Construction Ahead: Sphinx Avenue

Avenue of Sphinxes leading up to Luxor Temple.

Avenue of Sphinxes is a 2.7km stretch of road that once connected Luxor Temple to Karnak Temple.  In ancient times the road was lined with sphinxes and was used in special processions, kind of like a parade, between the two temples.

The Pharaoh would walk along the Avenue of Sphinxes during special ceremonies.

Over time the Avenue of Sphinxes has been lost.  Pieces of it have been built over, and other parts of it damaged.  Today it sits nothing more than a short path of sphinxes in front of Luxor Temple.  The government unhappy with this has decided that it is time to rebuild the avenue and restore it to its original beauty, so they have started a massive project that involves restoring and rebuilding the entire avenue.

Such a pretty sight, the Sphinxes lit up at night.

This is an exciting time for Luxor if you are a fan of Egyptology, but not such an exciting time if you live in the city.  Homes are being torn down to make room for the avenue, and there is construction happening all around, closing streets and slowing traffic.  Some people are very unhappy about the project, but hopefully all the inconvenience will pay off once the Avenue of Sphinxes is completed and the citizens of Luxor can marvel at how beautiful their city is again.

Temple of Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut was an important person in Ancient Egypt, she was one of the only women to rule the kingdom, a job that was usually done by a man.  The story goes that Hatshepsut’s father died, King Tuthmosis I, and since he had no sons to carry on as Pharaoh, Hatshepsut decided to take over and rule the Kingdom, but used her stepson Tutmosis III as a decoy and made it seem like he was ruling. 

Temple of Hatshepsut behind the Valley of the Kings.

By the time she died Hatshepsut had changed the face of the kingdom.  She had peacefully increased trade with several other regions, and of course had added several monuments to the land.  The greatest being her final resting spot the Temple of Hatshepsut. 

Some of statues guarding the temple.

It is an amazing structure that looks like it is almost part of the mountain that it is built in front of.  It was beautifully decorated and had several images of Hatshepsut painted throughout.  Unfortunately once she died Tutmosis III, her stepson, really did take power and he was so angry that she prevented him from ruling for years that he decided to destroy all the images of Hatshepsut in the Kingdom.  Luckily statues were considered sacred and god-like so Tutmosis III didn’t dare destroy those.  You can still see some of the statues of Hatshepsut in the temple, and even visit her obelisk that stands in Karnak Temple which is considered to be another sacred monument.

 

The obelisk that Hatshepsut added to Karnak Temple when she was ruler of the Kingdom.  Her stepson couldn't destroy it once he became true ruler because it was considered sacred, so he built a wall around it instead so that no one could see it.

Valley of the Kings

The Step Pyramid of Saqqara, the oldest pyramid in Egypt.

All the pyramids of Egypt date back to the Old Kingdom, the first kingdom in ancient times.  They were built as a final resting spot for the Pharaoh and the treasures that he was buried with.  Unfortunately the pyramids were also huge signs to robbers, they  screamed, “come to me, I am filled with treasure.”   Unfortunately, all the pyramids were being robbed of their treasures, so the pharaohs decided to start building secret tombs hidden away in the desert, tombs that no robber would be able to find.  These tombs are known to us today as the Valley of the Kings.

The Valley of the Kings was chosen as a burial site for several reasons.  First is the natural pyramid like rock formation that sits on top of the hills around the valley.  With a pyramid being a sacred shape, the pharaohs couldn’t ignore this as a sign.  The next reason is that the Valley is on the west side of the Nile where the sun “dies” at the end of each day as the sun always sets to the west.  So the pharaohs lived on the east side of the Nile (where the sun was born), but would be buried on the west side (where the sun died).

The rocks and hills that surround the Valley of the Kings.

Even though a lot of work was put into hiding the tombs and their treasures, all of them were eventually found by tomb robbers, except of the smallest tomb which belonged to Tutankhamun (but you probably know him as King Tut).  His treasures were found in 1922 by a British archaeologist named Howard Carter.  The treasure he found in the tomb is now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The Valley of the Kings across the Nile.

All the tombs are different shapes and sizes, and the bigger the tomb, the longer you ruled as Pharaoh.  The tombs were started when you became Pharaoh and only stopped being built once you died.  That is why the tomb of Ramses II is the largest, he ruled for around 60 years, and the tomb of King Tut is the smallest, because he was only in power for about 10 years. 

Image from inside a tomb taken from the Internet.

Unfortunately no pictures are allowed in the tombs because the camera’s flash can damage the beautifully painted walls, but you can just imagine it (or do a Google search for Valley of the Kings and you will find several images).  Dug deep into the hills of the desert, massive chambers and passageways leading to the tomb were a pharaoh would be laid to rest for eternity. All of this built with no jack hammers, no drills, just some simple tools and their hands.  Amazing!

Temple of Karnak

Standing in front of Karnak Temple, the largest temple in the whole world.

The largest temple in all of Egypt, actually, it is the largest temple in the whole world,  Karnak is unlike anything I have ever seen.  The Temple of Karnak started being built in the Middle Kingdom (Ancient Egypt had three main periods:  the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom, all in that order) and it was still being added to 1300 years later.

A statue of Ramses II in the Great Hall.

Temples were not used as residences, all Egyptians, even the Pharaoh, lived in houses made out of mud brick.  They believed that since life was temporary, their homes should be temporary too.   Temples were made out of stone and marble because they were meant to last forever, just like they believed the afterlife would.  Temples in Egypt were dedicated to gods and used as a spiritual centre.  Karnak is dedicated to the god Amun and it was used daily in special celebrations by the Pharaoh and his priests.

The ram-headed sphinxes all in a row.

The temple is divided into several different areas.  Before entering the temple you must walk down a processional path lined with ram-headed sphinxes then pass through a gate in the first wall.  The wall towers over you and is 45m high.  Once inside the temple you will walk through a Great Court and then enter into the Great Hypostyle Hall.  This hall contains over 100 pillars, each one decorated beautifully with images of gods, pharaohs and hieroglyphics.  Originally the entire temple would have been brightly painted a rainbow of colours.  With the temple being this detailed no wonder it took over 1000 years to finish.

Look at the carvings on each of the pillars.  Each one is completely covered from top to bottom.

My Egyptian Ferrari

Life in Luxor is much more relaxed then life in Cairo.  Tourism is the main industry in Luxor, so most of the locals make a living by either selling you something or offering you a service.  I would like to introduce you to one of these locals, Ali. 

An Egyptian Ferrari powered by the beautiful Cinderella.

While waiting for the bus Ali approached me and offered me a ride in his “Egyptian Ferrari”.  I politely declined but began talking to Ali about life in Luxor.  He told me about his family, he is married and has two young kids with another on the way.  Unfortunately Ali didn’t get a chance to go to school, he was too busy working trying to make money to support his family when he was younger.  As a boy he would mix in with the tourists talking to them and using his charm to sell assorted souvenirs and “Ferrari rides”, this is how he learned English and four other languages, by spending every day with different tourists. 

Cinderella leading the way to my hotel along the Luxor streets at night.

Ali and his story won me over and I let him take me for a spin on his Ferrari.  He wanted to take me on a grand tour of Luxor, but I felt bad for Cinderella, his horse, who was slowing down because she was hungry, so I asked Ali to take me to my hotel and he did.  So twenty minutes later we arrived at my stop and I said goodbye to Ali and give him some money for the journey.  Then from the carriage I used my favourite form of transportation, my feet, to get me up to my bed for the night.

My driver Ali waiting for his next rider in the dusty Luxor night.

Cities of the Nile

Egypt has a desert climate.  The land is sandy, and no vegetation grows in the desert.  It is hot and dry the whole year, except for the few rain showers that fall in the winter.  The two cities that I have explored so far, Cairo and Luxor, are both cities that were built on the banks of the Nile River.   When you look at a map of Egypt you can see that all main Egyptian cities can be found along the Nile.  It is the water of the river that provides life to the plants, animals and people of Egypt.  Without fresh, clean water, there can be no life. 

Cairo along the Nile.  Look at the rows of buildings.

The river is important in another way too.  In ancient times people would use the Nile as a highway and travel around Egypt on their boats.  Without the Nile it would be hard to get around Egypt quickly.  You would have to ride a camel, or use a horse, but in the scorching sun that could be unbearable.  You can still see people drifting along the Nile on their boats today.

 A boat sailing along as the sun sets over the Nile in the city of Luxor. 

Think back to all the places I have visited so far and look at them on a map.  Are any of these other places near water? (Remember: Reykjavik, London, Istanbul, Athens)

I Am Here - Luxor, Egypt

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