Day 5 – Tuesday, March 12: Valley of Kings, Temples of Medinet Habu & Hatshepsut, Felucca Boat Ride on Nile River, Flight to Cairo
Following a good night’s sleep and a great breakfast, we departed from our hotel at 8 a.m. It was another great day here in Egypt as we crossed the Nile River to the western side. The weather was predictably sunny again, with highs around 85. We read portions from Exodus as we departed.
Valley of the Kings
We boarded the bus and drove 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). Most purchased an extra ticket to see the tomb of the famous King Tut’s. 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 another ‘highlight’ day. We spent most of the day on the West Bank of the Nile River. The tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the two mortuary temples were incredible to see.”
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.
In the mid afternoon, we enjoyed a felucca boat ride across to the eastern side of the Nile River. It was a relaxing time of experiencing the river just as the ancients did. We drove back to the hotel for a late lunch and to refreshen up before returning to the Luxor Airport for our evening flight back to Cairo. We stayed at the Airport Hotel (Meridian) where some of us had a late dinner before retiring.
Day 6 – Wednesday, March 13: Early Flight to Amman, Jordan, Bethany beyond the Jordan, Mt. Nebo, Machaerus, Petra
