Sacred time at Hatshepsut Temple

Mysterious Temple and mysterious Queen Hatshepsut.(reigned 1479-1457 BC)

Hatshepsut was the most important of the rare female Pharaoh and therefore created disapproval in this patriarcal society.

Many attempts after her death to eradicate her trace on hieroglyphs but this temple is here to stay and still in good condition. Despite Toutmosis III’s ambitions to destroy her history (successor), she is, 3500 years later, a famous Pharaoh, playing between been man and woman representations, what else! (She assumed, for exemple the traditional false beard and the symbols of Pharaohs)

Located in Deir el Bahari, a complex of Mortuary Temples, it is dedicated to the Sun God Amon-Ra . Its most striking feature is a long colonnated terrace filled with many tall sculptures representing the Pharaoh and Deities.

The architecture’s Temple contains pylons, courts, a hypostyle hall, a sun court, a chapel and a sanctuary.

The chapel of Hathor, goddess of joy, mucic and love

The surviving reliefs on the wall document the birth of the first divine female Pharaoh and an expedition to a mysterious country near the Red Sea (the Land of Punt) from where they brought back copper, asphalt, naptha, carved amulets, myrrh and incense.
Hatshepsut’s temple is considered an incomparable monument of Ancient Egypt.

Beautiful original colors, The sacred Stars for eternity, with relief of her         Divine Birth.

A simple wa’u….. for this destiny,this fine architecture, and her history.

To enjoy really really good, I propose you to discover the Temple after a walk up the mountain. It’s just amazing, you feel the temple like a present given from it. Wallahi!

Just Enjoy the next pictures, a normal health conditions is required.

Isn’t it Beautiful?

You walk up the Big Eternal Hatshepsut’s Monument and from this view, you could see others marvels of Ancient Egypt but…sshutt.. I’ll let you discover by yourself when you will come 😉

Hatshepsut was a great Pharaoh of the XVIII  Dynasty, she built in Karnak the Red Chapel and famous Obelisqs. She wished gold obelisk for Amon Ra…With all her love, she built it in granit, with all her love too.

Hatshepsut, with all my love, you are a great Pharaoh.

Just a note : Luxor is amazing to gather all this Ancient History, following the biggest Pharaohs from the begining of them reign until them death, by Temples and tombs.

Great feast for Spring by the Nile

On Monday this week, the quiet peaceful banks of the Nile let place to a happy crowd. Families and children come to celebrate Cham-el-Nessim, the beginning of Spring.

Everybody enjoys this time, children are jumping in the fresh Nile river, and families are sharing food, specially old and salted fish (Fiseekh) with eggs, onions and salad, cooking in different ways. It’s exactly the day following the Coptic Easter, it was really a lucky day with a fantastic weather.

The festival was already celebrated in ancient time to honor agriculture and fertility. Ancient Egyptians believed the vernal equinox as a new life, new cycle, and made rituals and offerings to the divinities. They prepared old fish kept in salt from the best days of fishing on the latest season to invoke the new one’s coming. Salted fish, lettuce, onions and eggs were significance of hopefulness, the safety of the soul and  regenerative life.

In all Egypt, everybody enjoys the breeze of spring, going into green spaces or on boat by the Nile.

Don’t miss a felucca or traditional motor boat trip on this day! Enjoy the feast!

Tomb of Amenhotep III soon reopened to visitors?

Have you already enjoyed a walk to the Tomb of Ay (KV 23), middle of Valley of the Kings?
This is a nice way to feel the heart of the nature, when the wind whistles in your hears and echoes from the cliffs leave you a good omen for the rest of your discoveries.

This is the sacred place chosen by Pharaoh Amenothep III (also called Amenophis III, XVIII dynasty) and Pharaoh Ay (end XVIII dynasty), for them eternal life.
Located in the Valley of the West, or Valley of the Monkeys (named from Ay’s Tomb, decorated with twelve monkeys), the tomb of Amenothep III is along the way. Great Pharaoh of his time, Amenothep III reigned 38 years and let Egypt in peace and prosperity. By a «simple» cavity rock, never we imagine one of the biggest Tomb of Ancient Thebes is just 24 meters deeper!

Discovered in early excavation of the Valley of the Kings looted and emptied of its treasures (KV 22). Later, Howard Carter and Lord Carvarnon made a complete description of the tomb, in 1915.
After the entrance, many rooms lead to burial chamber : Corridor, pillared hall, chambers (it’s unique, two seems to be dedicated for Pharaoh’s wives), ante chambers. Burial chamber is decorated with fine quality, representing Pharaoh and deities (frescoes) and only the top of the big sarcophagus is still inside.

The tomb is closed for restoration, but workers are daily on the site now!

Through these pictures about magic nature and Pharaonic marvels, you can discover the place chosen by Amenothep III, Great Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, away from other tombs in the Valley of the Kings, as to mark his difference. He was Akhenaten’s father, his successor, entering in Armarnen era, stopped by Pharaoh Ay, who is the only other tomb in this Valley!

Development workers, at the foot of the cliff.                                                                       A tent  for meeting point or sharing a cup of tea, most of work is deep underground.

At the entrance of the tomb, the large pipes used to regenerate the air for workers underground.

External regenerator air connected to pipes inside the tomb. You can see the (small) entrance in the background.

Overview of the (small) entrance to the tomb at the immensity of the cliff.

Be sure to spend a beautiful trip through this balad, feeling nature, sunshine and nice discoveries we’ll be happy to share you!

If you like to spend couple of day in Luxor and the marvels, why not rent a flat to enjoy your visit?

Along the way, complete your discoveries by visiting Ay’s Tomb,presumed successor of Tutankhamun.
(ticket office in the Valley of the Kings 25LE around 2.5GBP; 4USD)

Find more excursions 

A visit to Carter’s House

Visit the world of Howard Carter takes us back to early last century in the fabulous story of his discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb and its Treasures.

Enter his home is also a great tour to see all objects of his time. His office, his sketches, his library. His typewriter that allowed him to maintain his correspondence with Lord Carvarnon, his camera at the time and his photo lab but also intimate places like his bedroom. The living room contains old objects, piled like the treasures stored in the tomb of Tutankhamun.
We relive and imagine his daily life, at the entrance to the Valley of the Kings, where he devoted all his life, his love and passion for Egypt.

Idea : You can complete and enjoy this day with a visit of Tutankhamun’s Tomb in the Valley of the Kings (including 3 other tombs) and discover pieces of his treasure in Luxor museum

Howard Carter, British archaeologist and Egyptologist born in 1874 and died in 1939, to 64.

Talented  painter, he discovers Egypt at the age of 17 , reproducing in the site of Beni Hassan, between Cairo and Luxor,  frescoes  of princely tombs, richly decorated with scenes of agricultural and artisanal life. Then, he becomes  a big fan of all these wonders Pharaonic.

The many stages of his life lead him to become one of the most renowned archaeologists, crowned by his victory of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Howard Carter will work with the greatest Egyptologists of his day, Flinders Petrie and Gaston Maspero who offered him to work for the Department of Antiquities as inspector general of monuments in Upper Egypt. But his impetuous nature will make him crossing period of loneliness  and he resigned for excuses he will never do to wealthy French tourists demanding repayment of the ticket of a site considered too dark!
Maspero who regrets the departure of the talented Carter, introduce him Lord Carnarvon, who excavate in amateur since 2 years without success. He needs a man to supervise his action and will finance his work.

They will work together over 10 years,  searching many sites without great succes and finance and Lord Carnarvon’s hopes are diminishing with time. After evidences of an unknown pharaoh was found, a so-called thutankhamun, the famoustly obstinated Howard Carter began looking for his grave in an unprospected area. November 4, 1922, four days after starting excavations, Howard Carter had his consecration by discovering the first steps of the entrance to a tomb never plundered. Anubis on the door announced a great person. November 25, the opening of “the door” left Carter’s team in shock, faced with these historical treasures and millennia we have the chance to visit today, in several museums.

A special room is dedicated in Cairo’s museum, where it is magical to watch the perfection and beauty of the gold mask of Tutankhamun’s mummy, and also other  beautiful objects in the museum of Luxor.

1922 – 2012

90 this year, after the discovery of these magnificent treasures.

His office, where we imagine him with several feelings, to see his sketches, his library,

We guess a few moments of relaxation while listening to music or typing on his machine..

Through the light, Carter is still here…

A video projection is provided with Carter that speaks to us in hologram, not available this day…anyway, it’s an enjoyable trip!

Have a look to the oven working with external air!

Some everyday items

Come to enjoy!

Special offer at this time to visit the beautiful city of Luxor and rent a flat at special price.
Discovering Luxor Temple, Karnak, museums and wonderful green landscape in West Bank.
Having Tours with us to explore tombs in the Valley of the Kings and all the wonder Pharaohs civilization.

Have a look at our website http://www.enjoyluxor.com and find large apartments, each 2 bedrooms with all amenities, sunny with large veranda and top roof in front of the Valley of the kings illuminated at night.
5 minutes by walk to the Nile or by car to the most sacred temples.
The weather is just perfect at this time and Luxor is very safe.

SPECIAL PRICE WEEKLY RENTAL   95£, 150$, 115€

We are waiting for you to spend your best Holidays!

Luxury choice…which media,which information?

It’s every day when we listen to the information: The world goes wrong, it is clearly stated through the TV presenter, from the newspaper and information mass.
Through this, what suggests that transfer of information?
Fear? Anger? The misplaced interest for the last bad news to broadcast and conversation prioritizes media.
Television often looked early, middle or end of day, and even 3 times for some people, reminds me of some of the information’s dictatorship to condition people with bad news several times a day, and seems to leave with a positive touch of hope as a temporary thinning of the weather gives us hope for better days.

If I defer to the definition of information: “Information is a concept with several meanings. It is closely linked to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, instruction, knowledge, meaning, perception and representation. Etymologically, the information is what gives form to the spirit. It comes from the Latin verb informare, which means “shaping” or “to form an idea of”. ” (wikipedia).

A meditation on the transmission thereof, nothing indicates only the negative side of the news, where is the objectivity of our media?

Egypt is still going through a great period of crisis is a hot topic and there is no great achievements without much risk taking.

I met in the plane a girl living in Cairo and I asked how was life in the capital? She smiled and replied: “Life is normal, everything happens in Tahrir Square,” here is some information directly!

The recursive propagation of images broadcast through the media once again empty of Egypt’s tourists.
Tourism activity has not ceased in the land of Pharaohs. The magnificent temples of Luxor are always visited, the Red Sea still attracts lovers of the underwater beauty and a calm atmosphere and eternal reign as always on the banks of the Nile.
Nothing broadcasts about this and it seems to be difficult thinking Egypt for holidays from this information mass. And so! Egypt is not confined to the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.
Egyptians are waiting for you!
Lovers of Egypt are filled to come in those days usually crowded buses stinking sunscreen pukes in temples and tombs, here it is calm and serene to spend his own time in one of the finest place in the world! There are places to avoid, however, but you can count on the news to be informed!

Beautiful things aren’t anymore interesting to broadcast it? Objective informations would become a luxury?

The land of the Pharaohs in others crossed!

Thoth, God of Knowledge and Writing

Enjoy Luxor at your own pace

Spending a couple of days in West Bank to feel the magic of Pharaohs time, it’s the way to live here, you have to feel this one time in your life! Then, Egypt does the rest, you will know!

Everything is very special.
First, You are here! and all around you is just amazing.
Some people come to visit as they buy them bread everyday and ask: how much?…and go back, forgotten the essential! Incredible but real! And they stay never long in most of sites, it’s the positive!
Then…come back to our beautiful and calm day in West Bank, the true way to be here.
So, you are here, the weather is very lovely, the sweet color of the nature and the main of your day make you feel in other world.
Two majestic statues welcome you in this beautiful world, the Colossi of Memnon, whose make feeling quiet, strong, high and so present all over this time (3400 years old!). When you pass over them you enter the magic land of the eternal Luxor (ancient Thebes) where the Kings and Queens Valleys are, Temples and sites where the Pharaohs lived and died.

Only one road to «jump» from temple to temple, and you go back in the line of lifetime. Along this road, the Temples of Sethi I, Ramses II, RamsesIII, Hatshepsut for the most famous and beautiful conservation and restoration, but also Amenophis III, Merenptah, still in restoration. The Sacred mountain keep the marvels of the tombs of kings, queens and nobles, with beautiful color make you thinking it was done yesterday.

To enjoy your journey, there is some nice places to stay between you’r visiting temples if you are bit hungry, or just to appreciate fresh juice (orange, mango, lemon, banana…) and keep your good vibes with beautiful view, never far away from king’s Valley and green landscape, palm trees and sunny colors. I’m thinking specially one place call «Moon Valley» and so, other are nice too without feeling you are in a flashy fashion place,that’s why West Bank is so special cause you feel the nature like before.

Visiting Luxor, and specially West Bank, at your own pace, need a couple of days to see, feel and enjoy this very special time in your life.
Spending sunset time on the Nile, discovering the two beautiful temples in est side, Karnak and Luxor Temple and when the night comes, the sacred mountain illuminated is just wonderful.

 

Luxor, you will always amaze me!

KV 64

KV 64   We know more about this discovery!

During the season of 2011, three edges of an unknown manmade feature appeared at 1.80m to the north of KV 40, on the 25th of January, the first day of the Egyptian revolution. Due to the situation, it was immediately covered with an iron door.

As this structure is so close to KV 40 and as it was impossible to know whether it was just a short unfinished shaft or a real tomb, we gave it the temporary number 40b. This number is now replaced by the final designation KV 64. The KV numbers should definitely be used exclusively for real tombs or deposits and not for possible cavities and yet unascertained structures. (…)
The tomb has a single chamber of approx. 4m (north – south) by 2.4m (east-west). The room was filled with debris to about 0.8m under the ceiling. On the left (north) side of the chamber, a black wooden coffin lies upon the thick layer of debris. On its sides, large yellow hieroglyphs are painted. Traces of yellow decoration are visible under the dust on its upper side. Next to the feet of the coffin stands a small, wooden stelae (27.5 x 22.5 x 2cm) with very bright colours. The type of stelae and coffin clearly indicate to the 22nd dynasty, 9th century BCE. It is one of the very few burials of this period in Thebes that can be observed with its objects still in their original position. It is located on the path leading to Tuthmosis III’s tomb.

From the texts on the stelae and on the coffin, it appears that the burial belongs to a lady who was a chantress of Amun, called Nehemes-Bastet. Her father was a priest in Karnak.” (Universität Basel). She was a temple singer during Egypt’s 22nd Dynasty (approximately 945 – 712BC), according to an inscription in the tomb.

Professor Susanne Bickel of the University of Basel told the BBC that the coffin was opened on Monday and she was able to see the “nicely wrapped” mummy of the woman who was buried in the tomb.”  The coffin found in the tomb contains an intact mummy from almost 3,000 years ago.

Until now the only tombs found in the historic valley were those linked to ancient Egyptian royal families.