Luxor was the ancient city of Thebes, the great capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom, and the glorious city of the god
About Me
- MohamedFawzy
- I created this blog to share and help people from different to get information and learn about egypt history and civilization
Popular Posts
-
Solar Boats Egypt
-
King Ramses II, who dominated for 67 years during the 19th dynasty of the 12th century BC, was known as "Ramses the Great"....
-
The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut also known as Deir El-Bahri is located on the West Bank of Luxor framed by steep cliffs and cut into t...
-
The burning of the library of Alexandria is one of the greatest tragedies in history. Let me put it this way in all likelihood if t...
-
Egypt is definitely a country that attracts a lot of attention from tourists, what with all the different attractions that can be e... -
When I first visited Hurghada in the late 90's it was a small town, not really large enough to be called a city. Now it's... -
If a holiday to you is escaping the modern day world; getting away from the internet, the telephone, the TV and constantly being ac... -
The Aswan High Dam was not the first attempt to build a dam across the River Nile. There is evidence that the first attempts to bui... -
Nefertiti reigned in Ancient Egypt between 1351 and 1331 B.C. She was the chief wife of the "heretic" Pharaoh Akhenaten. Akh...
4 التعليقات:
Relax and Unwind on Aswan Holidays
Aswan is located in the south of Egypt and is situated on the east banks of the Nile. The city of Aswan offers holidaymakers a welcoming environment where they can enjoy a relaxing break away from the hustle and bustle of Sharm El Sheikh and Cairo. Aswan is most well known for its proximity to the Nubian Desert and Sudan and for its relaxed pace of life with spectacular mountain views. During the day there is plenty to keep you occupied from visiting the ancient tombs of the nobles to taking a cruise along the nile; whatever you decide to do you can be assured that the weather will be warm and sunny as Aswan is one of the driest inhabited places in the world. For many holidaymakers a holiday to Egypt would not be complete without visiting some of the ancient wonders; Aswan is only a short flight from Cairo and Luxor so you can easily spend the day wandering around the Pyramids or gazing at the Valley of the Kings.
If you are looking for that perfect holiday destination, whatever time of year, Aswan has it all; from exploring the beautiful Aswan botanical gardens to watching the sunset on a Nile cruise. By spending your next holiday to Egypt in Aswan you will get a true appreciation for Egyptian culture in a much more relaxed and laidback atmosphere than its neighbours of Sharm El Sheikh and Luxor; within only 6 hours flight from most UK airports you could soon find yourself in this beautiful city.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3491388
Luxor Holidays: Discover the Wonders of Egypt
Holidaymakers travelling to Egypt have plenty of wonderful destinations to choose from. These range from the ancient to the thoroughly modern. Holidaymakers staying in and around the Red Sea coast of Egypt can venture to the Nile valley for exciting day excursions to the sites of Luxor. Those who are fans of ancient history and the desert can even book Luxor holidays that include Nile river cruises all the way up to Cairo; the capital which is still the beating heart of Egypt after thousands of years.
Hurghada on the east coast of Egypt is a good base for travellers who wish to spend some time in the mountains or in Luxor and Thebes. The sites in Luxor and Thebes include some of the most famous desert destinations in Egypt, such as the Valley of the Kings and the Hatshepsut temple, built in honour of Egypt's only female ruler before Cleopatra, Queen Hatshepsut. The temple is one of few that have been so spectacularly carved directly out of the surrounding rock which it stands so grandly in front of.
The Valley of the Kings is a literal treasure trove which - despite plunder and the removal of artefacts for academic purposes - still has tombs and other things of interest within its walls. Back across the Nile in Luxor there are some other places that constitute common highlights of Egypt holidays, such as the great Luxor temple with its avenue of sphinxes leading up to the entrance. The grand entrance once had two giant obelisks either side but one currently stands in Paris' Place de la Concorde.
Other sites in Luxor include the mummification museum for visitors who want all of the gruesome details about the process of preparing Paharoahs for eternal life. The well-stocked Luxor museum is between the Luxor and Karnak temple and has an excellent collection of artefacts collected from both. Close to Luxor, the Temple of Amun stands out as another of the ancient region's main historic sites. Having been buried for over 1,000 years, the temple was unearthed again in the 19th century. The complex includes the temple of Ramses III, the smaller temple of Opet and the tomb of Seti II.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6298390
Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt
The Valley of the Kings is situated in Luxor (Thebes) on the West Bank of the Nile. The people believed that as the sun rose in the East this is where life began and where it set in the West where life ended so all tombs where always on the West Bank of the Nile.
The tombs are about 2 miles in from the edge of the valley and prior to the road being built was a remote area chosen by the Kings of the 18th through 20th Dynasties for their burial ground.
Over sixty tombs have been discovered in the Valley and there are possibly more still to be found. The Kings of the New Kingdom wanted to separate their tombs from their mortuary temples to avoid theft, and burrowed through solid rock to ensure privacy.
The design of the tombs are very much the same, different only in the length and number of chambers in each. There are for the most part 3 corridors, one after the other leading to the inner chambers and finally the tomb chamber. In some of the tombs usually high in the wall of the second or third corridors were recesses for storing furniture and other personal possessions of the dead King.
The third corridor leads to an ante-chamber, then the main hall and the tomb chamber. In several of the tomb chambers the roof is supported by pillars and small chambers lead off from the chamber. The crypt with the sarcophagus was usually placed in the center or to the rear of the tomb chamber. Most of the sarcophagi were made of red sandstone.
In some tombs there is a shaft sometimes as much a 6 meters deep. It is not sure what the shafts were for. Some believe they were for drainage of rain water, although rain is rare in Egypt. Others believe they were meant as deterrents to grave robbers. This is supported by the fact that there is very little decoration on the upper walls of the shaft while beyond the shaft the walls were fully decorated.
The Kings believed strongly in the after life and prepared their tombs so they could continue life in the same way they had lived on earth. To this end they took all their worldly possessions to the tomb with them, including the necessities of life like food and drink. Their bodies were mummified to prevent decay and religious ceremonies were performed to ensure a smooth transition into the after life.
During the Middle Kingdom religious formulas were recorded both inside and outside of the sarcophagus. Later the texts were expanded and papyrus scrolls were placed inside the coffin. Over the years the texts became uniform and were recorded and known today as the Book of the Dead.
The corridors and chambers represent the stages in the journey to the underworld, which were divided into 12 hours or caverns. The King supposedly sailed through the corridors and chambers at night in the boat of the Sun God - this is shown in representations on the walls of the corridors often showing the ram-headed Sun God and his entourage standing in boat bringing light to the King as he traverses through the corridors and massive gates, each guarded by huge serpents. These representations are known as the Book of the Gates.
Representations on the walls of the forward corridors were generally devoted to the Praises of Ra (the Sun God) showing hymns and pictures of the ceremonies to be performed before the statue of the King to give it eternal life. At the end of the representations the dead King would face the judgment seat of Osiris, King of the Underworld.
The myth goes that Osiris was the creator of law and agriculture and ruled on earth with his wife and sister Isis at his side. He was known as a just and loved ruler who was slain by his jealous brother Set. The myth goes that Set tricked his brother into entering a chest which he then sealed and threw into the river Nile which carried it down to the sea.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5735515
Traveller Guide to Luxor and Alexandria Airports
Travelling to Egypt is something that can be gone about in a number of different ways. Given its geographical location there are many ports - meaning it is easily accessible as part of a cruise or a ferry crossing from Europe - and additionally, there are plenty of airports. Which one you land at will depend very much on where you fly from. For people travelling either to Luxor or Alexandria, it is worth checking ahead to see whether you are near an airport that has flights to your chosen city - or whether you will need connecting public transport.
Borg El Arab Airport
Alexandria has two airports, although at the time of writing Alexandria International Airport is closed to the public while undergoing a major renovation. However, the other, larger aiport - known as Borg El Arab airport - has taken on the traffic that was handled by the Alexandria International. At present, flights into Borg El Arab come mostly from other predominantly Muslim countries, so you may have to change at Istanbul, Dubai or another airport if flying from outside.
Borg El Arab itself has recently undergone an overhaul similar to that which Alexandria International is seeing now - it is now one of the best equipped airports in the region and can handle 1.2 million visitors a year. Its terminal contains a duty-free shop, a franchise food court. Its location is approximately 25 miles, or forty kilometers, from Alexandria city center, a journey which can be undertaken by taxi or by a shuttle bus which takes you directly to the center of Alexandria.
Luxor Airport
Luxor has become one of Africa's primary tourist destinations over the years and is seen as one of the ideal places for a world historian to visit. As such, it is one of the best-served cities in terms of air transport. Luxor International Airport is capable of handling up to eight million visitors each year, and can be accessed directly from a range of European airports as well as others in the Arabic world. There are also numerous charter airlines which fly into the airport, including one which is based at Luxor itself.
As well as being well-served in terms of flights, Luxor Airport is also well-appointed for the passenger with a range of restaurants and cafes as well as a duty-free shop, a gift shop and a tabac/newsagent among other stores. The airport is located just four miles outside Luxor city center, and the public transportation links available include a 15-minute taxi ride and a shuttle bus service. The bus is known to get crowded at busy times, so you may prefer to take a taxi. However, as is the case throughout the world it is a good idea to negotiate the price with your taxi driver before setting off, for the avoidance of any nasty shocks.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6169407
Post a Comment