Today Jude went to the workman’s village at Deir el Medina. He loved seeing how the people lived. The houses are next door to each other so the children would have been in and out of each others houses. The little roads are only the width of a donkey. The workman built the tombs of the Pharaohs in the Valley …
Jude goes to the temple of Merenptah
Today Jude went to the temple of Merenptah, he was surprised how small it was compared to the Ramasseum which was built by his father. Then he was told how long Merenptah had to wait to become Pharaoh. He was 60 and the 13th son, no wonder he only built a small temple. Some Egyptologist think he might have been …
Isis Temple at Deir el Shelwit
Michael and I finally went on a visit to the newly restored Isis temple. We had been waiting to see if the ticket was repriced in Egyptian pounds. Sadly it has not been, the reason behind making the ticket price in dollars and accepting no other currency completely escapes me. I would have thought that American tourists or people with …
Donkey Ride over the Ridge
The police have stopped this wonderful trip but do inquire while you visit Luxor as that may change I now know where the expression walking like an Egyptian comes from, who ever first said it had just done the donkey ride over the ridge in Luxor, Egypt. It is an amazing experience following in the steps of the workman that …
Mummification Museum, Luxor, Egypt
The museum opened 1997 and gives today’s visitor a detailed idea about the mummification process, the Ancient Egyptian concept of judgement & the afterlife and shows us some objects associated with mummification. The word mummification is derived from Persian word (mummiya) which means bitumen and in Arabic and gives us the word mummification The visit starts with scenes copied from …
A tale of two museums
I went to the Cairo Museum. I must admit it defeated me. I went round looking at my favourite things but every time they look shabbier and in urgent need of TLC it really disheartens you. The museum was built a long time ago and is in urgent need of some modern display cases above all else. It will be …
Hidden Karnak - The White Chapel of Senuseret I
Karnak is part of the world largest open air museum, Luxor or Ancient Thebes, home of many Egyptian Gods and Goddesses and built by various Egyptian Pharaohs like Ramses II and Tutankhamen and in my opinion better than the Egyptian pyramids. For many visitors, it’s one of the essential things to do in Luxor. The Ancient Egyptian temple of Karnak …
Luxor Museum
While the size of its collection can’t rival the treasures of Cairo, Luxor Museum is renowned as one of the thoughtfully assembled displays of antiquities in Egypt. Most of its exhibits come from temples and other constructions in the Luxor area. Highlights of the museum include sculptural depictions of Amenhotep III, under whose reign many of Luxor’s temples were built. …
Valley of the Artisans (Deir el-Medina)
Creating the Valley of the Kings was no simple undertaking: a small army of builders, engineers, engravers and other workers was required to carve the dozens of tombs out of sheer rock over the centuries. Naturally they all had to be housed somewhere, ideally not too far away. But it was only with the discovery Valley of the Artisans (or …
Tombs of the Nobles (Valley of the Nobles)
The Tombs of the Nobles (or Valley of the Nobles) may lack the star power of the Valley of the Kings or other Luxor hotspots, but this neglected gem is well worth a visit. This is a cemetery on a rare scale, with hundreds of tombs embedded in the rock, often richly decorated with frescoes depicting the working lives of …