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Cairo:
Cairo is a
mainspring for the noblest efforts aimed at peace among all nations and
aspiring to the benefit of all mankind. To understand the secret of
Cairo's magnetism and to appreciate the spirit of this living entity one
must travel back in time some fifty centuries to imagine the birth of
this radiant city that abounds in the splendors of the Pharaohs, the
earliest achievements of Christianity, and the glories of Islam.
Pyramids:
Though the three
Great Pyramids are the most famous and prominent monuments at Giza, the
site has actually been a necropolis almost since the beginning of Pharaonic Egypt.
About the Great Pyramid of Cheops, Herodotus said that it
would have taken 30 years and 100,000 slaves to build it. Another
theory is that it was built by peasants who were unable to work the land
while the Nile flooded between July and November.
The Pyramid of Chephren, often called the "Second Pyramid ", is built
next to the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops). Chephren is the son and
successor of Khufu and Hensuten.Menkaure The fifth king of the 4th
dynasty was the son of Khephren. Though his pyramid at Giza was smaller
than those of Khufu and Khephren, The Pyramid of Menkaure was covered
with costly Aswan granite. His basalt sarcophagus was covered with fine
decorations.
The Great Sphinx:
In a depression
to the south of Chephren's pyramid sits a creature with a human head and
a lion's body. The name 'sphinx' which means 'strangler' was first given
by the Greeks to a fabulous creature which had the head of a woman and
the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The sphinx appears to have
started in Egypt in the form of a sun god. The Egyptian sphinx is
usually a head of a king wearing his headdress and the body of a lion.
There are, however, sphinxes with ram heads that are associated with the
god Amun.
The Egyptian Museum:
The Egyptian
government established the 'Service des Antiques de l' Egypte' in 1835
mainly to halt the plundering of archaeological sites and to arrange the
exhibition of the collected artifacts owned by the government. The
Azbakiah garden in Cairo was first used as a storage place for these
artifacts. This museum exhibits over 120 000 objects.
The Citadel:
One of Cairo's
most popular tourist attractions is the Citadel, located on a spur of
limestone that had been detached from its parent Moqattam hills by
quarrying. The Citadel began it's life not as a great military base of
operations, but as the "Dome of the Wind", a pavilion created in 810 by Hatim Ibn Hartama,
who was then governor. These early governors, not realizing it strategic
importance, simply used the pavilion for its view of Cairo. In 1176AD, Salah ad-Din fortified the area to protect it against
attacks by the crusaders, and since then, it has never been without a
military garrison.
Aswan:
This area of
Egypt enjoys a very rich history and a central role in Egypt's
development. There are hundreds of historical sites including some of
Egypt's most important monuments. Beginning at Aswan, this area
stretches south and includes Lake Nasser. Historical sites may be found
in and about Aswan, as well as south along the coast of Lake Nasser.
The High Dam:
Located near
Aswan, the world famous High Dam was an engineering miracle when it was
built in the 1960s. It contains 18 times the material used in the Great
Pyramid of Cheops. The Dam is 11,811 feet long, 3215 feet thick at the
base and 364 feet tall. Today it provides irrigation and electricity for
the whole of Egypt and together with the old Aswan Dam built by the
British between 1898 and 1902`, 6km down river, offer a wonderful view for
visitors from the top of the two-Miles long High Dam.
Philae Temple:
Philae Temple
was dismantled and reassembled (on Agilika Island about 550 meters from
its original home on Philae Island) in the wake of the High Dam. The
temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, is in a beautiful setting, which
has been landscaped to match its original site. It's various shrines and
sanctuaries, which include The Vestibule of Nectanebos I which is used
as the entrance to the island, the Temple of the Emperor Hadrian, a
Temple of Hathor, Trajan's Kiosk (Pharaohs Bed), a birth house and two
pylons celebrate all the deities involved in the Isis and Osiris myth.
Kom Ombo:
The temple
is shared by the two Gods Sobek & Harories. This magnificent Ptolemaic
Temple is in a dramatic setting on high ground beside the Nile,
surrounded by sugarcane fields. Dedicated jointly to Harories, The God
Doctor, and Sobek the Crocodile God, the Temple is famous for its Twin
entrances, halls and sanctuaries. Sculpted wall reliefs include one
showing ancient surgical instrument, Bone-saws and dental tools. Three
mummified Crocodiles found nearby are now in the Chapel of Hathor.
The Temple of Horus in Edfu:
This Temple is
the best-preserved cult temple in Egypt, which is an essential landmark
for archeological enthusiasts. Dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed
God.
It was built during the reigns of six Ptolemies. Mariette uncovered the
main building, which includes a great hypostyle hall, in the 1860s.
There are numerous relief's, including a depiction of the feast of the
beautiful meeting, the annual renion between Horus and his wife Hathor
and a particularly fine ceiling relief of the Goddess "Nut" in the New
Year Chapel.
Esna:
The Temple of
Khnum in Isna
The temple, which lies in a pit below the level of the houses in Isna,
is dedicated to the god, Khnum. This was the ram god that was worshipped
through out this area and who fashioned mankind from mud of the Nile on
his potter's wheel. He was associated with other gods, including Menhyt
(his consort), Nebtu (the goddess of the countryside) and Hka (the
manifestation of vital energy). While all that remains of the temple is
the great Hypostyle Hall, surrounding ruins of the ancient complex and
city have yet to be excavated due to the modern housing built on the
site. The temple sits atop the ruins of earlier temple(s). Ptolemy VI
originally began the building project, but the Temple of Khnum was a
later addition built by the Romans.
Luxor:
This area is
really dominated by the Luxor/Karnak/Thebes open-air museum, filled with
awe inspiring monuments of ancient civilization as well as some of the
best preserved. Thebes was the capital of Egypt during the New
Kingdom, Thebes was described by Homer as "the hundred-gated city.
" Its later name, al-Uqsur, means "City of the Palaces. "
Karnak Temple:
The Temple of
Karnak is actually three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and
several outer temples. This vast complex was built and enlarged over a
thirteen hundred year period. Enormous brick walls enclose the three
main temples of Mut, Monthu and Amun. The open air museum is located to
the north of the first courtyard, across from the Sacred Lake. The main
complex, The temple of Amun, is situated in the center of the entire
complex. The Temple of Monthu is to the north of the temple of Amun,
while the temple of Mut is to the south.
The Temple of Luxor:
Many festivals
were celebrated in Thebes. The temple of Luxor was the center of the
most important one, the festival of Opet. Built largely by Amenhotep III
and Ramesses II, it appears that the temple's purpose was for a suitable
setting for the rituals of the festival. The festival itself was to
reconcile the human aspect of the ruler with the divine office. During
the 18th dynasty, the festival lasted eleven days, but had grown to
twenty-seven days by the reign of Ramesses III in the 20th dynasty.
The Temple of Deir el Bahari :
The mortuary
temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most dramatically situated in
the world. The queen's architect, Senenmut, designed it and set it at
the head of a valley overshadowed by the peak of Thebes, the "Lover
of Silence," where lived the goddess who presided over the necropolis. A
tree lined avenue of sphinxes led up to the temple.
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