Tutankhamun, and all that jazz!

I have been to a few museums of note in my lifetime, and I have even visited the Egyptian Museum on the edge of Tahrir Square in Cairo in the past. That visit was however a brief interlude during a whistle stop tour of the City back in January 2011, and in such a brief visit to this particular museum, you get time to see nothing more than the treasures of Tutankhamen, because you wouldn't go there and not see them in favour of anything else the Museum has to offer! 

So today, I returned to the Egyptian Museum, otherwise (and correctly) known as The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities and managed to see a fair amount of exhibits, though by no means the entire collection. Now located in Tahrir Square, the museum has an interesting history all of its own. The Egyptian government established the museum, built in 1835 near the Ezbekeyah Garden. The museum soon moved to Boulaq in 1858 because the original building was getting to be too small to hold all of the artifacts. In 1855, shortly after the artifacts were moved, Archduke Maximilian of Austria was given all of the artifacts. He hired a French architect to design and construct a new museum for the antiquities. The new building was to be constructed on the bank of the River Nile in Boulaq. In 1878, after the museum has been completed for some time, it suffered some irreversible damage; a flood of the River Nile caused the antiquities to be relocated to another museum, in Giza. The artifacts remained there until 1902 when they were moved, for the last time, to the current museum in Tahrir Square. 

Currently, a new museum is being built near the Pyramids of Giza, with the intention of moving the most valuable of the artifacts here including the treasures of Tutankhamen. I watched a documentary about this on Discovery Channel and there were mutterings of the new museum offering better security!! You have to get through a barrage of police officers and scanners and your bags get x-rayed twice on the way in and searched on the way out

There are two main floors in the museum, the ground floor and the first floor. On the ground floor there is an extensive collection of papyrus and coins used in the Ancient world. The numerous pieces of papyrus are only small fragments, due to their decay over the past two thousand years. Many languages are found on these pieces, including Greek, Latin, Arabic, and the Ancient Egyptian writing language of hieroglyphs. The coins found on this floor are made of many different metals, including gold, silver, and bronze. The coins are not only Egyptian, but also Greek, Roman, and Islamic. This has helped historians research the history of Ancient Egyptian trade. Also on the ground floor are artifacts from the New Kingdom, the time period between 1550 and 1069 BC. These artifacts are generally larger than items created in earlier centuries. Those items include statues, tables, and coffins.

The first floor contains artifacts from the final two dynasties of Egypt, including items from the tombs of the Pharaohs Thutmosis III, Thutmosis IV, and Hatshepsut, as well as many artifacts from the Valley of the Kings. Most people know the story of the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter in 1922, this tomb was found mostly intact. Inside the tomb there was a large collection of artifacts used throughout the King’s life. These artifacts ranged from a decorated chest, which was most likely used as a closet or suitcase, two ivory and gold bracelets, necklaces, and other decorative jewellery, to alabaster vases and flasks. The tomb was also home to many weapons and instruments used by the King and when found held over 3,500 artifacts, though it is believed there had been at least two robberies of the tomb, perhaps soon after Tutankhamun's burial.

The best known artifact found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb of course is the famous Gold Mask, when you stand in front of the case that houses this, you appreciate the skill and craftsmanship that made up this beautiful piece of history. Much of this collection is all in one room and for me it was a jaw dropping experience to try to fathom the amount of treasures that were found in one tomb, and having been to the Valley of the Kings, have a greater understanding of just how big some of these tombs are.

I spent three hours at the museum today, with my dear friend Pat, who also accompanied me on my first visit :) I loved it, and could happily spend an entire day here and still not get to see everything, so I am sure there is a future visit to come. My mind is still filled with the vibrant colours on some of the tombs, the gigantic statues of kings and pharaohs, of priceless pieces of jewellery, and perhaps the most mystifying of all, is how the ancient Egyptians managed to create such beautiful masterpieces, thousands of years ago, with the most primitive of tools at their disposal! 

The Egyptian Museum offers any art lover an experience that I don't think can be replicated anywhere, but one doesn't need to be an art lover to appreciate the beauty and the splendour of the amazing relics on display, from statues to coins, from jewellery, to the treasures of Tutankhamun,  and to the mummys, of both humans and animals, the whole experience is jaw dropping. If you only do one thing in Egypt, go to the Pyramids, but if you do two, make sure the second experience is this amazing collection of art, as it's not just a collection of art, but a window into the world of ancient civilization, and one that we might never clearly fathom! 

Note: cameras are no longer allowed inside the museum, and whilst it has its own website stating otherwise, it is 8 years or so since it was last updated.  Photos taken in the ground can be found here

Also, thanks to Wikipedia for some of this information!

Death on the Nile

No doubt many of you would have heard of  'Death on the Nile' by Agatha Christie,  maybe even read it, or seen the movie, or watched it on TV.  The story of Hercule Poirot solving a mystery aboard a steam cruiser on the Nile.  Written in 1937, legend, or perhaps just rumour has it that it was written whilst Christie was staying at the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan.

Today, Lady Patricia, and our new friends Vanna, Penny and Jenny took a horse and carriage ride to this very hotel, and 'took tea' on the terrace overlooking the Nile.  Arriving at the hotel we were told access was available to guests only, but with a smile and a little baksheesh, we were soon being whisked via golf buggy to the main entrance where we were warmly invited in and escorted to the beautiful terrace, overlooking the River, opposite the tomb of the Aga Khan.

We whiled away an hour sipping our various beverages, before meandering through the hotel and then sauntering through the gardens on our way back to the main entrance.   The hotel is quaint, and old yet quietly sophisticated, but definitely a haunt for the rich, and/or famous.  I might just save my salary for a year so I can spend a night there one day :) 

My favourite part of the hotel was actually the gardens, with its splendid fountains.  The garden offers a quiet tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of Aswan and certainly a place where guests of this fine establishment can relax.  If you should find yourself in Aswan, it is definitely worth visiting and spending an hour there, unless of course, you can afford to spend the night :)

Jenny, Penny, Pat and Vanna enjoying the gardens 

Desert oasis :) 

Cruising the Nile - again

So - here I am, sitting aboard the sundeck of our Nile Cruiser, M/S Zeina, an hour before midnight, as our boat slowly saunters towards the beautiful city of Aswan.  On the approach to Aswan you come upon this beautiful suspension bridge, for a lover of bridges like me, it is worth staying up to watch as the boat approaches, which should be in around one hour from now.

Aswan Suspension Bridge

It has been a slow, leisurely journey from Luxor, passing through the towns of Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo on route.  Many of the guests on board are on their first Nile Cruise and eagerly disembark at each town to visit the temples on route, but having done this 3 times already, this time both Pat and I are staying on board to relax and take it easy, lounging in the sun, and in the shade, alternating between the two, as is recommended with the high temperatures.   Reading and taking pictures are the most strenuous things I have done in the past two days, though incidentally, today the sun melted the glue holding the pages of my book together, ah well, such is life.

The boat is beautiful, the staff are very friendly, which is of course to be expected, this is Egypt after all.  My favourite person, the chef, not only does he have a warm welcome for everyone every day, he also presents us with delicious food each meal time, and perhaps a little too much choice, oh I can feel the waistline creaking already, and it's only been two days, 5 more to go .........................  I can diet tomorrow, and at least I don't have to worry about Christmas, so I will look at this as my Christmas week of gluttony :)   

As is customary on Nile cruises, the Maitre D allocates guests to tables in the dining room to enable those who speak the same language as each other to dine together.   On this particular cruise, most of the guests are German speaking, there are 4 other Brits and a young English speaking Swiss couple, so we make up a minority in numbers but a majority in mirth and frivolity.  Our new friends are lovely, the brits are our age, so we are happy with great company to add to the merriment of our holiday.  

The beautiful boat however does not take away my longing for the boat that Pat and I first sailed on, and which we booked again for this cruise, but were unable to board due to a change in itineraries, but it sailed past us today, heading back to Luxor as we were heading south to Aswan and there was a slight tug of the heartstrings.   Le Scribe will always be my boat, and hopefully one day I will get to sail on her again. 

But, the Nile is the Nile and the journey down it is the same regardless of the vessel, the views from either side of the boat are amazing and you need eyes on stalks to really take it all in, even having done the journey 3 times in each direction, there is still so much to see that is new, and I am sure that no matter how often this journey is undertaken, it will always be a new experience.  

I will upload some photos and add the link to them tomorrow, now I am going to enjoy watching the approach on the last leg of our journey to Aswan; having just passed the bridge, it will be very soon.  Goodnight friends, wherever you may be :) 

Lazy Day

Today has been a lazy day, Pat relaxing in the shade, me relaxing in the sun, lying by the side of the Nile, or by the side of the pool, depending on whichever way you look at it :)  

We started off with a sumptuous breakfast here at the Steigenberger Nile Palace, on the terrace, where the sun was already warm on the face, great way to start the day.   The food was delicious and the choices were plentiful, from fruit to cooked breakfasts to pastries and a variety of breads, juices, cereals.  After breakfast we sauntered through the bazaars trying on various styles of Egyptian clothes, buying a few but just loving the experience of leisurely shopping among the array of air conditioned, and marble floored stores, where even 'The Sun', 'Daily Mirror', 'Daily Express' and a plethora of other British and American newspapers could have been yours for a song!!   The idea of coming to Egypt to read 'The Sun' is bizarre, I guess some people need their fix :)

To those who know Pat, you will know that she is a very talented artist, to those who don't, she is a very talented artist, and one of her specialties is caricature drawings, so today she spent a part of her relaxation drawing a few pictures, and did one of me based on my photo of 'Indiana Davidson and the Temple of Karnak'  complete with the strange insect bites I have managed to acquire.  Don't laugh too hard, please, if only for the sake of my dignity :P  Pat, THANK YOU SO MUCH for this, I love it :)

  

While Pat was busy drawing I 'lounged' on a sun lounger, engrossed in a book, one of my favourite things to do.  Catching up on reading is one thing that is high on my agenda for my new life here in Egypt :)  I also took photos of the hotel intermittently, so I thought I would share a few.

Hotel - Nile View

Hibiscus Flower

Fountain of Youth 

 Yesterday we learned that when we join our Nile Cruise tomorrow, it will be aboard the M/S Zeina - which, coincidentally, is currently moored right outside our hotel, so our journey to get there tomorrow will be a very short walk, presumably, or at least hopefully, with porters handling the luggage :)    More on the boat when we are on board ........................

This being Egypt, situations change frequently, and having booked the trip in April to take in Dahab, St Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai and a trip over the border into Israel to visit some of Jerusalem's holy sites, none of that is now possible.  The British Foreign Office is currently advising only essential travel to South Sinai, ruling out St Catherine's and the road from Sharm el Sheikh to Cairo, which I was very much looking forward to as the bus would have travelled along the shores of the Suez Canal,  they are also advising no travel at all along the road to Jerusalem, and therefore I have been searching for other options in the region, and we settled on staying in Sharm el Sheikh for the week and booked into a resort there, though that left the challenge of getting from Sharm el Sheikh to Cairo as transport options are not great.  Today, Egyptair cancelled the flight we had booked to take us to Sharm from Hurghada, the flight was booked back in May, so yet another change of plan .........................   I guess we were never meant to go there this time round, so now we have changed plans, and after our time in Hurghada we will come back to Luxor and again relax here in the hot sunshine and take the train back to Cairo.   We are not too disappointed, Luxor is a great place to be holed up in, with so many sites to visit, hotels to relax in and restaurants to eat in, it's 1000 times easier to navigate than Cairo, far less crowded, easy going and a great place to come for a holiday, and in any event, we have already started planning to do the trip again for Pat's next big birthday, which is just a couple of years away.

And so to dinner, hey, it's a lazy day, remember?  So we settled for room service, great food, cheap prices, leisurely eating, and now, time to pack again ahead of making that journey down the road tomorrow to board the boat - til then ............. toodle pip.

The Splendour of the Karnak Temple

Today, Pat and I visited the Karnak Temple in Luxor.  Whilst it was Pat's first visit, it was the fourth time I have been here and I am still totally amazed by it's awe inspiring splendour.

This temple  was known as Ipet-isut  by the ancient Egyptians. It is a city of temples built over 2000 years and dedicated to the Theben triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu.  This derelict structure is still capable of overshadowing many of the wonders of the modern world and in its day must have been awe inspiring.  It is the largest ever made and a place of pilgrimage for nearly 4,000 years, although today's pilgrims are mainly tourists. It covers about 200 acres 1.5km by 0.8km.  The area of the sacred enclosure of Amon alone is 61 acres and would hold ten average European cathedrals.The great temple at the heart of Karnak is so big, St Peter's, Milan and Notre Dame Cathedrals could be lost within its walls. 

The Hypostyle hall at 54,000 square feet with its 134 columns is still the largest room of any religious building in the world. In addition to the main sanctuary there are several smaller temples and a vast sacred lake.

Karnak is the home of the god Amun who was an insignificant local god until the 12th dynasty when Thebes became the capital of Egypt. He was represented in his original state as a goose and later as a ram, at the height of his power he was shown as a human with a head dress of feathers - all that remained of the goose.

In ancient times wars were not fought between countries but were considered as contests between gods. One deity subduing and replacing another, the victorious god and its people growing in strength. This is how Amon, with the help of Thutmose III and various other New Kingdom kings, rose to become the first supreme god of the known world and was hailed as God of gods. Little is know of him, unlike most other gods he has no legends or miracles to impress his worshippers and seems to be closer to an abstract idea of a godhead. His followers came from all the strata of society and he was known to some as 'Vizier of the poor.'

All Egyptian temples had a sacred lake, Karnak's is the largest. It was used during festivals when images of the gods would sail across it on golden barges. Karnak was also the home of a flock of geese dedicated to Amun.

The Eastern Gateway which once lead to a huge temple built by Akhenaten (the heretic king). In an attempt to obliterate his memory, Akenaten's enemies destroyed this shrine after his death.  For those interested, below is a link to Wikipedia's page on the Karnak Temple, plus links to photos taken this year, and last.  Enjoy! 

Wikipedia on Karnak Temple

2011 photos

2012 photos

Touring Alexandria

So today, Pat and I did a tour of Alexandria with my good friend and tour guide, Mohamed Fatehy, commencing at the Catacombs, photos not allowed here but I did manage a few on my phone, sssshhhh, followed by Pompeii's pillar, which apparently, is not Pompeii's at all!!!!! 

From Wikipedia: "Pompeii's Pillar is a Roman triumphal column in Alexandria, Egypt, and the largest of its type constructed outside of the imperial capitals of Rome and Constantinople. The only known free-standing column in Roman Egypt which was not composed of drums, it is one of the largest ancient monoliths and one of the largest monolithic columns ever erected.

The monolithic column shaft measures 20.46 m in height with a diameter of 2.71 m at its base. The weight of the single piece of red Aswan granite is estimated at 285 t. The column is 26.85 m high including its base and capital. Other authors give slightly deviating dimensions.

Erroneously dated to the time of Pompeii, the Corinthian column was actually built in 297 AD, commemorating the victory of Roman emperor Diocletian over an Alexandrinian revolt".

The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (meaning "Mound of Shards") is a historical archaeological site located in Alexandria, Egypt and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. The site is fascinating, and was discovered when a donkey drawn cart fell into a pit and is an eclectic mix of Roman, Greek and Egyptian styles of burial chambers and reliefs depicting the different beliefs of burial rituals. You can read more here -> The Catacombs in Alexandria

The pictures can tell a story, so here's some already uploaded to the internet. Those that know me know I don't ever reinvent wheels, and as I couldn't even take my camera in, couldn't have taken them anyway :)

photos of the Catacombs

more later .....................

Visit to the Citadel

On my first full day in Cairo I was honoured to be collected by two of my amazing Egyptian friends, Mahmoud and Ayman, and spend the day exploring a piece of Cairo with them. After a walk through the now infamous Tahrir Square, which is very close to the hotel, we made our way to what is known as 'The Citadel', perhaps one of Cairo's oldest buildings, and rich in history, On the same site there are museums that I managed to miss on my previous visits to The Citadel, but are worth taking the time to see. If you are interested in military history, then the assortment of tanks and planes will definitely interest you, well preserved artifacts from wars that Egypt has been involved in, predominantly with Israel. I as enamoured with the brass plaques, for want of a better description, outlining history in this country, from the Pharaohs onwards, though bizarrely, former President Mubarak had placed himself at the centre of the story being unfold, as if he were claiming credit for all of it, here in 2012, the legacy of President Mubarak is now well known, and it won't make great history.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, I have included a little history of The Citadel and Museums, as outlined below. 

Medieval History

The Citadel was fortified by the Ayyubid ruler Salah al-Din (Saladin) between 1176 and 1183 CE, to protect it from the Crusaders. Only a few years after defeating the Fatimid Caliphate, Saladin set out to build a wall that would surround both Cairo and Fustat. Saladin is recorded as saying, "With a wall I will make the two [cities of Cairo and Fustat] into a unique whole, so that one army may defend them both; and I believe it is good to encircle them with a single wall from the bank of the Nile to the bank of the Nile." The Citadel would be the centerpiece of the wall. Built on a promontory beneath the Muqattam Hills, a setting that made it difficult to attack, the efficacy of the Citadel's location is further demonstrated by the fact that it remained the heart of Egyptian government until the 19th century. 

The citadel stopped being the seat of government when Egypt's ruler, Khedive Ismail, moved to his newly built Abdin Palace in the Ismailiya neighborhood in the 1860s. While the Citadel was completed in 1183-1184, the wall Saladin had envisioned was still under construction in 1238, long after his death.

To supply water to the Citadel, Saladin built the 280 feet (85 m) deep Well of Joseph, which can still be seen today. This well is also known as the Well of the Spiral because its entrance consisted of 300 stairs that wound around the inside of the well. Once water was raised from the well to the surface, it traveled to the Citadel on a series of aqueducts. During the reign of al-Nasir Muhammad, the Well of Joseph failed to produce enough water for the numerous animals and humans then living in the Citadel. To increase the volume of water, Nasir built a well system that consisted of a number of water wheels on the Nile, the water from which was then transported to the wall and subsequently to the Citadel, via the aqueducts Saladin had constructed.

The improvements to the Citadel's water supply were not Nasir's only additions to the Citadel, which was subject to a number of different additions during the Mamluk period. Nasir's most notable contribution was the Mosque of Nasir. In 1318 Nasir rebuilt the Ayyubid structure, turning it into a mosque in his name. The structure underwent further additions in 1335. Other contributions to the Citadel during Nasir's reign include the structure's southern enclosure (the northern enclosure was completed by Saladin) and the residential area, which included space for the harem and the courtyard. Prior to Nasir's work on the Citadel, the Baybars constructed the Hall of Justice and the "House of Gold.

19th Century History

The Citadel is sometimes referred to as Mohamed Ali Citadel because it contains the Mosque of Muhammad Ali of (or Mohamed Ali Pasha), which was built between 1828 and 1848, perched on the summit of the citadel. 

This Ottoman mosque was built in memory of Tusun Pasha, Muhammad Ali's second son who died in 1816. However, it also represents Muhammad Ali's efforts to erase symbols of the Mamluk dynasty that he replaced. When Ottoman ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha took control from the Mamluks in 1805 he altered many of the additions to the Citadel that reflected Cairo's previous leaders. One obvious change that Muhammad Ali enacted pertained to the uses of the Citadel's northern and southern enclosures. During the Mamluk period the southern enclosure was the residential area, but Muhammad Ali claimed the northern enclosure as the royal residence when he took power. He then opened the southern enclosure to the public and effectively established his position as the new leader.

The mosque is the other feature of the Citadel that reflects the reign of Muhammad Ali. This feature, with its large dome and overtly Ottoman influenced architecture, looms over the Citadel to this day. 

Recently destroyed Mamluk palaces within the Citadel provided space for the formidable mosque, which was the largest structure to be established in the early 19th century. Placing the mosque where the Mamluks had once reigned was an obvious effort to erase the memory of the older rulers and establish the importance of the new leader. The mosque also replaced the mosque of al-Nasir as the official state mosque.

There are two other mosques at the Citadel, the 13th/14th c. hypostyle Al-Nasir Muhammad Qala'un Mosque from the early Bahri Mamluk period, and the 16th c. Mosque of Suleyman Pasha, first of the Citadel's Ottoman-style mosques.

Al-Gawhara Palace (Qasr al-Gawhara), also known as Bijou Palace, is a palace and museum in Cairo, Egypt. The palace is situated south of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali in the Cairo Citadel. It was commissioned by Mohammed Ali Pasha in 1814.

The palace designed and constructed by artisans contracted from a variety of countries, including Greeks, Turks, Bulgarians and Albanians. The artisans constructed a variety of elements as part of the palace complex: "barracks, schools, an arsenal, a gun-powder factory and a mint." The palace was constructed as a two-storey pavilion in the style of a Turkish kushk. It has Western style windows which were often topped with an oval oeil-de-boeuf. The French architect and engineer Pascal Coste was employed to add the residential quarters for the palace servants and functionaries. On one side of the palace was a haush (courtyard) and on the other, were views of the pyramids and the Nile.

In 1822, a fire destroyed the palace's wooden construction in a blaze that lasted for 2 days. Later, Mohamed Ali had the structure expanded and elaborated upon with the construction of "a large marble fountain, columned stone terraces and porticoes, parterres of flower beds and orange groves, and even a menagerie containing a lion, two tigers and an elephant, a gift of the British Lord Hastings."

Two years later, in 1824, fire again damaged the palace after explosions of gunpowder. Mohamed Ali imported large slabs of marble from Italy to build a vestibule, staircase and corridors.

In 1825, English traveller Anne Catherine Elwood described the opulence of the palace, and in particular its grand room that could "offer dancing, had deep niches for conversation, and side rooms for music, reading, games and refreshment."

Mohamed Ali's official divan or audience hall, where the pasha received guests, contains a 1000kg chandelier sent to him by Louis-Philippe I of France. Some of the paintings in the Pasha hall of the palace portray the receiving of foreign ambassadors.

The palace also contains the throne of Mohammed Ali Pasha that was a gift from the King of Italy

For more photos check out the photos on my facebook page

The adventure begins

So here I am again, back in Egypt, but this time with no intention of leaving, at least not for the forseeable future.  I arrived this evening, at a very busy Cairo airport, every time I have been here previously the place has been empty, but tonight, 5 planes filled with around 2000 people all descended on the country simultaneously, so the queues at immigration were lengthy, and slow, and having landed at just after 9pm, it was after 11 by the time I made my way into the arrivals hall.  On previous occasions I have been inundated with a plethora of taxi drivers all eager to take me to my final destination, but perhaps the majority of the 2000 or so people who all managed to get through immigration before me had drained that resource, as the place is deserted, beyond those managing their stations, car rental agents, hotel reps, etc.

So I sit here and await my friends coming to collect me, who have been caught up in the inevitable Cairo traffic, well, where else am I going to go :)

Tomorrow is another day, so is the surety of the knowledge that when I awake, the sun will be shining, and I will finally feel sunlight on my face, for what seems like the first time in 2012, let the adventure begin!