Cairo, Alabaster Mosque

This is generally referred to as the Citadel. It looks like a medieval fort, which it was, but now it is the Mohammed Ali Mosque also called the Alabaster Mosque. It was built about 900 years ago. Non-believers are allowed inside when it is not being used for worship.

The marble floor was very cold on my bare feet so I was very glad to step onto the 900 year old carpet. Everywhere is color, stained glass windows, carpets, decorated ceiling and walls.

This is a view from outside the Citadel, looking South over Cairo. Cairo is a city of 17 million people (and growing). It didn't matter which way you looked, the city was all around as far as the eye could see.

Here is Jessamy outside of the mosque.

I am having trouble getting the hang of putting photos in this blogg. I suppose I will get better the more I do. Tomorrow I will put up the pictures of Saqqara; the step pyramid and the Teti pyramid. If I remember correctly it was at the Step Pyramid that some guy offered Jessamy 50 camels to marry him.

Back home, all in one piece

The one time I went to a internet cafe in Egypt and logged on; it was so painfully slow that I decided it wasn't worth the time and effort. Therefore, I will do my blogging from equipment that can handle what I want to do.

From here on out I will just post pictures and comment on what the pictures bring to mind.

Kate

On line at last

We are still in Cairo. Tonight is the first chance I have had to get to the internet cafe.

We have see the inside of several pyramids from the Old Kingdom (4,600 to 3,500 years ago). We were able to spend 2 hours inside the Great Pyramid without any other tourists. The director turned off the lights for 15 minutes while we were in the Kings chamber. Total blackness. It was great! We got a special permit to go inside the Sphinx enclosure and spent 1 hour with just our group. All the other tourists had to stay outside the fence (nah, nah, na, na, nah).

We went to see the Alabaster Mosque that over looks the city. We took our shoes off and walked barefoot on the original carpets from about 900AD.

Our second trip was to Saqqara where the oldest stone structure in the world is - the Step Pyramid. You can't go inside but we went inside another pyramid that was only about 100 years younger. It was a long shaft about 3 1/2 feet tall. Even I had to walk bent over.

Yes, I took a ride on a camel. Camels are very tall, very very tall. The camel boy failed to tell me that my camel was going to stand up and to lean back, lean back as far as I can. So there I was hanging on for dear life when all of a sudden this very tall camel straightens his very long hind legs. This was not a good beginning. The camel boy then roped three camels together and mine decided that his purpose in life was to shove my left foot up the hind end of the camel in front of him. Getting off the camel was almost anti-climatic.

We took time to look at the solar boat. It is 4,500 years old and still looks river-worthy. Cedar planks last a long time.

Yesterday we went to the Cairo Egyptian Museum. Words fail me. I was on input overload the minute I stepped inside.

I will be out in the desert of middle Egypt for the next few days and will not be able to log in until we get to Luxor. I am going to try adding some pictures.

kate

Egypt itinerary for Kate and Jessamy

This is our itinerary for our time in Egypt.

Day 1, Sat, January 6: Citadel, Mohammed Ali Mosque. Optional: Sound & Light Show at the Giza Pyramids.

Most of the tour group arrives about noon on Saturday. Jessamy and I will arrive Friday night from Frankfurt. We will meet up with the rest of the tour at our hotel about 1:00pm.
We begin with a panoramic view of the whole city of Cairo from the Citadel. Here we also visit one of the most beautiful mosques in the city, the famous Mohammed Ali Mosque, also called the "Alabaster Mosque."

Our hotel, the Sofitel Le Sphinx, is located right near the pyramids. We can relax in our hotel's lounge and gaze out at the Great pyramid before dinner, or take in the Sound & Light Show at the pyramids.

Day 2, Sun, January 7: Saqqara - Step Pyramid, Teti Pyramid with Pyramid Texts, Old Kingdom Tombs. Imhotep Museum. Options: Carpet School, Papyrus Institute.

We begin our tour with 4 days of sites from Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom (2,575-2,150 B.C.). Leaving Giza we drive southward through fertile farmlands to the Saqqara complex where we see the Step Pyramid, the early versions of the Book of the Dead called the "Pyramid Texts" in the Teti Pyramid, and some interesting tombs (where we see scenes of daily life during the Old Kingdom). Saqqara contains artifacts and structures from all eras of Ancient Egyptian history, so it is a rich area for discoveries.

Also here at Saqqara we have the pleasure of seeing the newly opened Imhotep Museum. A beautifully laid out modern museum, there are a number of wooden statues from the Old Kingdom that are particularly memorable. All the items on exhibit were found here at Saqqara and have not been on public display before.

Evening: Visit a carpet school and see the different types of carpets - wool, camel hair and silk. Visit to a papyrus institute/shop. See how they make the papyruses, as well as purchase your own.

Day 3, Mon, January 8: Giza Plateau. Pyramids, Sphinx, solar boat museum, camel ride. Options: Gold shop.

An early start today to spend a full day on the Giza Plateau and see the most famous pyramids of all! We begin with Khafre's pyramid, the middle "2nd Pyramid". In Ancient Egypt this was the pyramid that was called "The Great."

Afterwards we will drive up to the panorama which overlooks all the pyramids. There are camel rides for the adventurous.

Next we see the Solar Boat (almost 5,000 years old!), on display in its own museum built around where it was excavated beside the Great Pyramid. It was the oldest boat in the world until they started excavating another one near Abydos recently. (That one is not out and ready for viewing yet.) The solar barque (boat) was the vehicle that carried a person into the next world.

There is a separate ticket for the Great Pyramid, but it is included in the tour for those who would like to go inside. We are applying for a special government issued permit that will grant us a private entrance to the Great Pyramid (for just our group and with all 3 chambers open to us) and a visit inside the Great Sphinx enclosure. We have every reason to believe that we will receive this permission, as we have on our previous tours. However, we cannot guarantee this because government policies can change unexpectedly.

Our next visit is to the Sphinx. Afterwards we see the Valley Temple beside the Sphinx. This temple is built in HUGE stones, too large to move, and yet they came from southern Egypt in Aswan, and they fit tightly together, even now, more than 4,000 years later.

Day 4, Tues, January 9: Cairo Egyptian Museum, Khan El Khalili Bazaar.We begin a bit later today so that we have time to enjoy the hotel facilities a bit and catch up on some sleep. At 10 AM we leave to travel into downtown Cairo to see the Cairo Egyptian Museum. The whole progression of 3,000 years of Ancient Egyptian history is represented in this overstuffed museum. Your guides point out the most famous pieces and then there is free time to look at whatever interests you most. The treasures of King Tut, the Royal Mummy Room, Middle Kingdom papyruses, statues from all periods… how can one see it all? It is impossible, so you can return for another visit at the end of our tour if you choose. Those who want to be there the minute the museum opens in the morning can leave early and meet the rest of the group when we arrive late morning.

Optional: Royal Mummy Room at the Cairo Museum. Cost: 70 LE (about $12 US).

After a late lunch at a well-known restaurant in Downtown Cairo, we take in the Khan El Khalili. People often say this medieval bazaar is like entering into the world of the Arabian Nights. The narrow winding alleyways with their cobblestones, the small shops overloaded with goods spilling out into the walkway… Of course if you don't like to shop you can sit in a café with Ehab, watch the Cairo intellectuals chat, and even try smoking the shisha (apple flavored tobacco in a water pipe).

Day 5, Wed, January 10: Sun Temples at Abu Gurab and Abu Sir. Memphis. 2nd visit to Giza Plateau.Optional: Perfumery, grocery store.

Today we travel out into the rural areas again outside the city, this time to visit the Neuserre Sun Temple at Abu Gurab and also the Sahure Sun Temple where we also see the pyramids at Abu Sir. This is a rare opportunity, as these sites are rarely visited by tourists. It is by special permission from the Department of Antiquities that we are allowed to visit. We walk through the mango groves of a small village to get to the site of the ancient sun temple, Neuserre (Dynasty 6). The central alabaster altar of the sun temple sends out and receives "hotep" blessings in all 4 directions.

We can see in the distance on one side the three Giza pyramids, and on the other side the three pyramids at Abu Sir. This is our next visit. They are presently doing renovations to this area, so it will be exciting to see what has taken place.

While we are in the area, we stop to see what remains of the ancient city of Memphis, the "City of the White Wall," capitol of Egypt during the Old Kingdom. Because it was mostly built of mudbrick there is little left to see now, but there is a remarkable statue of Ramesses II on display and a large alabaster sphinx, as well as a number of other smaller artifacts.

Afterwards, we enjoy an Ancient Egyptian style meal prepared just for our group at a nearby guesthouse, the Blue Lotus Lodge. We are served the same foods that we saw depicted in the wall reliefs at Saqqara, inscribed 4,500 years ago!

In the afternoon we have time for a second visit to the Giza plateau. Free time to visit anything that we did not see during our first visit. Perhaps the Queen's pyramids, or some of the tombs.

When we return to our hotel in Giza it is time to pack our bags for the journey to Middle Egypt.

Evening options:Visit a perfume oil shop and sample the oils made of the flowers here in Egypt. These oils are what are used by perfumeries all over the world to make the expensive perfumes we are familiar with.

Day 6, Thurs, January 11: Dashur - Red and Bent Pyramids, Pyramid at Meidum.

We check out of our hotel this morning and leave Giza to begin this very special opportunity to see Tel-Amarna and Middle Egypt. We travel south to Middle Egypt. At this time only about 15 people a week visit the sites in Middle Egypt (not like the thousands that visit Giza each day), so this is quite an opportunity.

We begin with the rarely visited pyramids at Dashur and Meidum. These pyramids are dated as even older than the pyramids at Giza!

In Dashur we spend time inside the Red Pyramid (nearly as large as Giza's Great Pyramid) and then have the opportunity for an unforgettable walk across the open desert to the Bent Pyramid. The desert is rich with inspiration and the vastness is exhilarating. The Bent pyramid was a key center of worship during the Middle Kingdom, and was much more important than Giza at that time. It is the only pyramid to retain most of its original casing stones.

Afterwards we travel further south to the even older Pyramid at Meidum. As we get our first look at it from a distance, this pyramid is strangely beautiful. It has a very arresting quality, even though its sides have slid down and it is not in a good condition. Inside, we can touch some of the wooden timbers used in its construction. Imagine touching wood that is more than 4,000 years old! This is also the area where the famous statues (on display in the Cairo museum) of Rahotep and his wife were found.

We continue on through the rural areas of Egypt to the town of Menya where we find the best hotel in Middle Egypt. Located directly on the Nile, we settle into our bungalows and begin to lose the feeling of being in the 21st century, moving into a time when things were more simple.

Day 7, Fri, January 12: Tel-Amarna

Today the whole day is dedicated to the site of Tel-Amarna, a city built by Akhenaten and Nefertiti during the New Kingdom. We visit some nobles tombs with wall reliefs unequalled anywhere else in Egypt. The pictures appear alive and even as though they are moving. We also visit the Northern Palace, one of the markers of the city limits (a huge stone with hieroglyphics), the Southern Palace and the tomb built for Akhenaten. There may also be new areas that have been excavated since our last visit in March 2006. Each time we visit there is more to see.

Day 8, Sat, January 13: Tombs at Beni Hasan, "Speos Artemidos." el-Ashmunein - the "City of the Eight," Tuna el-Gebel.

Our visits to sites from the Middle Kingdom (2040 - 1640 BC) begin with the tombs at Beni Hasan. The nobles' tombs portray scenes from the daily life, and are well preserved, full of color and quite fascinating. Acrobatics, dancing, and military sports are emphasized. But there are also scenes of making flour, baking bread, weaving cloth, and even a husband and wife on their wedding night! There are many animals portrayed - both those that were domesticated and those that were hunted.

It is near Beni Hasan that we find another interesting site, the "Speos Artemidos," a rock cut temple for Pakhet, an aspect of the lioness goddess Sekhmet. It is here that the female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, made her declaration denouncing the Hyksos and telling of her mission to resuscitate the temples of Egypt.

In the afternoon we visit el-Ashmunein (Arabic), Hermopolis (Greek), Khmunu (Ancient Egyptian) or the "City of the Eight". It was the main cult center of Thoth (Djhueti, Tehuti), god of Wisdom and writing, patron of scribes.

We also visit Tuna el-Gebel which was the neocropolis of Khmunu. All in all, a very exciting day. Return to our hotel in Menya for overnight.

Day 9, Sun, January 14: Abydos Seti I Temple, Osireion, Ramesses II Temple. Today we check out of the Aton Hotel and travel further south to visit Abydos. We will arrive midday as the convoy of buses with tourists coming from Luxor is leaving. The temple is all ours for the afternoon.

Abydos was the place of pilgrimage during ancient Egyptian times (like modern Mecca) and still holds much of the mystery of the past. The site is associated with the god Osiris and is said to be the place where the head of Osiris is buried. The temple we see at Abydos was primarily built by Seti I during the New Kingdom. Additions were made by Ramesses II. The raised wall reliefs are some of the finest art in all Egypt.

There is another temple in the back of the Seti I temple about which there is controversy. Many think it dates to the Old Kingdom or earlier, others date it as New Kingdom. This temple is known as The Osireion.

We also may be able to explore the rarely visited Ramesses II Temple, located a short distance from the Seti I Temple.

As we continue south to Luxor we drive through Nag Hamadi, where the scrolls were found that contain some of the Gnostic gospels (The Gospel of Thomas is one of these).

When we arrive in Luxor we will be glad to climb into the comfortable beds at our 5-star hotel, the Sofitel Karnak Resort. Located right on the Nile, if you get up early you can go out by the pool and watch the West Bank hills turn to pink in the early morning light. This hotel was built just a few years ago and has many options. Maybe a good time to check your email?

Day 10, Mon, January 15: Karnak Temple Complex, Luxor Museum.

Here in Luxor we begin our visits to the sacred sites of the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC). The splendors of the Karnak Temple Complex fill our day today. Luxor was the center of government during the New Kingdom and each Pharaoh wanted to leave something impressive at Karnak. The largest temple complex in Egypt, we see multiple temples, obelisks, great gates and the famous hypostyle hall - unequalled to this day.

Also at Karnak, we visit the fascinating Open Air Museum where we view the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut (Karnak's original Holy of Holies), Senwosret's White Chapel with its famous finely-carved hieroglyphs (Middle Kingdom) and other magnificent pieces.

You will have a guided tour of the Open Air Museum and the main temple precinct. This will be followed by free time for you to explore any areas that interest you here. During your free time you may choose to do a meditation with the fiery lioness, Sekhmet, in her chapel.

We have a late afternoon/evening visit to the Luxor Museum. There is a special exhibit room of a cache of statues found in near-perfect condition. They were buried under a courtyard at the Luxor Temple and found only recently during renovations. There is also an impressive new wing, just added a short time ago, with a mummy exhibit.

Day 11, Tues, January 16: Denderah, Luxor Temple. Evening options: Karnak Sound & Light, shopping in Luxor.

A morning bus trip via our own private A/C bus to the Temple of Hathor at Denderah. Both the hawk/falcon god Horus and his feminine counterpart, the cow goddess Hathor, are continuously present throughout Ancient Egyptian history. Just as the kings identified with Horus (the king was called "The Living Horus"), the Queens identified themselves with Hathor, as the Great Goddess.

Denderah was the site of worship of the Goddess Hathor since the earliest times. The present temple was built during the Ptolemaic (Greek - 300-30 BC) era and is patterned after an older Hathor temple that stood there. More than any other location in Egypt, this temple abounds with astrological imagery. Every inch of wall or pillar is full of representations of star goddesses, the sky goddess - Nut - and the procession of the sun through celestial time. There is a magnificent hypostyle hall with the hawk and vulture flying overhead and the body of Nut stretched across the ceiling.

This temple is also where the famous circular zodiac (now reproduced countless times on papyri) was found on the ceiling of a small chapel on the roof.

When we return to Luxor we have lunch before visiting the Luxor Temple. Late afternoon-early evening is the best time to visit because the lighting is optimal for seeing the wall reliefs. The dramatic lighting also helps give the temple a special feeling in the evening. Both gently beautiful and full of awesome grandness, this temple was the "Bride of Karnak" during the annual Apet (or Opet) festival.

Evening options:Sound & Light Show at Karnak.

Day 12, Wed, January 17: West Bank- Hatshepsut's Temple (Deir El Bahari), Valley of the Kings.Optionals: King Tut's tomb, Alabaster Shop.

We check out of our hotel on the East Bank today and journey across the Nile to the West Bank. We begin with the two most famous sites. The first is one of the earliest temples of the New Kingdom era, Queen Hatshepsut's famous Deir El Bahari, called "The Most Splendid of All" by the ancient Egyptians. One of the outstanding features is the picturesque Hathor columns in the Hathor Chapel on the 2nd Level. We are also privileged to be admitted to the 3rd level which has only been open to the public for a short time.

Because the west represented the hereafter, the West Bank was where the dead were buried. Today we visit the most famous of these "burial grounds," the Valley of the Kings (where King Tut's tomb was found). There are many tombs here, and excavations are still going on, as well as renovations to tombs that have been uncovered a long time. One never knows which tombs will be open, but there will be a variety to choose from.

A recent highlight is the opening of the Ramesses I tomb, restored with modern techniques pioneered during the restoration of the tomb of Queen Nefertari (Nefertari is no longer open to the public).

Our new home is an inn here in the West Bank. We may hear rosters crowing and donkeys braying in the morning, a chance to feel the pulse of rural Egypt in all its timeless beauty. There is a wonderful veranda on the top of the hotel that overlooks the Medinet Habu Temple, green fields and the West Bank hills.

Optional: Tomb of King Tut. There is a separate ticket for the tomb of Tutankhamen. It is one of the smallest tombs, but some people still want to see it because it is so famous.
Evening Options: Alabaster Shop.

Day 13, Thurs, January 18: West Bank of Luxor - Ramesseum, Valley of the Nobles, Seti I Temple, Colossi of Memnon. Optionals: Sunrise Balloon Ride over the West Bank of Luxor, Sunset Felucca Ride.

This morning is an opportunity to take an early morning balloon ride here on the West Bank of Luxor. See the temples we visit during the day from a whole different perspective!

Our next New Kingdom site is the delightful, though not often visited, Ramesseum, a favorite of many of our travelers. Built for Ramesses II, now known as "Ramesses the Great," it has a splendid hypostyle hall, an astrological ceiling, some beautiful reliefs and the famous statue (a fallen colossus) that inspired a poem by Shelly.

Just nearby are a number of Nobles Tombs. There is quite a variety here. Some are brightly colored, while others are devoid of colors. One has only the eyes outlined, giving the reliefs a memorable effect.

The Seti I Temple is rarely visited by tourists but has some beautiful reliefs and some interesting aspects. The temple is surrounded by greenery, which helps us to imagine how it would have been with the surrounding gardens.

Our last stop is at what are now called the "Colossi of Memnon." They are actually colossi of Amenhotep III. The Greeks, however, thought they were statues of Memnon, the son of Eros. The temple, long ago destroyed, was built when Egypt was at the height of its opulence. There were gold floors and more…

Morning Optional: Sunrise Balloon Ride over the West Bank of Luxor.
Evening Options: Sunset Fellucca ride.

Day 14, Friday, January 19: Workmen's Village (Deir El Medina), Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu. Return to Cairo or begin a post-tour Extension.

The Valley of the Workmen, Deir El Medina, was the village where the artisans lived who did the wall paintings for the many royal tombs on Luxor's West Bank. They also painted their own tombs here in the "Valley of Truth," as it was called at that time. The god Ptah was the patron saint of craftsman, and one of Ptah's titles was "The Lord of Truth." The tombs here have some vivid colors and many vibrant representations of life. Whereas at Saqqara we saw scenes of daily life during the Old Kingdom, and at Beni Hasan we saw the Middle Kingdom, here we see the daily life represented during the New Kingdom (about 1,000 years and 500 years later).

The Valley of the Queens has more tombs, mostly of queens from the 19th Dynasty and later.

Today is our last day together as a complete group before we go our separate ways. We finish our explorations of the New Kingdom temples with the last great temple to be built during that period, Medinet Habu. Second only to Karnak in size, built by Ramesses III on a site that was seeded by a temple built by Hatshepsut at the very beginning of the New Kingdom, it is a fitting site for our last day together. There is a wonderful hall of pillars with colored reliefs of the many gods & goddesses that you have come to know through your lectures.

Included in this site is a Late Period temple of the Priestesses of Amun, in addition to the early New Kingdom temple built by Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III.

Those following the tour schedule return to Cairo on the 5:00 PM flight, arriving in Cairo at 6:00 PM.

Sofitel Le Sphinx, 5* hotel. BB, L*Note: Those staying at the Sofitel can now retrieve any bags/items that they left in storage before leaving for Middle Egypt.

Day 15, Sat, January 20: FREE DAY in Cairo One more day in Cairo to do whatever you might choose. Options:-Cairo Museum - 2nd visit-Giza pyramids and plateau.-Shopping in the old city.-One-day Alexandria excursion-Old Cairo (Coptic Cairo) churches and Islamic Mosques-Debrief. Relax by the pool as you gaze up at the pyramids and get ready to return home.

Dinner together is at 8:00

Day 16, Sun, January 21: Flights home. Jessamy and I will not be going home yet. We leave for Athens, Greece for the next five days. We have do not have an itinerary, we will just do what we feel like doing.

kate