Day 11 – Wednesday, March 1: Flight to Luxor, Valley of Kings & Queens, Temples of Medinet Habu & Hatshepsut, Felucca Boat Ride on Nile River, Temple of Karnak
Today began very early! We woke up at 4 a.m. in order to get to the airport for our flight to Luxor. Located about 500 miles south of Cairo, Luxor is the heart of Egypt in many ways! The flight took a little over an hour.
Valley of the Kings & Queens
When we arrived in Luxor, we loaded the bus and headed directly to the Valley of the Kings. 63 pharaohs have been buried here since the start of the New Kingdom. We went into three tombs: Ramses IV (a Pharoah of the 20th Dynasty), Ramses III (the one who defeated the Sea Peoples), and Mernaptah (the Pharaoh who seized Canaan, including Gezer, and mentions “Israel” on his stele). We all purchased extra tickets to into the tomb of Ramses V & VI as well as the famous King Tut’s tomb as well. His mummy is on display here as well as his sarcophagus.
The well-preserved colors in all the tombs of the wall reliefs were stunning to see. The religious focus within the Egyptian belief system upon the after-life is plain to see in all these tombs! It took between six months and three years to build these tombs, some more complex than others. They began building these tombs once the Pharoah became king.
Close by we also saw three smaller tombs in the Valley of the Queens: Amen Khopshef (son of Ramses III. He was a priest and scribe), Titi, and Prince Kha ‘Em Wast (another son of Ramses III). There are a total of 95 tombs in this valley.
Alabaster Shop/Store
Close by are many alabaster shops. We went to one whose owner and his workers were quite the comedian. It was interesting to see how some of the vessels are made. The final products made from stone are impressive.
Temple of Hatshepsut
On the opposite side of the cliff of the Valley of the Kings is the Temple of Hatshepsut. The temple was built in 1470 BC. Hatshepsut was most likely the Pharaoh’s daughter who rescued Moses (Exodus 2). She was the daughter of Thutmose I and reigned for over 20 years. She was despised by those who succeeded her, with her image and cartouches eliminated and/or scratched away (perhaps both Thutmose III and Amenhotep II did this?).
“Today was a packed day of Egyptology! We saw so very much. The Valley of the King tombs were incredible, while the Temple of Karnak was massive. The ancient Egyptians were royal builders in every way!”
Temple of Medinet Habu
The last temple on the western side we saw was the Medinet Habu. This was a dedicatory temple built in honor of Ramses III. Depicted on the pylons is the defeat of his enemies, including the Nubians and the “Sea Peoples” (i.e. the Philistines of the Bible). Ramses defeated the Sea Peoples in 1170 BC. The wall reliefs show Ramses holding the heads of his defeated enemies by the hair. He also cut off their hands and penises to humiliate them.
Colossi of Memnon
We passed by the Colossi of Memnon. These are two huge figures that are displayed at the Temple of Amenhotep III. They are about 60 feet high.
Temple of Karnak
In the late afternoon, we crossed back to the eastern side of the Nile River by taking a felucca boat. After a quick bite to eat, we drove to the Karnak Temple. This temple was first built around 2100 BC. Many Pharaohs are honored here, including Thutmose III (who had 16 military victorious campaigns and took Megiddo in Israel) and Ramses II (who reigned 67 years and lived until 91 years of age, 1303-2113 BC). We also saw the obelisk of Hatshepsut and the relief of Shishak (see 1 Kings 14:25-28).
Following this packed-filled day, we checked into our hotel in Luxor and enjoyed dinner and a free night. We fly back to Cairo tomorrow for two days.
Day 12 – Thursday, March 2: Cairo, Egyptian Museum
