The Karnak Temple

The Temple of Karnak is the largest Temple in the World! The complex contains a group of
Temples such as the Great Temple of Amon Ra, The Temple of Khonso, The Ipt Temple, The
Temple of Ptah, the Temple of Montho and the Temple of the God Osiris. A 20m high, mud
brick enclosure wall, surrounded all of these buildings.

This great Temple of Amon Ra was known during the Middle

Kingdom period as Ipt-Swt, which means the Selected
Spot. It was also called Pr-Imn, which means the House
of Amon. The name Al-Karnak in Arabic was derived from
Karnak, which means fortified village, probably because the
Arabs found many Temples and buildings in the area when
they entered it for first time.
On your way towards the entrance you will find a ram-
headed avenue of Sphinxes, which was built to protect the
Temple. There are 20 rams on each side, extending from
the small harbour to the 1st Pylon, which was built during
the time of King Nektanebo I (30th Dynasty). As you cross
this pylon, it takes you into an Open court, whose
dimensions are100m long by 80m wide, built during the
22nd Dynasty, and containing rows of bud papyrus columns.

In the middle of the 1st Open court, there is a huge column,

which is 21m high and has a bud papyrus capital. This part
is known as the kiosk of Taharqa who ruled during the 25th
Dynasty. This is the only column left from a colonnade that once had 10 columns.
On the left side of this Court there are 3 chapels, which were built by King Seti II for the “Triad
of Thebes”. On the right side is the Temple of Ramses III. This Temple consists of a small pylon,
an open court and Hypostyle hall, leading to the sanctuary.

Horemheb built the 2nd Pylon during the 18th Dynasty, though it is now badly damaged.
Ramses I, the founder of the 19th Dynasty, later completed it. Passing the 2nd Pylon, we enter
the Great Hypostyle Hall, which measures 103m in length and 52m in width. It contains 134
papyrus columns; each column is about 22m in height and 3.5m in diameter. Amenhotep III
built it and Ramses I, Seti I, and Ramses II decorated it, while King Seti I erected the other 122
columns in 14 rows.
The ceiling in the centre is higher than the laterals, and it allows light into this spot, which was
the processional avenue of the Triad during the festival of the Opet. The scenes of the
Hypostyle Hall represent King Seti I, in front of different deities, making offerings, while the
southern wall is decorated with scenes of Ramses II, making offerings to the different deities or
worshipping the Triad of Thebes.

The Hypostyle Hall leads to The 3rd Pylon, which was built by Amenhotep III. It is remarkable
that stones from previous periods were found incrusted in that Pylon, for example, the marble
alabaster of Amenhotep I!

Crossing the 3rd Pylon, you come to an open, rectangular court, which is known as the Court of
Tuthmosis I. In this court, Tuthmosis I erected 2 obelisks, as most probably this area was
the main entrance of the Temple during his reign. Unfortunately, only one obelisk has survived:
19m high and around 310 tons in weight.

From the Court of Tuthmosis, we reach the 4th Pylon, which Tuthmosis I also built; beyond
this is a rectangular colonnade, which he built as well. When Hatshepsut ascended to the
throne she built 2 obelisks in that colonnade, the left one is still in its original position: 29.5m
in height, 322 tons in weight and made of red granite!
After the death of Queen Hatshepsut, King Tuthmoses III built a high, long wall around these
2 obelisks to hide them.

The 5th Pylon, yet again built by Tuthmosis I, is damaged and on both sides of the
entrance,Tuthmosis III built two small rooms.

We are now at the 6th Pylon, which was built by Tuthmosis III. Beyond this pylon Tuthmosis
III built his famous hall, which is known as the Ancestral Room. The original Sanctuary was built
by Tuthmosis III, but Philip Arrhidaeus, the half brother of Alexander the Great, later rebuilt
it.

The sanctuary was built of granite, and it was dedicated to the sacred boat of Amon Ra. Behind
the sanctuary you will see a court, dating back to the time of the Middle Kingdom. It is a wide-
open courtyard that is badly damaged now. Most probably this spot was the site of an old
Temple, dating back to the time of the Middle Kingdom: the origin of the Karnak Temple.

At the end of the Middle Kingdom Courtyard, there is another Hall known as
the Akh-Mnw, or the Festival Hall of Tuthmosis III. The hall in the north
of the area is called The Botanical Room. This is because the walls were
decorated with scenes of plants, animals and birds, which were brought
from Syria, to Egypt, by the King.

Now we shall go back through the temple until we reach the Court of
Tuthmosis 1 again (between the 4th and 3rd Pylons).

Turning left, we enter a courtyard, which is in front of the 7th Pylon. In

1902, the French Egyptologist Georges Legrain (1865–1917) discovered a
very precious collection of statues hidden in the ground of this court, which
is now known as the Court of the Cashet. The 7th Pylon, which is badly
damaged, was built by Tuthmosis III.

Crossing the 7th Pylon to the court beyond, you will see 2 statues of
Ramses II and Tuthmosis III.

The 8th Pylon was built by Hatshepsut, decorated by Tuthmosis III, and
restored by Seti I. The scenes on the façade of the Pylon represent
Hatshepsut with different deities, and a religious scene featuring
Tuthmosis III.

On the left side of the Court, between the 9th and 10th Pylons, are the
remains of the Heb-Sed Shrine, which was built by Amenhotep II and
decorated by Seti I.

The 9th Pylon, which was built by Horemheb, is badly damaged. A large
number of bricks were found inside, which were being used as filling. They
belonged to the Aton Temple, which was built by Amenhotep VI
(Akhenaten) in the 18th Dynasty and destroyed by later Kings who
wanted to eliminate all traces of the “heretic” King.

Finally we reach the 10th Pylon, damaged as well, and again built by King
Horemheb. In front of this Pylon there are the remains of an avenue of
Sphinxes, built by Horemheb, and extending to the gate of Ptolemy II in
front of Mut Temple.

Before leaving the Temple of Amon Ra at Karnak you should visit the
Sacred Lake, which goes back to the time of Tuthmosis III. It measures
80m in length and 40m in width. Near the Sacred Lake there is a scarab,
which is considered the biggest scarab left from Ancient Egypt, dating from
the reign of Amenhotep III. The Ancient Egyptians called the scarab,
Khebry, and it was the symbol of the Sun God. The word itself means to
create; it was thought to bring to the sun in the early morning.
While you are in Luxor, why don’t you attend the marvelous Sound and
Light show at the Temple of Karnak?

Listed below you will find the Sound and Light show schedule.

Show First show Second third show Fourth

show show
Day / time 8:00 PM 9:15PM 10:30 11.45
Saturday French English Italian
Sunday German English Italian French
Monday English French Spanish
Tuesday Japanese English
Wednesday German English French
Thursday English French Arabic
Friday English French
Fees 75 EGP 75 EGP 75 EGP 75 EGP

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple, or The Temple of Luxor, is among the most beautiful Temples in Egypt. It
was known in the New Kingdom period as Ipt-Rsyt, which means the southern shrine. This
was to differentiate between this Temple and Karnak Temple, which was the northern
house of Amon Ra.

Amenhotep III built Luxor Temple. The architect and overseer of the works
of construction was the genius Amenhotep, son of Habu. The Temple run
close and parallel to the river Nile from north to south. It was constructed
on the site of a small Temple of Amon, built by kings of the 12th dynasty.
At the time of Amenhotep III the Temple was only 190m in length and 55m
in width. Basically, Luxor Temple was consecrated to Amon Ra in his
fertility aspect.

Ramses II, with the help of his architect Pak-in Khonso, added the front
part and completed the Temple. He also added the present large
forecourt, and a Pylon at the (northern) front of the Temple. Kings
Merenpetah, Seti I, Ramses III, Ramses IV and Ramses VI built many more
small additions. Alexander the Great rebuilt the Sanctuary.
During the Christian era, the inner section was converted to a church. The Muslims built a
Mosque in the 10th century, which is known as the Mosque of
Abou El-Hagag.

King Nektanebo built the Sphinx Avenue in front of the Temple

that leads to the entrance. In front of the Great Pylon of Ramses II,
there once were 2 obelisks. Only one of them remains standing!
The other was transported, in 1819, to La Place de le Concorde in
Paris, as a gift to King Philip Louis of France by Mohamed Ali (who
ruled Egypt 1805-1850 A.D), after he was given a French clock,
which has never worked properly - even to this day!

There were 6 standing statues in front of the Pylon, only one of them, on the western side,
is still in place.

Flanking the gate of the first pylon, which is 24m high, there are two seated colossi
representing King Ramses II, seated on his throne, with all the royal features. Both towers
of this pylon were once decorated with relief’s depicting the Battle of Kadesh, fought
between the armies of Egypt and the Hittites, in present day Syria. The 1st open court has
double rows of 32 papyrus bud columns.

To the right side of the open court there is an old triple shrine made by Queen Hatshepsut
and Tuthmosis III, dedicated to the sacred boats of the “Triad of Thebes”. To the left is the
Mosque of Abou El-Hagag.

The open court of Ramses II leads to the Colonnade, which was built by Amenhotep III, and
decorated by Tutankhamen and later, Horemheb; Seti I, Ramses II, and Seti II all recorded
their names there. It consists of two pairs of large open papyrus columns, which are
arranged to make a long processional avenue. The walls of this colonnade are decorated
by scenes of the Opt Festival, special ceremonies for the visit of the “Triad of Karnak” to
the Temple of Luxor. This feast lasted for about 24 days, including the return to the Karnak
Temple.

The colonnade leads to the Court of Amenhotep III (52m in length and
46m in width). It has a double row of clustered round papyrus bud
columns on three sides. The Court of Amenhotep III leads to the
Hypostyle Hall, which consists

of 32 columns arranged in 4 columns and 8 columns each. To the left of

the Hypostyle Hall stands a Roman altar, bearing Latin inscriptions,
dedicated to Emperor Augustus. On the walls of the Hypostyle Hall,
there are some reliefs representing Amenhotep III hunting and killing a
gazelle in front of Amon Ra, and other scenes representing the King in
front of various deities.

On the rear of The Hypostyle Hall, and on both sides of the central
doorway,

There are 2 long chapels. The one to the east is dedicated to Mut and
the One to the west dedicated to Khonso. The Hypostyle opens south to
the 1st Antechamber, which originally had 8 columns, but they were
removed when the antechamber was converted into a Christian Church.

The Birth Room situated to the east, is a side room with 3 columns.
Most of the scenes, depicting the divine birth of King Amen-hotep III, are
in very poor condition.

After the Birth Room there is another 3 columned chamber, also with
badly damaged relief’s, and then the Sanctuary of Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great, who removed the 4 original columns and built a
chapel, open to the north and to the south, rebuilt this sanctuary, which
once had a golden plated statue of Amon Ra. Fortunately he did not
remove the relief’s on the walls.

From the shrine of Alexander the Great, we enter a 2nd antechamber,

which has 4 papyrus bud columns.

After passing the 2nd antechamber, there are 2 offering rooms, in poor
condition, with their scenes also badly damaged.

The original sanctuary is a small chamber with 4 clustered papyrus

columns. The walls of this room are decorated with scenes depicting
Amenhotep III dancing before the God Amon Ra. The outside walls of
the Temple, on the west side, are covered with scenes and inscriptions,
again representing the battle of Kadesh.

This was the work of Ramses II to commemorate his “victory” over the
Hittites.

The Temple of Edfu

Edfu

Edfu is located 60Km to the north of Aswan. It was the 2nd Nome of Upper Egypt and the centre of
the cult of a triad of Gods, which consisted of Horus of Behdet, Hathor, and their son, Hor-Sama-
Tawy. In the old Greek documents, Edfu was known as “Apollopolis Magna” because the Greeks
identified Horus with their God Apollo.

Edfu was a flourishing city in Ancient Times. Today, the most important monument in the city
of Edfu is the Temple of Horus, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful and preserved
Temples in Egypt. The origins of the Temple probably date back to the Second Intermediate Period,
but the actual Temple only dates back to Ptolemaic times. The work of construction began during
the reign of Ptolemy III (about 237 BC) and was finished during the reign of Ptolemy IV. Some other
additions were made by other Ptolemaic Kings, and Roman Emperor Augustus. The construction of
this Temple and its additions, inscriptions, and relief’s took about 180 years!

Edfu Temple consists of traditional elements of Egyptian Temples of the New Kingdom,
together with a few Greek elements, such as the Mamisi, which is situated to the west of the
main entrance of the Temple (Mamisi means “house of the divine birth”). It consists of an
entrance, a court and chapel. The walls of the mamisi are decorated with scenes showing the
story of the divine birth of Horus the child, in the presence of the Goddess Hathor, the God
Khenoum and other deities who were concerned with pregnancy and birth.

The Temple has a Pylon that is considered the highest among surviving Temples in Egypt
today. It is 37m high and is decorated with battle scenes, representing King Ptolemy VIII
smiting his enemies before the God Horus.

Next there is an open courtyard that contains columns with floral capitals on three sides. This
open court was open to the public and was known as the court of the offerings, being the place
where people could give their offering to the statue of the God.

The Hypostyle Hall is rectangular and 12 columns support its roof. On both sides of the
entrance to this hall stands a statue of Horus of Behdet, in the shape of a falcon. This hall is
also known as the outer Hypostyle Hall.

An entrance beyond the 1st Hypostyle Hall accesses the Inner Hypostyle Hall. 12 columns to
the right support its roof, and on the left there are 2 rooms; one was used as a library that
once contained a large number of manuscripts. The other was used as a storeroom or
magazine for the utensils and the tools of the Temple.
There are 2 consecutive vestibules; the outer one called the “hall of the offerings”, where the
walls are decorated with various scenes representing the different deities and offering scenes
of the different Ptolemaic Kings. The inner vestibule was called the “rest house of the Gods”.

At the end of the Temple is the sanctuary, which includes a niche of grey granite where a
statue of the God is supposed to be placed. In front of the dais is a pedestal for the resting of
the divine boat. The sanctuary is surrounded, on the outside, by 12 rooms, where many
religious scenes were depicted on their walls. Some of these rooms were used as storerooms,
while the others were dedicated for different religious purposes.

One of the most remarkable elements of the Temple is the existence of a Nilometer, as well as
a chapel, which was dedicated to the Goddess Nut.
On various walls of the Temple, there are many battle scenes, as well as the famous scene of
the ritual of the Temple foundation.

The northern wall of the court shows the divine marriage of Hathor and Horus of Behdet, which
was celebrated twice every year; once at the Dendera Temple and the second time at the Edfu
Temple. The Journey of Hathor, from Dendera to Edfu and the vice versa, can also be seen on
this wall.

Another scene, on the inside of the outer corridor of the western side of the Temple, depicts
the legend of the conflict between Horus and Seth, the victory of Horus over his uncle, and his
coronation to rule the world.

The Temple of Kom Ombo

The Temple of Kom Ombo stands on the east bank of the Nile, right next to the river, about
4Km from the town. It was dedicated to two Gods, Horus and Sobek

The Temple was mainly dedicated to the God Sobek, the crocodile God, together with his wife,
in another form of the Goddess Hathor. The Temple is of Greco-Roman structure, dating back
to the year 119 BC, when Ptolemy VI, who started the construction, built it out of limestone.
Neos Dionysus finished most of the building, while the Emperor Augustus added the final
touches.

The left side of the Temple was dedicated to the God Horus the elder, God of victory; Horus
was known as the good doctor here! The Temple became famous for its healing power,
becoming a major pilgrimage site. A healing cult was developed and the Temple became a
sanctuary for many patients who were seeking help, and treatment, by the priests; they would
fast for a night in the Temple precinct.

You can enter the Temple from the eastern side, where there is an ancient gate built by
Ptolemy XII (Neos Dionysus), who was the father of Cleopatra VII (yes, the famous one!)

To your right, after crossing the gate, you will find a small room that was built and dedicated to
the Goddess Hathor. Nowadays it is used to display mummified crocodiles, which were found in
the vicinity of the Temple.
The first pylon of the Temple is now destroyed and only stones from the foundation, and part
of the wall remain. The court here was the construction of Tiberius.
As you enter from the main forecourt, you will find that entrance is divided into two gateways,
each one leads to the half of the Temple dedicated to one of the two deities
The rear wall leads to the second hypostyle hall, which in turn leads to twin entrances. It has
15 columns, five of them incorporated in the front wall. This section shows Ptolemy VII holding
hymnal texts before the Nile Gods.

After that you will find three entrance vestibules, each one being smaller, and higher, than the
last! The outer vestibule shows the Goddess Sheshat measuring the layout of the Temple,
and the King laying the foundation. The middle chamber was dedicated to the offering and
admittance was only allowed to the priests.
To your right you will find long lists of calendars, telling about the various festivals dedicated to
various Gods in the Temple
The inner vestibule has two doors leading to the 2 separate sanctuaries of Horus and Sobek.

On the inner side, of the back wall of the Temple, is a very remarkable scene! It shows the first
illustration of medical and surgery tools, which are being presented to a seated God. Here you
will find depictions of: scalpels, suction caps, bone saws, and dental tools; 2000 year old
depictions! In the northwest side of the Temple, there is a huge well with a staircase, which
was connected with the worship of the crocodile and was also used as a Nilo-meter. You still
can see water there!

Valley Of The Kings

The Valley of the Kings was the royal cemetery for 62 Pharaohs, and is
located on the west bank at Luxor. The only entrance to this place was a
long narrow winding path. This was a secret place, where sentries were
placed at the entrance of the Valley, as well as along the top of the hills, in
the hopes of discouraging tomb robbers, who had in the past plundered all
royal tombs, including the treasures of the Pyramids! Some thefts were
probably carefully planned, but others were spur of the moment, as when
an earlier tomb was accidentally discovered while cutting a new one and
workmen took advantage of the opportunity. This may have happened
when KV 46 was found during the cutting of KV 4 or KV 3 nearby. The
tombs in the Valley range from a simple pit (e.g. KV 54), to a tomb with
over 121 chambers and corridors (KV 5)

John Gardiner Wilkinson first established the present numbering system, in

1827, as part of his preparation of a map of Thebes. Wilkinson painted the
numbers 1 through 21 at the entrances of the tombs that were then visible.
The numbers were assigned geographically, from the entrance to the
Valley southward. Since Wilkinson's day, tomb numbers have been
assigned in chronological order of discovery, KV 62 (Tutankhamen) being
the most recent. Wilkinson's is not the only system of tomb designation
that has been used in the Valley though. Several explorers assigned
numbers, letters or descriptive labels to the tombs, as the accompanying
chart indicates, but Wilkinson's is the only system that is still in use. There
are two main wings to the Valley of the Kings, west and east! You will find
that eastern side has the majority of the tombs, the western part having
very few, but including the tombs of Amenhotep III and Ay.

A list of the KV's discovered (so far!)

KV 01 Ramses VII KV 33 Cache of Tuthmosis III

KV 02 Ramses IV KV 34 Tuthmosis III
KV 03 Cache of Ramses III KV 35 Amenhetep II
KV 04 Ramses XI KV 36 Maiherperi
KV 05 Sons of Ramses II KV 37 Cache of Tuthmosis III
KV 06 Ramses IX KV 38 Tuthmosis I
KV 07 Ramses II KV 39 Unknown
KV 08 Merenptah KV 40 Unknown
KV 09 Ramses V / VI KV 41 Unknown
KV 10 Amenmeses KV 42 Hatshepsut-Meryetre
KV 11 Ramses III KV 43 Tuthmosis IV
KV 12 Unknown KV 44 Anen (?)
KV 13 Bay KV 45 Userhet
KV 14 Tausert / Setnakht KV 46 Yuya and Thuya
KV 15 Seti II KV 47 Siptah
KV 16 Ramses I KV 48 Amenemopet
KV 17 Seti I KV 49 Maya (?)
KV 18 Ramses X KV 50 Animals
KV 19 Mentuherkhepshef KV 51 Animals
KV 20 Hatshepsut KV 52 Animals
KV 21 Two Queens KV 53 Unknown
KV 22 Amenhetep III KV 54 Cache of Tutankhamen
KV 23 Ay KV 55 Tiye, Akhenaten or
KV 24 Unknown Other
KV 25 Akhenaten (?) KV 56 Unknown
KV 26 Unknown KV 57 Horemheb
KV 27 Unknown KV 58 Cache of Ay
KV 28 Unknown KV 59 Unknown
KV 29 Unknown KV 60 Two Women (Setri In?)
KV 30 Unknown KV 61 Unknown
KV 31 Unknown KV 62 Tutankhamen
KV 32 Unknown KV 63 New Tomb - Unknown
The earliest known tomb of the New Kingdom within the Valley of the
Kings, is that of Tuthmoses I, who started to use the valley as a royal
burial site. It is located in a desolate part of the valley, which is supposed
to add greater protection as it was small enough to be closely guarded. The
good quality of the stones gave the ancient Egyptians the chance to cut
many tombs close to each other.
Most of the tombs were found already plundered! A few, like the tomb of
Tutankhamen (KV 62) or that of Yuya and Thuyu (KV 46), contained
thousands of precious artifacts. Some tombs have been accessible since
antiquity, as Greek and Latin
graffiti will attest. Some were
used as dwellings, or as
churches during the Greco-
Roman and Byzantine Periods.
Most of them have been
discovered in the past two
hundred years.

Some tombs, like KV 5, had been "lost,"

and their locations only recently
rediscovered. The very well known
Egyptologist, Kent Weeks, who is still
working in the valley, on many projects,

among them the Theban

mapping project, Kent
weeks (Shown above with me
in the picture on the top-
right ) spent more than 6 years
exploring and trying to uncover
the secrets of this massive tomb.
KV5 is the largest tomb ever
found in the valley! Re-
excavated in 1995, it contains at least 121 chambers and corridors! Mr.
Weeks believes that it was built for the children of Ramses II. On your way
to the inner side of the valley,You can see KV5’s entrance location
(currently closed to the public)
Since 1922, and Howard Carter’s discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen
(KV 62), there had been no new tombs discovered in the valley until, on
February 9, 2006, the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt announced
the discovery of a new tomb. Designated the number KV63, it was
discovered by a joint effort between the University of Memphis (USA) and
the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt. This is one of the smaller
tombs that have been found, consisting of a vertical shaft with an adjacent
chamber at the bottom. Some artefacts have been found, but as this is an
ongoing project, the details are still to be released

• Presently, there are several archaeological projects currently at

work in the Valley of the Kings.
 To visit the Valley of the Kings you should be aware of the following:

 Your entrance ticket to the valley costs (80 EGP ) (The ticket office
is located at the outer entrance to the valley, at the end of the car
park after the visitors centre This ticket should give you access to
three tombs only of your choice.
 Cameras and Video cameras are not allowed into the valley at all!
You will have to check-in your camera at the entrance.
 Lecturing into the tombs is not allowed. Your Egyptologist tourist
guide will have to give your tombs inof from the outside and may
also recommend which tombs to visit.
 If you wish to go inside the tomb of King Tutankhamen (KV62), you
will need to buy separate ticket (100 EGP)
 While on visit to these tombs Please don't touch the wall.

Our advice for the best tombs to visit now:

• Tomb of Ramses IX (KV 6); both have very fine relief’s and
very elegant ceilings, with the scenes of the Goddess Nut,
Goddess of the sky (Closed for refurbishment)
• Tomb of Mernpatah (KV 8); the largest in the valley (
Closed, at the present) (Closed)
• Tomb of Ramses VI (KV 9); ( Open for a fee 50 EGP) (Open
Now)
• Tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35); where the best
representation of the “Book of the Dead” can be seen (
Closed, Now )
• Tomb of Thutmose (KV 34); it has full details of the “Book
of the Dead”, and represents the standard form for 18th
Dynasty royal tombs ( Closed)
• Tomb of Ramses VII (KV1); (Open Now)

• Tomb of Ramses I (KV16); (Open Now)

• My Favourite Tombs:

Tomb of Amonhotep II (KV35) (open)

It is considered as one of the best-completed tombs in the valley. The tomb

is full of religious scenes depicting full chapter so the Egyptian book of the
dead. Victor Loret discovered the tomb when he was antiquities director in
1897; it was the only tomb beside the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamen
where we found the mummy of king intact in its sarcophagus. Back in
1897 We have discovered into the tomb, a cache of another 11 mummies
of kings and queens together with many funerary objects. Upon the
discovery of these mummies, many were taken to the Egyptian museum
and three unknown mummies where left behind together with many
funerary objects.

Unfortunately later some of these pieces have disappeared or perhaps

stolen! Among these pieces where a 3500 years old boat made of cedar
wood and it was 4 M long! No one knows what happen to it!
Tomb of Seti I (KV 17) (Closed)

It is considered the longest tomb in the valley as it extends to more than

120 M inside the solid rock. The tomb was discovered by Giovanni Belzoni n
1817. It has a complete record of the book of the dead and characterized
by it is bas-relief on the walls and the amazing painting of high quality
especially at the burial chamber. The tomb consists of seven corridors and
ten champers all painted and decorated with the Litany of Ra (Book of the
Dead, Im-dwat, Book of Gates Opening of the Mouth ritual, astronomical
scenes)

There we found many Tomb equipment including, writing equipment and

Vessels etc.

Into the burial chamber a magnificent sarcophagus made of the finest

alabaster was found, it was later transferred by Giovanni Belzoni to the U.K
and was sold to the Sir John Sonne at the sum of 2000 English pounds.
Today you can still see it in Sir John Sonne museum in London.

Valley Of The Queens (Biban Al-Harim)

The Valley of the Queens is an

isolated cemetery, at the southern
part of the vast necropolis of
Thebes, on the west bank of Luxor.
It contains about 70 tombs, mainly
belonging to Queens, Princesses,
Princes and Nobles, who lived
during the XIX and XX Dynasties.
In general, these tombs are
smaller than the ones of the Kings.
The plans of these tombs usually
consist of a small antechamber, a
long narrow corridor with several
side chambers, and at the end -
the burial chamber.

One of the most important tombs in the valley is the one that
belongs to the famous Queen Nefertari, the principal consort of
King Ramses II. This

beautiful tomb was in a bad

condition because of the salt
crystals seeping through its poor
quality limestone. It was restored
and reopened for visitors, though
nowadays it is closed to the
general public because of the high
CO2 levels, and water in breath
particles, which were damaging
the beautiful artwork. Her tomb
consists of a stairway leading
down to a hall, where on the walls, there are representations of
the Queen with different Gods and Goddesses. This hall leads to an
inner side chamber decorated with religious scenes such as Queen
Nefertari burning incense, and giving offerings to the Gods Osiris
and Atum. A corridor then leads to the burial chamber, whose
walls are decorated with scenes of the “Book of the Gates”.

Also located in the valley, are the

tombs of three of the sons of King
Ramses III, who were also buried
there.

Tomb 55 is considered to be one of

the most important tombs amongst
them. It was dedicated to Prince
Amon-khopshef, a son of King
Ramses III who had died at an early
age. Among the most beautiful
scenes in this tomb, are on the
walls of the 1st chamber. It is a
scene representing the Prince, with his father, with the King
making offerings to various deities. The large hall is decorated
with some scenes of the “Book of the Gates”.

Tomb 44 belongs to Prince Khaem-

waset, who was another son of
Ramses III. It consists of 2 long
corridors, with 2 side chambers,
and a square burial chamber. The
walls of this tomb are decorated
with various painted scenes, some
of them representing the Prince
with different deities, and with his
father in front of the deities of the
after world.

The Temple of Deir El-Bahri

The Temple of Deir El-Bahri is one of the most characteristic temples in the whole of Egypt,
due to its design and decorations. It was built of limestone, not sandstone like most of the
other funerary temples of the New Kingdom period.

It is thought that Senimut, the genius architect who built this Temple, was inspired in his
design by the plan of the neighboring mortuary Temple of the 12th Dynasty King, Neb-
Hept-Re. The Temple was built for the great Queen Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty), to
commemorate her achievements and to serve as a funerary Temple for her, as well as a
sanctuary of the God, Amon Ra.
In the 7th century AD, it was named after a Coptic monastery in the area, known as the
“Northern monastery”. Today it is known as the Temple of Deir El-Bahri, which means in
Arabic, the “Temple of the Northern monastery”. There is a theory suggesting that the
Temple, in the Early Christian Period, was used as a Coptic monastery.

This unique Temple reflects clear ideas about the serious conflict between Hatshepsut, and
her nephew and son in law, Tuthmosis III, since many of her statues were destroyed, and
the followers of Tuthmosis III damaged most of her Cartouches, after the mysterious death
of the queen.

The Temple consists of three imposing terraces. The two lower ones
would have once been full of trees. On the southern end of the 1st
colonnade there are some scenes, among them the famous scene of
the transportation of Hatshepsut’s two obelisks.
On the north side of the colonnade there is a scene that represents the
Queen offering four calves to Amon Ra.

The 2nd terrace is now accessed by a ramp; originally it would have

had stairs. The famous Punt relief is engraved on the southern side of
the 2nd colonnade. The journey to Punt (now called Somalia) was the
first pictorial documentation of a trade expedition recorded, and
discovered, in ancient Egypt; until now. The scenes depict in great
detail, the maritime expedition that Queen Hatshepsut sent, via the
Red Sea, to Punt, just before the 9th year of her reign (1482 B.C) This
famous expedition was headed by her high official, Pa-nahsy, and
lasted for 3 years. His mission was to exchange Egyptian merchandise
for the products of Punt, especially gold, incense and tropical trees.

To the south there is the shrine of the Goddess Hathor. The court that
leads to this chapel has columns, where Hathor, who is shown with a
woman’s face and cow’s ears, is carrying a sistrum (a musical tool); on
the walls she is depicted as a cow. In this part of the Temple, King
Tuthmosis III erased the Queen’s names.

On the northern side of the 2nd colonnade, there is a

scene depicting the divine birth of Hatshepsut. The
Queen claimed that she was the divine daughter of
Amon Ra to legitimise her rule.

Beyond the colonnade to the North are the chapel of

Anubis, God of mummification and the keeper of the
necropolis.

The 3rd terrace is also accessed by a ramp! It consists of two rows of

columns, the front ones taking the Osirid form (a mummy form);
unfortunately Tuthmosis III damaged them. The columns at the rear,
sadly, have all been destroyed; also by Tuthmosis III!

The colonnade, which leads to the sanctuary of the Temple, has also
been severely damaged. This sanctuary consists of two small chapels.

In the Ptolemaic period, a third chapel was added to the sanctuary

which was also decorated with various scenes, the most remarkable
being the ones representing Amenhotep, son of Habo (18th Dynasty)
who, like Imhotep from the 3rd Dynasty, was another genius architect
from Ancient Egypt.

Temple of Esna

Esna is about 485 miles (776Km) south of Cairo and lies on the west bank
of the Nile. It was the ancient city of Senat, called Latopolis by the Greeks.
The “city of the fish” where the Nile perch was worshipped. Today it is very
famous for its river barrage and as a result, it is a stop over for most of the
cruise boats. The Temple of Esna, which was buried beneath its own debris
for many centuries, is located in the centre of the town, close to the River
Nile and only a short walk from your boat, through the local market.

To reach the Temple you have to descend a flight of steps, but be careful!
They are very steep! The admission fee is LE 20.

The Temple is dedicated to the ram headed God Khnum, the God of
creation. Tuthmosis III laid the foundations of the Temple in the 18th
Dynasty, but Ptolemaic and Roman Emperors, from 40-250 A.D, completed
it, and their names are recorded all over the Temple walls.

The remains of the Temple contain a hall of columns, with 24 pillars,

beautifully decorated with lotus and palm capitals. The walls are covered
with 4 rows of relief’s, showing Ptolemaic and Roman Emperors dressed in
Pharaoh costumes, sacrificing to the God of the Temple. On both sides of
the Temple entrance there are chambers that were used by the priests and
keepers of the Temple as storerooms.

Flanking the entrance to each room, you will notice the Emperor Trajan,
carried in a litter by six Priests, with jackal and hawk masks of the Gods.

The most interesting scenes in this Temple are the ones you will find on the
roof, which is decorated with astronomical representations. On the left side
of the gateway of the Temple you can see the sky Goddess Nut, the Dog
Star, Orion’s belt, and Alpha Draconis (or the Dragon Star).

On the western wall of the façade of the Temple you can see the God
Horus, God of victory, and the God Khnum, dragging a net full of fish from
the Nile, as well as relief’s of birds. Significantly at the foot of this
representation is the last known hieroglyphic inscriptions ever recorded,
completed by the Roman Emperor Dios in 250 A.D.

The Unfinished Obelisk

The Unfinished Obelisk lies, in its original location, in a granite quarry in Aswan. It is
42m in length and was most probably abandoned when some cracks appeared in the
rock, during its construction. Had this obelisk been completed, it would have been
the heaviest obelisk ever cut in Ancient Egypt, weighing nearly 1100 tons! It is
believed that it was constructed and abandoned during the reign of Queen
Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty).

During the earliest ages, the Ancient Egyptians knew the so-called “ Pn-pn”, which
was a pyramidal stone with a pointed top and according to their beliefs the “Pn-pn”
symbolized the primeval hill from which the world first appeared. Then, in the course
of time, this Pn-pn evolved to be an obelisk usually made of granite with a pyramidal
shape on top.

During the 5th Dynasty, the obelisk began to play an important role
inside the temples of Ra; the obelisk being a sacred
symbol of the cult of the sun. They were erected on a
great base in an open court, and then as the suns rays
fell on its pyramidal top, the bright light filled the
Temple, giving the people a symbol of the power of the
sun.

One of the most important obelisks, which still stand in

pride in the district of El Mataraya, was erected in front
of the entrance of the vanished temple of Re at
Heliopolis. King Senwosret I, to commemorate the
ceremony of the “Heb-sed”, dedicated it to the temple.

In the New Kingdom, especially at the time of the 18th

and 19th Dynasties, the Kings used to erect obelisks in
front of the different temples for religious and political
reasons.

The Temple of Philae

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 centre of trade, especially for ivory.

The Ancient Egyptians built a beautiful and magnificent Temple on this island for the Goddess Isis,
but the Temple became submerged after the first Aswan dam was built in 1906, and it was not until
the seventies that many nations attempted to save the Temple. All these countries, together with
UNESCO, selected a suitable place, but they had to wait until the completion of the High Dam, in
1971, which would stabilize the level of the water around their chosen island. The new island was
called Egilica (also called Agilika), and it was completely reshaped to imitate Philae Island as closely
as possible.

Firstly, a cofferdam was built around the Temple and the water was drained. Next, the Temple was
dismantled and transferred, stone by stone, from the submerged Philea Island to the redesigned
Egilica Island. Each and every stone had to be numbered, and then replaced, in the same position, in
the new location. It was a massive, and very complicated, project taking over 9 years to be
accomplished.
 The Temples of Abu Simbel

The Temples of Abu Simbel are amongst the most

interesting Pharaonic Temples. Located close to
the southern border with the Sudan, it is 280 km
south of Aswan and consists of two, rock-cut
Temples, which both date back to the reign of
King Ramses II (1290-1223 BC). Unfortunately
these unique Temples suffered from the raising
water of Lake Nasser while the High Dam was
being built. Other countries, with the help of
UNESCO, assisted Egypt to help save them.

The two Temples were cut in to many pieces, and then they were reconstructed again on a site
65m higher than the original location, and 200m back inland, to escape the rising water level.
This great rescue operation began in June
1964 and finished in September 1968.

The first Temple was built by King Ramses II

and is dedicated to the God Re-Hor-Akhty,
Amon, Ptah, and King Ramses II as a deified
King. Its façade is 35m long and 30m high.
The façade has four seated colossi of the
King; each one is 20m tall and represents the
King seated on his throne wearing the double
crown, accompanied by 3 small figures of his
wives, daughters and sons flanking his legs.

Above the entrance stands the figure of Re-

Hor-Akhty, while near to the summit of the
façade there
are number of
baboons.

Inside the
Temple there is a
hall, supported by Osirid shaped pillars which were cut into the
rock, with walls that are decorated by battle and offering
scenes. There are some side rooms leading from the hall,
which are also decorated with various scenes. At the far end of the Temple is the sanctuary,
which contains four statues; Re-Hor-Akhty, Amon-Re, Ptah and the deified Ramses II.

The Temple of Nefertari

The Temple of Queen Nefertari is located 120m from the Temple of Ramses II and was also
built by Ramses II, dedicated to the Goddess Hathor and to his wife Queen Nefertari. Queen
Nefertari was the principal, and the most beloved, wife of King Ramses II. It is also a rock-cut
Temple with a façade of about 28m long and 12m high, which contains 6 standing colossi,
each one being about 11m in height. Four of them represent Ramses II and the other two
represent Queen Nefertari, each is accompanied by two smaller figures of their children.
The entrance leads to a square hall, which is supported by 6 Hathor-headed pillars decorated
with scenes depicting the King and the Queen making offerings to different deities.

At the end of the hall there is a doorway leading to a transverse vestibule decorated with
scenes of King Ramses II making offering to Re-HorAkhty, while the Queen is presenting
flowers to Khenum, Sat-tet and Anket.
The Transverse Hall leads to the Sanctuary, which contains a niche in the rear wall with a
statue of Goddess Hathor, as a cow, protecting Ramses II.