

Tareq was insisting on a very early start with breakfast box next morning, we were to reach Aswan via road with a diversion to visit Edfu and the town of Kom Ombo. We were really tired from last few days of ruins visits and the desert heat in Luxor further added to the misery. I negotiated to start post breakfast, even if that meant omitting a site on the way.

Edfu was two and half hours of drive from Luxor, excellent road and picturesque landscape made it quite enjoyable, though constant jabbering from our guide was quite irritating. He expected me to be amazed seeing truckload of sugarcane or a herd of cows; unfortunately I could not oblige (being from a country known for both). The temple at Edfu was for the Falcon God Horus who was the symbol of protection and war. Horus’s wife Hathor represented cow, as in ancient Egypt like India cow was considered a sacred animal symbolizing wealth and prosperity. The Edfu temple and the Philae temple in Aswan were built in the Ptolemaic and Roman Era and showed the same pattern of having a birth house for the Son of the House God at the entrance. In this case, it was the birth house of Imsety, the son of God Horus and his wife Hathor. The entrance to the temple had two massive statues of falcon and several others inside which were awe inspiring.

Edfu Museum, Boat of Horus

Inside the temple

Outside wall engrave

The Kom Ombo town was further one and half hours of drive and a very old settlement with distinct middle eastern influence unlike Luxor. The temple there was merely a ruin, not much could be deciphered from a layman’s perspective. Our guide took leave from us at this point, as a new local guide, a lady was to join us the next day. I was more than happy to get rid of this clown, who by then managed to put me at my wits’ end.

Kom Ombo Temple

We reached Aswan around four in the afternoon, exhausted yet welcomed by a hilltop hotel with a Nile view. I was determined to make this stay a relaxing one feeling the essence of the place rather than running after touristy sites mindlessly. We communicated to our future guide accordingly. The hotel had a beautiful terrace restaurant, we had a lovely candlelight dinner there under the starry night, overlooking the illuminated city landscape.

Next day we started late after a leisurely breakfast; a short boat ride took us to the island of Philae Temple. On the way I noticed an interesting Nubian structure motel at one of the smaller islands. Aswan became a settlement for the Nubian community from North Sudan, after their uprise during 25^th Dynasty around 8^th Century BCE. The Nubians had distinct appearance and mostly they were Christians unlike the rest of the population. 

The Philae temple was dedicated to the Goddess Isis, the mother of Horus and the wife of God Osiris and she was the Goddess of healing and medicine. This temple was also constructed during Ptolemian Era, hence had a birth house for Horus at the entrance. The beautiful temple surrounded by water was truly a place to visit and also enjoy the scenic beauty.

Philae Temple

Perfume grinder at Temple

Isis and Osiris

The rest of the day we indulged in some interesting shopping, be it perfumed oil, spices, and some silver jewelry, especially one that replicated a piece from the Cairo Museum which belonged to Queen Nefertari. Our guide Rasha, being a woman loved helping, not only by taking us to the choicest shops, but also giving valuable suggestions.

That day evening, based on Rasha’s recommendation we went to dine at ‘Nineteen O two’ restaurant at Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel. The hotel was a heritage one that historically housed many celebrities, my favourite being Agatha Christie. The fine dining restaurant also carried the same lineage and still maintained the standard of discretion and quality. It was truly an experience to dine there with live piano, pure silver cutlery, delicious food and choicest wine.

Next day we took the flight to Cairo in the afternoon post another round of shopping of Egyptian cotton wares.

An Egypt tour would have been incomplete without visiting the two ancient cites Luxor and Aswan who distinctly represent the era of Ancient Egypt or Misr as the country was referred then. Interestingly, in Sanskrit we refer to the country as Misr Desha that reflected on the ancient sea trade tie India had with Egypt.

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Egypt – The ancient Land of Mystery (Part 1) Cairo Diary

Covid Pandemic has taken away a lot from each of us, many of the loved ones, health and mental peace. In my case, I thought it took away my wander lust; suddenly the traveler in me became hesitant and shaky when it came to travel to foreign lands very unlike my earlier self. I was not happy, this was the biggest price, I thought I had to pay due to the turmoil.

Egypt was in my wish list for a long time, as this was the remaining of the five great Museums of the world that I was yet to visit. The other four Athens Archeological, Vatican City, Louvre and British Museum were done long back. For history lovers Egypt is a must and dream travel, but in my case, it took a back seat for a couple of years as, I was busy in exploring Far East and South East Asia for my novel. We moved to Kenya during pick of covid, still had a slim hope in my mind to visit Egypt from here. Finally, on a last moment decision I tagged along my husband on his official visit to Cairo (which I never indulged in earlier). Our flight was at midnight, got the visa in hand at five in the evening and then rushed packing, collection of Dollar; I hardly had chance to brush up my knowledge on Egyptian history.

Early in the morning, with the first ray of Sun, the silver line of Nile appeared in my view line, I felt myself again after a long time, getting the thrill I used to, with the aerial glimpse of a new land to be explored.

We were booked at Ritz Carlton Nile, overlooking the Nile on one side and the Tahrir Square on the other. This was located at the heart of historical Cairo, being a heritage hotel itself. For me the location of a hotel had always been important, as it made a lot of difference in historical places, in terms of convenience and getting the vibe. We booked the entire tour through a well-known Travel agent recommended by an Egyptian friend, the agent was updated beforehand about my passion for history, hence, he assured to provide knowledgeable guides. I had a general aversion towards guides, as most of them came with half-baked knowledge that immensely irritated me. Mr. Gamal was already waiting at the hotel lounge when we arrived, he introduced himself as our guide for next two days in Cairo. He asked me whether I would prefer to go to the new museum or the old one, the old one (as I mentioned earlier) was located next to the hotel. Why could not we do both I was wondering when he explained that he would like to show us the bazar afterwards. I took an instant dislike on the man who looked more like an academic than a tour guide for preferring bazar over museum. On an afterthought, I settled for the new museum, as the old one I could do myself on the free days, exploring museums on my own provided immense joy to me always.

“Thousands of years ago, dead bodies used to be preserved and were called mummies”; “Can we discuss the periods of Old and new kingdom please?” I interrupted. He took a deep note of me and smiled gently, from then on it was only serious business. We not only discussed at length the different eras, also the significance and uniqueness of Lower and Upper Egypt, Greko Roman influence, and Arab colonization. At the museum he explained few of the vital symbols of Hieroglyphs or ancient language which came very handy in the later part of our tour while exploring the tombs and temples on my own.

At new Museum

False door from a tomb

Relics

The Bazar was the reflection of a typical Middle Eastern crowded alley with shops full of cheap artifacts and jewelry, I was not amused, especially after a night long journey. Gamal understood my plight and apologized for his choice.

Cairo Bazaar

The Next day we started early to cover the excavation sites at Memphis, Saqqara and Giza. The weather was pleasant in Cairo, a bit on the colder side during morning and evening, hence, outdoor excursion did not pose to be challenging. We started with Memphis, the capital of Old Kingdom, which was half an hour drive from the hotel. The site had a museum showcasing a gigantic statue of Ramesis II that was discovered from underground. It was the site of a temple built by Ramesis II, the greatest Pharaoh of New Kingdom or the Golden Age of Egypt and could be compared with the Gupta Period, Golden Age of Indian History. This was the time when Egypt reached the zenith in terms of wealth, culture, and science. 

At Memphis

Saqqara was the site of the oldest pyramids, one large, looking like a step pyramid and many other small ones. The largest one belonged to Pharaoh Djoser of third dynasty. The site was full of tombs of the Nobles and distinguished people closer to the Royal family, though only a fraction of the same had been unearthed so far. We went inside one of such tombs, the colors of the paintings were still intact, so was the false door, believed to be the path for the soul to travel to heaven.

Saqqara step Pyramid

Giza site was located at the west bank of Nile; in ancient Egypt, tombs used to be built traditionally on the west bank, as the Sun set symbolized departure from life. The human habitation had steadily been on the eastern bank of Nile in entire Egypt including Cairo. The largest two pyramids named Khufu and Khafre belonged to the Pharaohs of 4^th dynasty and the third one belonged to Pharoh Menkaure, son of Khafre. The three smaller pyramids belonged to Khafre’s mother, wife and daughter. This place was so windy that keeping a camera stand straight was also a challenge, my shoes were full of sand dust and so was my mouth. But it was worth all the pain as the pyramid of Khufu was one of the seven and only surviving wonders of the ancient world.

The giant Sphinx at Giza

Giza site

That afternoon, Gamal took leave gifting me two artefacts and a talisman of a bracelet that he himself wrapped on my wrist saying, ‘it’s from your Egyptian brother’. I instantly felt that the tie was to remain even long after I would leave Egypt and exactly that happened, we kept exchanging information about our respective civilization till today.

Every place I visited in the past, I tried to enjoy the traditional cultural flavor in terms of music, here I was keen to attend a concert of Saidi music. It seemed, that was quite unheard of, hence, had to settle for a Nile cruise on board music and dance. The music was good, dance was quite intolerable for my taste, though the ambience, the moonlit night and food partially compensated.

The next day morning we went to the old museum; the building, a typical colonial one reminded me of Athens Archeological Museum, the treasures it stored including Tutankhamun’s were incredible and truly satisfying for a history lover.

Tutankhamun's Gold sandal

Love the neck piece

Tutankhamun in his Gold attire

From Golden era

Our next destination that day was ‘The mall of Egypt’. While living in a place where branded goods remained inaccessible, this was very much needed, and I must say the mall was very impressive even for someone like me who stayed in Bangkok; I did full justice to the visit.

The last evening of our Cairo stay ended with a candle light dinner overlooking the Nile at the rooftop restaurant of the hotel. For some reason, the floor manager decided it was an anniversary celebratory dinner; we were showered with special attention from the singer and also a cake on the house. Such mistakes were to be enjoyed, so we went by the flow.

The next day, I was on my own, so decided to do some ‘my kind of shopping’ (being unconventional) that became very much part of the cultural exploration, anywhere I went. I found out a boutique shop named Nomad Gallery based on the Trip Advisor reviews. It was an inconspicuous shop in a heritage building, quite difficult to locate and not touristy at all. The moment I entered, I knew what a treasure it was with grade one authentic collection pieces of artefacts, silver jewelry, finest cotton and rugs and a reasonable price.

My next mission was to find out a book shop in order to buy a book on Hieroglyph. As I got down from the car at a square, a huge looking man just hijacked me saying he will show me the book shop but before that I must visit his souvenir shop. I did not have much choice but to meekly follow him. There, at the silver section I found some talisman I did not get at the earlier shop, hence, decided to buy them. The man at the counter named ‘Abdul’ obliged, but then took me to upstairs at their fragrance section. Ancient Egypt was known for secret potions and fragrances, they still carry forward the culture of preparing perfumes and lotions from flower extracts. Abdul had his own style of wooing customers, majorly white females, but within a few minutes he understood I was beyond his grammar book. He was not to be deterred easily, this time not the salesman, but the charming man he was started wooing me. I quite enjoyed the attention and accepted the compliments and then parted empty handed calling him a dear brother.

There were a few book shops on that road, but none in English, hence did not serve my purpose.

We had an evening flight to Luxor, from there started the next phase of travel, exploring the Golden Age of Ancient Egypt.

(To be continued…)

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