By Rosario Charie Albar
As the wheels of our plane glided across the runway at Luxor airport, I had the impression we were landing on a bed of sand. Egypt is, after all, a vast desert broken by the Nile River and delta. But rather than steaming Sahara-like temperatures, the chilly air had me buttoning up my jacket.
Eyes heavy with sleep, I followed a group of people to a waiting bus where our guide outlined our plan for the day. We were driving directly to Karnak to avoid the hordes of tourists who were surely still drinking their first cup of morning coffee. I was quite unprepared for what I was about to see.
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| Ram-Headed Sphinxes |
When Amun-Re's cult statue traveled in procession between Karnak and Luxor during the religious festivals, it passed through an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, two miles long that connected both temples. The ram is an animal sacred to Amun.
The Karnak temple complex, on the eastern bank of the Nile, grew into the largest ancient religious site because every pharaoh worth his lotus added more structures, each one separated by a gate called a pylon. The pylon is a slanted wall reminiscent of the pyramids and has open niches for a flagpole and for launching attacks against intruders.
One of the surviving hypostyle halls in Karnak has 134 columns soaring 80 feet into the sky. Each column is crowned by a papyrus-shaped capital giving an overall effect of a papyrus grove. Low reliefs telling the story of Ramses II, the longest reigning pharaoh in history, adorn every pillar. The original colors of the hall, while a bit faded, are still evident in some areas.
Entering Luxor temple, it is immediately apparent that something is missing. Two colossal seated statues of Ramses II flank either side of the main entrance and a single pink granite obelisk where there used to be two. Muhammad Ali, an Ottoman Viceroy, gave one of the obelisks as a gift to the French king, Louis Philippe, and it is now on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, leaving Luxor temple yearning to restore its balance.
Egyptian history is closely intertwined with myths relating to its deities, creating an interesting mix of fact and fiction. The story of Isis and Osiris, legendary rulers of Egypt, is one of great trials. But nothing could stand in the way of the determined Isis. She brought her husband back to life after he was murdered by his own brother and revived him long enough to conceive their son, Horus, who has the head of a falcon.
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| Philae Temple |
On an island south of Aswan, Philae temple rests amidst peaceful surroundings. It is perhaps the most beautiful of all the sanctuaries and was dedicated to Isis. In 1977 it was moved from a nearby island to its present site to save it from being submerged in the waters of the Nile after the Aswan High Dam was built. There are boats from the dock at Shellal Station that ferry passengers to the island. Isis would have been happy here.
Strategically positioned overlooking the Nile, the walls of Kom Ombo are picture books of ancient Egyptian history. One of the most interesting set of reliefs is related to childbirth. There are graphic representations of medical instruments including a pair of scissors. Imagine that this was carved around the 2nd century BC. There is also a relief of Cleopatra VII, who is the last pharaoh of Egypt and the most famous, thanks in part to Hollywood.
Speaking of women monarchs, Egypt had its share of female sovereigns. The reign of Queen Hatshepsut lasted about 25 years. Her temple in Deir el Bahari, below the Theban cliffs, is a testament to the power she wielded. Her successor tried to eradicate her memory by erasing her name from official records, defacing her cartouches from temple walls and destroying her statues. Fortunately, a bust portraying her as a male ruler with the characteristic false beard and other statues were recovered from temple grounds and are now on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Nefertari, the favorite wife of Ramses II, exercised great influence on her husband. She is often seen with him in tomb paintings, temple reliefs and sculptures. In Abu Simbel, near the Sudanese border, Ramses built two massive rock temples, one for Nefertari, next to his own grandiose monument. Between 1964 and 1968, these temples were relocated to higher ground to preserve them from rising water levels. Four 67 foot monumental seated statues of Ramses are carved on the face of the mountain. Nefertari's temple has six standing figures of Ramses and herself etched on the façade, all of similar height and size, quite unusual for the wife of a king to be portrayed as his equal.
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| Sailing at sunset along the Nile River |
Tour information: Trafalgar Tours offers several tours to Egypt that include a Nile cruise and visits to all the sites mentioned in this article. They also have optional tours to Abu Simbel. American Automobile Association (AAA) members may contact the travel department at www.csaa.com.
Safety: The Egyptian government goes out of its way to protect visitors. Most monuments are heavily guarded and our tour buses traveled, on occasion, with a convoy. Take the necessary precautions just as you would when you travel anywhere in the world. I found the Egyptian people, especially the children, to be warm and friendly and this is what I will remember fondly whenever I think of Egypt.
Upcoming exhibit: The new de Young Museum in San Francisco will present for its opening exhibition, Daughter of Re: Hatshepsut, King of Egypt. It will run from October 15, 2005 to February 5, 2006. Log on to www.thinker.org for more information.
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