We began our trip at Luxor, on the Upper Nile. Our first activity was to tour the Luxor Temple which we travelled to in a horse drawn carriage driven by Ali. Such carriages seem to be missing in Doha, probably the difference between an economy driven by tourism and one driven by natural gas. The walls of the temple are covered with the stories of the gods, and the pillars bear the cartouches containing the names of the pharaohs who built parts of the temple.
Later in the evening we went to the Karnak Temple for the sound and light show. The night time illumination made the place a bit mysterious. Despite all the grandeur of the temples, it was the flashing no horn sign that really fascinated me!
The wake up call came at 4:45 the next morning for our trip to the Valley of the Kings. This is the cost of visiting Egypt at a very popular time - lots of people at the sights, and a long wait to go through the lock on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan. No pictures permitted in the tombs, sorry! But here is another shot of the stark beauty of the place.
Before leaving the west bank of the Nile, the side of the dead, we had a brief photo op to see the Colossi of Memnon. They are certainly colossal, but were even more impressive before being damaged in an earthquake in 1301.
But the Temple of Hatshepsut is outside, so pictures are not a problem. Here is Hatshepsut complete with her false beard. The sheltered part of the temple reveal remarkable color. Restoration and research go on - here are blocks to be identified and placed.
The Nile was crowded with cruise boats. Sometimes they were moored as many as six wide at the docks. The water-based peddlers had a field day selling to the tourists through the windows of their cabins.
It was Easter Sunday when we went to the Valley of the Kings. The boat was under way during our visit, and after a long bus ride we caught up to it. Easter dinner featured baked ham, a real treat after several months in Qatar where the importation of pork is illegal. For the children their were bunnies and ducklings on the deck of the boat along with a pool and ping pong table. We played some chess, read, and watched the Nile scenery go by. When we went to bed that night we discovered large chocolate eggs on our beds.
There is a little industry along the Nile, of course, a lot of irrigation, and quite a few water buffalo..
The cruise ships were hardly alone on the river. There were feluccas and a ferry. And evidence suggests that the stone for the monuments at Giza came from upstream at Aswan, and here is a boat laden with stone headed that way.
Next stop was the Philae Temple at Edfu. It was in a remarkable state of preservation. With an impressive wall too big to get in one picture. Some sheltered parts showed remarkable color.
There is intensive security surrounding tourist sites. Here is a guard tower overlooking the temple in Edfu.
Here are a couple of street scenes taken from the boat as we approached the final temple, also seen here from the boat.
The first activity after we got to Cairo was to go to the Sound and Light show at the pyramids. Inexplicably I forgot the camera. It wouldn't have been very effective during the show, but I am certainly sorry to have missed the band featuring bagpipers wearing headpieces based on King Tut's death mask. Truly an interesting mix of cultures!
The next day it was off to the Cairo Museum, again no pictures, and then Giza plain to see the pyramids and the Sphinx.
After viewing the pyramids, three of us mounted up for the camel ride of about 200 yards to the smallest of the pyramids and a group photo with our camel leader.
Then it was into the air-conditioned comfort of the museum devoted to the solar boat of King Cheops. The boat was found buried beside his pyramid. Here are the blocks under which it was found. The boat was to carry his soul on the heavenly journey to the sun god. Here is a model of the boat, and here are couple of pictures of the actual reassembled boat.
Then off to see the Sphinx. This picture of his head reveals a bit of the original color, and this one his paws. There are a variety of stories as to how he lost his nose, including having it shot off by Napolean's soldiers or taken off by a later pharaoh.
The next day we went to the Khan al-Khalili market in the Islamic part of Cairo and had coffee or tea at Fishawi's Coffeehouse which has apparently been open continuously for 200 years except for an occasional morning during Ramadan.
After visiting the market, Sue and I visited the Hussein Mosque nearby, entering through separate doors after checking our shoes. Sue was provided a scarf to cover her head. Here is another mosque across a garden from the Hussein mosque.
Like most Middle Eastern cities on water, Cairo has a corniche along the Nile.
