MYSTIC EGYPT

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MYSTIC  EGYPT  Journey to lost civilizations.

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The very beginning of our tour to Mystic Egypt was  loaded with suspense and thrill as the Taxi arranged by the Organizer was about to lose the flight as we were not aware that the Airlines had advanced the flight by two hours. By the frantic efforts of the organizers, the Aircraft was detained and the moment we reached the airport, we and our luggage were simply air-lifted into the waiting aircraft and greeted with thundering claps by the waiting passengers. What a great relief after tense, nail-biting moments of anxiety.

The EGYPTIAN AIRLINES reached  CAIRO AIRPORT, the capital of Egypt on a day when Egyptians were breaking their Ramzan fast.. CAIRO  appeared very much like  Dadar of Mumbai and vehicles were driving right (unlike left side of India) We were lodged in ten storied ZOSER HOTEL in a luxurious room, with a view of the Swimming Pool below. We went to Maharaja  Restaurant for lunch and when we returned to the Hotel, we witnessed a grand "nikkah" ceremony with music of shenai and tabla.

Next day, we drove to The  CITADEL of Cairo which was a medieval Islamic fort in Cairo, Egypt fortified by the Ayyubid ruler Sal ah AL-Din (Saladin), to protect it from the Crusaders and set out to build a wall that would surround Cairo keeping the Citadel as the centerpiece  The mosque is the outstanding feature of the Citadel, with its large dome and  exquisite art work on stone walls, chandeliers, architectural splendor, making it the formidable mosque, and also the largest ISLAMIC structure to be established.  Truly  breath-taking. Near the exit, we saw an amazing hat making machine, turning out red hats by the dozens.                                                  
                                                              
                            

We then drove to the west bank of the Nile in Giza, to visit the WONDER OF THE WORLD, the Great Pyramid of Giza which is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza, bordering the outskirts of Cairo. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact.  The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.  Many of the casing stones and inner chamber blocks of the Great Pyramid were fixed with extreme high precision.The accuracy of the pyramid's workmanship is astounding. There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid and many visitors went inside to have a view. 

  

 From there we moved to see the Sphinx, a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx (a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head) that stands on the Giza Plateau. Great Sphinx of Giza  is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 250 ft long, 70 ft wide and high. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians - 2500 BC .

           

Early morning, next day, we flew to ABU SIMBAL situated on the western bank of Lake Nasser,to visit the twin temples, originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses  in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and to his queen Nefertari.   [the complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968, on an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir.]  It is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Rameses, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt.The colossal statues were sculptured directly from the rock in which the temple was located. It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 21 and February 21, the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the
back wall.    

   

 The temple of Hathor and Nefertari, also known as the Small Temple, was built about one hundred meters northeast of the larger temple dedicated to the king pharaoh Ramesses.

We took a flight to ASWAN to see the GREAT DAM situated across the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt, designed to control floods, provide water for irrigation, and generate hydroelectricity for industrialization. It was truly gigantic and the river looked like an ocean. Another great feat. The Nile turns red every year when filled with silt during inundation confirming the myth of turning the Nile as red as blood.

 

We boarded the  fellucca boat, from ASWAN. to visit the islands of Philae in Lake Nasser. the conspicuous feature of both islands was the ruins of their architectural wealth. The colossal lions in granite,  giant monuments 44 feet high, images represented on the walls of the temple and two of its inner chambers, particularly rich in symbolic imagery.The monuments in both islands indeed proclaimed the survival of pure Egyptian art in the Nile valley.

   

 The three nights of SOLARIS NILE CRUISE was unforgettable. Our special cabin with balcony gave pleasant view, apart from delicious lunch/dinner around the swimming pool. The River Nile is about 6,666 km (4,200 miles) in length and is the longest river in Africa and in the world and flows through Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Burundi, Egypt. Although it is generally associated with Egypt, only 25% of the Nile’s course runs through Egypt.

   

We anchored to visit EDFU TEMPLE. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most completely preserved. Built from sandstone blocks, the huge Ptolemaic temple was of mammoth structures.  Later we landed in LUXAR to visit the Valley of KINGS where,  tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and the valley is known to contain many tombs and chambers and also the Valley of the Queens, where wives of Pharaohs were buried in ancient times.The valley of QUEENS is located near the better known Valley of the Kings, hold more than seventy tombs, many of which are stylish and lavishly decorated. 

We also visited the Dendera Temple complex,  and were again astonished to see gigantic structures and monuments.  We saw the Temple of the QUEEN OF HATSHEPSUT located on the west bank of the Nile near the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

 






The mortuary temple is dedicated to the sun god, majestic  architecture,three layered terraces reaching 100 feet tall.

We also visited  Alabaster Exhibits Shop . The alabaster was highly esteemed for making small perfume bottles or vases.  In Egypt craftsmen used alabaster for jars and various other sacred objects,  vessels, Statue, sculpture, lustrous ornamental and other delicate art works

Next to visit was the COLOSSI OF MEMNON, two massive stone statues of Pharaoh. For the past 3400 years  they have stood in LUXOR , across the River Nile. The statues are made from blocks of quartzite sandstone which was quarried near  Cairo and transported to Thebes. They are too heavy to have been transported upstream on the Nile. The stone platforms on which they stand –15 ft – the colossi reach a towering 60 ft in height and weigh an estimated 800 tons each  The two figures are about 50 ft apart. Fantastic..

We landed in LUXAR to visit KARNAK TEMPLES comprising of  a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Indeed it is a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world. It is believed to be the second most visited historical site in Egypt; second only to the Giza Pyramids.There are hundreds of colossal statues and figures 10 meters to 30 meters tall and weighing +300 tonnes. The sandstone for this temple, including all the columns, was transported from 100 miles south on the Nile river. The largest Hypostyle Wall in the world with 135 columns was built by King SETI and completed by his son RAMESSES. Amazing endeavour.

We were almost at the fag end of our NILE CRUISE at LUXAR  and had the pleasure of enjoying BELLY DANCES every night after dinner. The Dance was more of every part of the body, especially the hips, than merely the belly. Tanoura dance was also fascinating. It is an Egyptian folk dance usually performed by men during festivals, wearing long colorful skirts, spinning and whirling the skirts one by one endlessly by theTanoura dancer. The non-stop spinning by the Dancer was mind-boggling. Quite enjoyable.

    

We took a flight to CAIRO and drove to fabulous city ALEXANDRIA at MEDITERRANEAN SEA. On the way, We dined at Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant and stayed in PARADISE INN in ALEXANDRIA. The sight-seeing resembled the MARINE DRIVE of Mumbai. Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4 million, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea  It is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. Alexandria is Egypt's largest seaport and an important tourist resort. It is home to the Bibliotheca
Alexandrina (the new Library of Alexandria). It is an important industrial center because of its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez. Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great - 333 BC. It remained Egypt's capital for nearly a thousand years,  best known for its Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World;  and the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. Library of Alexandria. The Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the  ancient world, founded at the beginning of the 3rd century.

Montaza is a palace with extensive gardens. President Anwar Sadat renovated the original Salamlek Palace as an official presidential residence. "Pompey's Pillar", a Roman triumphal column, is one of the best-known ancient monuments still standing in Alexandria today it is 30 m (100 ft) high; made out of a single piece of granite, approximately 396 tons.

The Great Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, reputed to be 138 meters (450 ft) high,  served as a prototype for all later lighthouses in the world. The light was produced by a furnace at the top and the tower was built mostly with solid blocks of limestone.

The Pharos lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century, making it the second longest surviving ancient wonder, after the Great Pyramid of Giza.We enjoyed the Light and Sound Show at the GIZA pyramids in the night.
 
I must say that we were dazed at the end of this memorable tour of Amazing Egypt, truly the home to Wonders of the World. Salute to the bygone era of lost civilizations, where Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, Julius Ceaser, Moses and many Greats walked  leaving indelible, ever lasting marks on the sands of Time.
                                                
                                                           10-11-12