by

Why Luxor ?!!

?????????????????????????????????????????It is crystal clear that Luxor city is a main destination and to the very top of tourist list in Egypt; it has 1/10 of the monuments of the world, so it is the largest and finest open-air museum all over the world.

In the ancient Egyptian times mistakenly known as the pharaonic time, specifically 1500 BC the capital moved to the South, to a city called Thebes (means the good / divine land) while its modern name is Luxor drove from the Arabic wordAlksoor means the palaces referring to its temples .

The political and military importance of the city faded during the Late Period, replaced by other political capitals in Northern Egypt, such as Bubastis, Sais and finally Alexandria.

However, as the god Amon-Ra city, Thebes remained the religious capital of Egypt until the Greek period that is why we found and still finding monuments dates back to the Greek and Roman periods.

To enjoy your time to the max in Luxor ; Nile river cruise is highly recommended either for 3 or 4 or 7 Nights according to your time and your budget where you will visit the highlights of that amazing city ;

Karnak temples the second largest ancient religious site in the world that form a mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. One famous aspect of Karnak is the Hypostyle Hall in the Precinct of Amun-Re, a hall area of 50,000 sq. ft. (5,000 m2) with 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows. 122 of these columns are 10 meters tall, and the other 12 are 21 meters tall with a diameter of over 3 meters

Luxor temple also is a  must see site it is a testimony to the history of the continuous history of Egypt, beginning from the 18th dynasty (1570 BC) of Ancient Egyptian rule to 1400 AD when a mosque was built-in the complex to commemorate Abu Al-Haggag, who introduced Islam to Luxor.

Temple of Edfu city is landmark; it is the best preserved temple in Egypt dedicated to the falcon god Horus.

Also the temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180-47 BC for 2 sets of gods.

Valley of the Kings on the western bank is a valleyHypostyle hall where, for nearly 500 years from, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles

There are much more to talk about but I’d rather leave you thinking about visiting Egypt in the near future than taking about it.

http://www.egypttravelgateway.com

by

Discover Egypt With Egypt Travel Gateway Slideshow Slideshow

TripAdvisor™ TripWow Discover Egypt With Egypt Travel Gateway Slideshow Slideshow to Giza, Cairo and Red Sea and Sinai. Stunning free travel slideshows on TripAdvisor

via Discover Egypt With Egypt Travel Gateway Slideshow Slideshow.

by

The Library of Alexandria…A land mark in Egypt .

764[1]The Library of Alexandria; is a major library and cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. It is both a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity, and an attempt to rekindle something of the brilliance that this earlier center of study and erudition represented.
767[1]The idea of reviving the old library dates back to 1974, when a committee set up by Alexandria University selected a plot of land for its new library, between the campus and the seafront, close to where the ancient library once stood. The notion of recreating the ancient library was soon enthusiastically adopted by other individuals and agencies. One leading supporter of the project was former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak; UNESCO was also quick to embrace the concept of endowing the Mediterranean region with a center of cultural and scientific excellence. An architectural design competition, organized by UNESCO in 1988 to choose a design worthy of the site and its heritage, was won by Snøhetta, a Norwegian architectural office, from among more than 1,400 entries. At a conference held in 1990 in Aswan, the first pledges of funding for the project were made: USD $65 million, mostly from the Arab states. Construction work began in 1995 and, after some USD $220 million had been spent, the complex was officially inaugurated on October 16, 2002.

alexandria_library_sno080808_16The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is trilingual, containing books in Arabic, English and French. In 2010, the library received a generous donation of 500,000 books from the National Library of France, Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF). The gift makes the Bibliotheca Alexandrina the sixth-largest Francophone library in the world. The BA also is now the largest depository of French books in the Arab world, surpassing those of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, in addition to being the main French library in Africa.

 

 

Aside by

Image

I am Ereen Yousef an Academic expert Egyptologist and licensed tour guide and tour operator with 13 years of experience working with well known international travel agencies .

A member of the Arab Tourist Guides Federation (ATGF).

A member of the World Federation of Tourist Guides Association (WFTGA).

A member in EGTGS (Egyptian Tour Guide Syndicate) 

                                                                                                                           

SAMSUNGEgyptians are justifiably proud of our very special country; a fascinating blend of timeless traditions and modern innovations; a colorful tapestry of many cultures living harmoniously. I genuinely care about my country, my guest, and your well being while in Egypt. I want you to enjoy your visit, and allow me to share with you the very best Egypt has to offer!

SAM_0004The best thing you can have in every place is someone that can take you around and show you exactly what you want, and enable you to dive straight into the local culture, traditions and more. I will be able to help you to meet lots of people and choose the experience you think most fits your interests.

 

 

 

 

 

Ereen Yousef ..private tour guide in Cairo

by

Kom Ombo Temple in Egypt

kom ombo entranceKom Ombo is the result of the unification of two adjacent temples, each dedicated to a distinct divinity: the crocodile-headed Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world, and the ancient falcon-headed Horus , the solar war god.

This was why the temple has two names “House of the Crocodile” and “Castle of the Falcon”. An imaginary line divides the temple longitudinally into two parts, each with its entrance, hypostyle halls, chapels, etc. The right part of the temple was consecrated to Sobek, the left to Haroeris, whose winged disk that protects from all evils is depicted over all the entrance portals. This temple, too, was the work of the Ptolemies who built it on the site of a much older and smaller sanctuary of which little remains.

open court-kom ombo temple

 

The court that follows must originally have been quite lovely, with its sixteen painted columns on three sides. Now only the base and the lower part are left, with, at the center, the remains of the altar on which the sacred bark were placed during processions. The reliefs on the columns show the emperor Tiberius, whose name is cut into the cartouches which accompany the figures, as he makes offering to the gods.

 

 

Hypostyle hallThe first hypostyle hall has three transversal rows of fine bundle columns each with a bill capital. Some of them are lotus-shaped, others papyrus, and one is even palm-shaped. The ceiling is decorated with astronomical scenes, with the vulture, the symbol of Nekhbet and Uadjit.

From here two distinctly separate entrances lead to the second hypostyle hall, or “hall of offering”, smaller than the one before. Here too the central row of columns acts as a divider. Both the architecture and the decoration are the same as in the first hall, for the same scenes and subjects are repeated. The figures depicted this time are Ptolemy VIII, Evergetes II, his wife Cleopatra and Ptolemy XII, Neo Dionysos.

After this hall come three vestibules placed transversally, the last of which leads to the sanctuary, or to be more precise, the two sanctuaries of Horus and Sobek. Unfortunately not much is left of the sanctuaries

 

surgical instruments -kom ombo

 

 

Towards the left end of the rear wall, is the famous and controversial scene in which the king (Trajan) presents a group of ritual and/or surgical instruments. Some of these implements were certainly used in the practice of the cult, but other may very well be medically related. Furthermore, it is known that pilgrims came to Horus , who was also known as the healer, to be treated for their infirmities. They apparently waited on the god in the temple’s hallways where game boards were scratched into the stones of the floor.

 

mamisi-kom ombo

 

The “Birth House” or mammisi and Hathor chapel also belonged to the temple complex of Kom Ombo. The Hathor Chapel is in better state. It is situated to the right of the temple and was built by Domitian in honor of Hathor whom the Greek identified with Aphrodite. Various crocodile sarcophagi and mummies, from the excavations of a neighboring necropolis, can now be seen in this chapel, which was donated by a wealthy Roman matron.

by

Edfu Temple…a place that you shouldn’t miss

ImageEdfu Temple was Dedicated to Horus, the falcon headed god, it was built during the reigns of six Ptolemies. We have a great deal of information about its construction from reliefs on outer areas. It was begun in 237 BC by Ptolemy III Euergetes I and was finished in 57 BC.

This is not only the best preserved ancient temple in Egypt, but the second largest after Karnak.

It was believed that the temple was built on the site of the great battle between god Horus and his uncle god Seth.

 The current temple of Edfu was the last in a long series of temples build on this location. It is said that the original structure was a grass hut housing a statue of god Horus built in prehistoric times.

 ImageFrom the Pylon gateway to the North Enclosure wall, the temple is just over 150 feet long and covers an area of about 8400 feet. While the temple is intact, the auxiliary buildings- kitchens, storehouses, slaughterhouses, administrative offices, even the sacred lake, the grove of falcons, and the quay-all lie buried under the modern town.

So much is known about the construction of the temple and its sections come from sets of inscriptions within the temple itself. These are called the Building Texts and were placed on the exterior walls of the Sanctuary and the Enclosures Walls.

 The twin towers of the great entrance pylon of the temple were planned as perfect mirror images of each other, both in their construction and in the rather curiously rendered scenes carved on their surfaces. Two statues of Horus as a falcon flank the entrance gate, and behind the pylon, at the base of the walls on either side of the entrance are scenes depicting the Feast of the Beautiful Meeting, in which Horus was united with Hathor of Dendera.

 ImageThe outer hypostyle hall contains twelve columns inside and are the highest of the whole temple. In the eastern part the library was installed in a small chamber and two catalogs inscribed on the walls list the titles of every book held therein. Some of these scroll-books included “The book for performing the ritual for the protection of the city, of the houses, of the White Crown, of the year,” the roll book of temple guards, and Information about the regular appearance of the sun and moon and the periodical return of the other stars.

The twin towers of the great entrance pylon of the temple were planned as perfect mirror images of each other, both in their construction and in the rather curiously rendered scenes carved on their surfaces. Two statues of Horus as a falcon flank the entrance gate, and behind the pylon, at the base of the walls on either side of the entrance are scenes depicting the Feast of the Beautiful Meeting, in which Horus was united with Hathor of Dendera.

The outer hypostyle hall contains twelve columns inside and it is the highest of the whole temple. As you enter the great hall, you will begin to notice the use of light Even though the temple was built over hundreds of years, it is very harmonious,

ImageThe sanctuary itself is surrounded by chapels and rooms, the statue of Horus would be taken from here up a flight of stairs to the roof terrace where it would be recharged by the sun during the Festival of the New Year. The walls of the stairs located in the outer anti-chamber depict this ritual.

When Auguste Mariette first began the clearance of Edfu Temple in 1860 CE, the temple had become a village filled with stables and storehouses, the roof of the Sanctuary area covered in mud-brick houses, and the inner chambers filled with rubbish almost to the ceiling.

Fortunately, much conservation work has been done, and tourists and scholars can visit Edfus great temple .

Gallery by

Philae island .. a travel spot in Egypt

Philae Island was a rocky island in the middle of the River Nile, south of Aswan . It was called in Hieroglyphic “Apo” which means Ivory. It was also known by the Greek “Elephantine”, most probably because it was an important center of trade, especially for ivory. The Ancient Egyptians built a beautiful and magnificent […]

Image by

Khan El-Khalili …. the heart of Egypt

How could a market in Egypt be responsible for the founding of the United States? Khan El-Khalili, once known as the Turkish bazaar during the Ottoman period, is now usually just called the ‘Khan’, and the names of it and the Muski market are often used interchangeably to mean either. Named for the great Caravansary, the market was built in 1382 by the Emir Djaharks El-Khalili in the heart of the Fatimid City. Together with the Al-Muski market to the west, they comprise one of Cairo’s most important shopping areas. But more than that, they represent the market tradition which established Cairo as a major center of trade, and at the Khan, one will still find foreign merchants. Perhaps, this vary market was involved in the spice monopoly controlled by the Mamluks, which encouraged the Europeans to search for new routes to the East and led Columbus, indirectly, to discover the Americas. During its early period, the market was also a center for subversive groups, often subject to raids before the Sultan Ghawri rebuilt much of the area in the early 16th century. Regardless, it was trade which caused Cairo’s early wealth, even from the time of the Babylon fort which was often a settlement of traders