Our Egypt Trip in December 2023 with Overseas Adventure Travel
Our trip began on December 13, 2023 flying from Los Angeles to Cairo Egypt. The trip did not begin until December 15, 2023. The following is a day by day description of our travel pictures and videos: You can click once or twice to enlarge the images or view the videos. Also you can google any of the following pictures to get a detailed description and explanation, for example, of the statutes or mummies.
We began our trip at the SemiRamses Intercontinental Hotel with the following night pictures from our room on the 16th Floor:
December 15th
Video taken of the outside from our balcony:
Here is the description of the artifacts inside Museum in the words of our tour leader Ossama Petro:
We started by the Egyptian museum tour where we had seen many Antiques, considered to be a center of attention, especially the statue of the owner of the Sphinx with the falcon protecting the neck, the smallest ivory statute of Cheops, the owner of the great pyramid of Giza, the king Mentuhotep sand stone statue which is a miracle to survive for 4000 years with its fat legs suffering from elephantiasis disease The head of queen Hatshepsut representing herself with a brownish color as a man, and the collections of king tut tomb including his golden mask and coffin . We had a great tour to the oldest capital of Egypt and the mother of all world capitals where we had seen the biggest statue of Ramses 2 laying down, the alabaster Sphinx of queen Hatshepsut.
The video below was taken on our bus ride back to the hotel that, in part, shows the wide stretch of buildings destroyed or heavily damaged (and never re-built) in the Cairo earthquake of 1992 which caused 561 deaths, injured 12,392 people and left over 30,000 families homeless across various cities and villages in Greater Cairo. Click on the link below to view video:
Begin tour of Garbage City
MANSHIYAT NASSER, OR AS IT is more popularly known, Garbage City,“ is a slum settlement with a population of around 60,000 on the outskirts of the Moqattam Hills, within Cairo’s sprawling metropolitan area.
The village is notable for having nearly every space of it covered in garbage, including the streets and rooftops of the settlement. These piles of garbage are the result of the Cairo Metropolitan Area having never established an efficient garbage collecting system, despite having a population of nearly 20 million.
The inhabitants of Manshiyat Nasser, mostly Coptic Christians, have filled this gap for the past 70 years. These informal garbage collectors, called the Zabbaleen or “Garbage people,“ collect the garbage of Cairo’s residents in a door-to-door service for a small fee and then transport it via donkey carts or pick-up trucks to their homes in Manshiyat Nasser. Once home, they sort the garbage for recyclable material. The collecting of the trash is traditionally the men’s work, while women and children sort the garbage.
Although antiquated on its face, the efficiency of the recycling system of the Zabbaleen is remarkable. Almost 90 percent of the garbage is recycled, which is four times the percentage most Western recycling companies produce.
 |
| A common site -roof top pet pigeons |
Early Christian Cave Church of the Rocks
The Cave Church, also known as Saint Simon Monastery, is located in the Mokattam Mountain in southeastern Cairo, Egypt. It is one of the largest churches in the Middle East and can accommodate up to 20,000 people. The church is situated in an area known as the Zabbaleen city, which is home to the largest population of garbage collectors and recyclers in Cairo 1. The church was established in 1975 by the Coptic community that had settled in the area. The church is dedicated to St. Simon, who lived towards the end of the 10th century during the rule of Fatimid Caliph Al-Mui’zz. The church is a masterpiece with impressive paintings and stories carved on the wall and into the mountain rocks, in addition to sculptured statues of Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene 1.
December 16 - The Citadel
The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin (Arabic: قلعة صلاح الدين, romanized: Qalaʿat Salāḥ ad-Dīn) is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th century until the construction of Abdeen Palace in the 19th century. Its location on a promontory of the Mokattam hills near the center of Cairo commands a strategic position overlooking the city and dominating its skyline. When it was constructed it was among the most impressive and ambitious military fortification projects of its time. It is now a preserved historic site, including mosques and museums.
Click on the link to the video below to view ourdrive by and description by our trip leader Assama Petro: https://youtu.be/0XOWI-jpUMk
December 17 - Memphis Step Pyramid - Mohamed Ali Palace
The pyramid of Djoser (or Djeser and Zoser), sometimes called the Step Pyramid of Djoser, is an archaeological site in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the ruins of Memphis. It is the first pyramid to be built. The 6-tier, 4-sided structure is the earliest colossal stone building in Egypt.[4] It was built in the 27th century BC during the Third Dynasty for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser. The pyramid is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration.
The pyramid went through several revisions and redevelopments of the original plan. The pyramid originally stood 62.5 m (205 ft) tall, with a base of 109 m × 121 m (358 ft × 397 ft) and was clad in polished white limestone.[5] The step pyramid (or proto-pyramid) was considered to be the earliest large-scale cut stone construction made by man as of 1997,[6] although the nearby enclosure wall "Gisr el-Mudir" is suggested by some Egyptologists to predate the complex, and the South American pyramids at Caral are contemporary.
In March 2020, the pyramid was reopened for visitors after a 14-year restoration.
We had a great tour to the oldest capital of Egypt and the mother of all world capitals where we had seen the biggest statue of Ramses 2 laying down, the alabaster Sphinx of queen Hatshepsut.
Lunch
Mohamed Ali Palace and Garden - Cairo
The Museum and Palace of Prince Mohamed Ali Manial is one of the most stunning and unique historical museums in Egypt. It dates back to the Alawiyya dynasty era, the era during which the descendants of Muhammad Ali Pasha (a different Muhammad Ali) ruled Egypt.
The Palace can be found in the Manial district of southern Cairo, Egypt. The palace and estate have been beautifully preserved over the years, maintaining their original luster and magnificence.The Manial Palace was built by Prince Mohamed Ali Tewfik (1875—1955), the uncle of King Farouk (the last King of Egypt), between 1899 and 1929.
Ali's Trophy/Animal Collections
 |
| Our home hosted dinner with a Coptic family as part of OAT's Day in the Life |
December 18
Then we moved to visit the
first building of a stone which is the step pyramid where we entered
the pyramid of Ti Ti as a surprise not included in our itinerary and had
a great experience where we had seen daily life activity scenes in the
tomb of the prime minister Ka Jemny, remembering the fishing scenes ??
Milking the cow ? and we talked about Imhotep who built the step pyramid
. We enjoyed listening to the Imam in sultan Hassan mosque chanting
religious song and had a talk about Islam before we visited the
mausoleum of the late Shah of Iran and King Farouk,
Outside discussion on Egypt history Click on links below to view video which does not have the best sound quality due to external noise"
Click on the link below to view the Immam's call to prayer:
Tomb of King Farouk -last King of Egypt:
Then on to the stroll we had at
Islamic street to see all Islamic monument, talking to the lady wearing a
hijab & her daughter, and the many khan El Khalili street markets
 |
| One of the last copper sculpture artist |
December 18 Sunset and Gin and Tonic with Tom Sommers
Dec- 19 -.Karnak Temple
We next visited Luxor temple to see the newly discovered sphinxes
avenue connecting Karnak and Luxor temples together and last supper paintings
and the mosque inside ancient Egyptian temple was exceptional. Karnak
complex which took 17 centuries to be built was outstanding, with 134 columns in the largest hall of pillars with its surviving
colors,+ cut and moved and then erected the obelisk in
Egypt.
 |
| A student Marilyn and I met walking back to our bus |
Constructed in the 14th century BC by Amenhotep III, the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the Luxor Temple was part of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes.
The Ancient Egyptian temple complex of Luxor was founded in 1,400 BC and was expanded by 18th Dynasty Pharaohs Amenhotep III and Tutankhamun, and later by Ramesses the Great, and under the Roman Empire it was used as a fortress and government building.
The Romans constructed a military fort around the temple that the Arabs later called Al Uqsur (The Fortifications), which was later corrupted to give modern Luxor its name.
The Temple was also known as the Southern Sanctuary, its main function was during the annual Opet celebrations, when the statues of Amun, Mut and Khonsu were brought from Karnak, along the Avenue of Sphinxes, and reunited here during the inundation.
In the 14th century, a mosque was built in one of the interior courts for the local sheikh Abu Al Haggag. Excavation works, begun in 1885, have cleared away the village and debris of centuries to uncover what can be seen of the temple today, but the mosque remains and has been restored after a fire.
Luxor Temple today
Today, together with the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings, Luxor Temple forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of “Thebes and its Necropolis”. It is incredibly well-preserved and, with its statues of Ramesses II, it is clear that several pharaohs and other leaders added to it at later stages, including Tutankhamun and later even Alexander the Great.
From its Avenue of the Sphinxes to its looming archways and giant statues, the enormous Luxor Temple is a breathtaking site, indeed it ranks among our top ten tourist attractions to visit in Egypt.
MS Nefertiti:
 |
| Picture of a picture on board ship |
This provincial capital is located about 95 km from El Balyana and 63 km north of Luxor. It is most famous for its proximity to the ruins of Dendara. It owes its modern prosperity to the opening of the Wadi Qena towards the Red Sea, which is a major traffic route between Upper Egypt and the Red Sea. Tourists traveling between Luxor and the Red Sea will assuredly pass through this city since there is only one good road connection. Quena is noted for its pottery. Quena is also known for its beautiful huge mountains and green nature.
Quena has one of the highest concentration of Coptic Christians in Egypt (approximately 35% of the total population).
.jpg)
December 21
Wake up at 4:30 am to enjoy my second hot air balloon ride
Hot Air Ballon Adventure videos from start to finish:
Video details - YouTube Studio
December 21, 2023
After departing from the MS Nefertititi in the east bank in Luxor, we next attended another A Day in the Life of an Egyptian farmer on the west bank of the Nile River, a rural, reedy, and less developed home to subsistence farmers living in modest, made from mud or concrete surrounded by date-palms, henna and fruit trees.bricks
Visit to Village Video followed by pictures - https://youtu.be/YIoySHaNHZ0
 |
| Egyptian Cotton |
 |
| Local school boys ( I took a cell picture and showed it to them) |
 |
Village School |
 |
| 500 year old corn grinder operated by a strong hand |
Nile River Videos:
Luxor Museum (second visit)
Luxor Museum is renowned as one of the thoughtfully assembled displays of antiquities in Egypt. Most of its exhibits come from temples and other constructions in the Luxor area. Highlights of the museum include sculptural depictions of Amenhotep III, under whose reign many of Luxor’s temples were built. There are also a number of objects from the controversial opening of the tomb of Tutankhamun, including an imposing cow-headed deity, and the Talat at Wall, reassembled from one of the temples at Karnak. For many visitors the chief attractions here are also among the newest: the mummies of pharaohs Ahmose I and Ramses I, which were presented to the public with much fanfare in 2004. They are shown without their bandages; a gruesome yet fascinating sight.
December 22 Valley of the Kings
An armed guard was with our tour group on the bus, restaurant and all site visits
- The Valley of the Kings on the hilly part on the west side of the Nile River was once the Necropolis of Thebes, with its many tombs of several great as well as less important rulers buried or chiseled deep into the cliff sides, with more tombs being discovered today. This is where Howard Carter discovered the treasures of Tutankhamun in 1922.
December 23 - Hatshepsut Temple
The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut (Egyptian: Ḏsr-ḏsrw meaning "Holy of Holies") is a mortuary temple built during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. [b] Located opposite the city of Luxor, it is considered to be a masterpiece of ancient architecture.
 |
| Surrounding ruins |
Colossi of Memnon of the Pharoh Amenhotep III
Local Scenes
December 23 - Temple of Edfu
The Temple of Edfu is an ancient Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in Edfu, Upper Egypt1. The temple was built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC1 and is one of the best preserved shrines in Egypt1. The temple is dedicated to the god Horus, who was identified as Apollo under the interpretatio graeca1. The temple’s inscribed building texts provide details of its construction, and also preserve information about the mythical interpretation of this and all other temples as the Island of Creation1. The temple is one of the four temples and places where the events of the legend of Osiris, Isis, and Horus take place2. The temple is made of sandstone and is 79 meters long, 36 meters high, and 3.76 meters wide1. The temple’s height is equivalent to a 12-story building1. The temple’s architecture is unique and features a large pylon, a courtyard, and a hypostyle hall1. The temple’s walls are adorned with reliefs depicting the mythical conflict between Horus and Seth1.
Back on the Neffertiti
Video inside Temple:
Video of Temple at Night
Galabya (dress as an Egyptian) Party
December 24
The Temple of Philae complex, moved downstream of the Aswan Dam Lake Nasser to Agilkia Island and dedicated to Isis, Osiris and Horus
The Philae temple complex is an island-based temple complex located in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam Lake Nasser, Egypt. The temple complex was dismantled and moved to nearby Agilkia Island as part of the UNESCO Nubia Campaign project, protecting this and other complexes before the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam 1. The temple complex was originally built on the island of Philae, which in Ancient Egyptian meant “the end.” It was one of the last temples dedicated to the cult of Isis, who was worshipped for reviving her husband Osiris after his brother Seth murdered and dismembered him 2. The Philae Temple Complex was on the island of Philae and comprised of the main Temple of Isis, a number of smaller temples and shrines and a nilometer, which is a structure used during the annual flood season for measuring the Nile’s water level and clarity 3. The hieroglyphic reliefs of the temple complex are being studied and published by the Philae Temple Text Project of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Institute OREA) 1.
 |
| Christian symbol carved during the Roman period by Emperor Justunian |
Return to ship and later on a traditional Egyptian sailing boat called felucca around Elephine Island:
River Videos:
December 25 - Abu Simel
Abu Simbel is a historic site comprising two massive rock-cut temples in the village of Abu Simbel (Arabic: أبو سمبل), Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan. It is located on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about 230 km (140 mi) southwest of Aswan (about 300 km (190 mi) by road). The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th Dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. Their huge external rock relief figures of Ramesses II have become iconic. His wife, Nefertari, and children can be seen in smaller figures by his feet. Sculptures inside the Great Temple commemorate Ramesses II's heroic leadership at the Battle of Kadesh.
The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 to higher ground to avoid it being submerged by Lake Nasser, the Aswan Dam reservoir. As part of International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, an artificial hill was made from a domed structure to house the Abu Simbel Temples, under the supervision of a Polish archaeologist, Kazimierz Michałowski, from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw.[1][2]
The Abu Simbel complex, and other relocated temples from Nubian sites such as Philae, Amada, Wadi es-Sebua, are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Nubian Monuments.[2]
History[edit]
Construction[edit]
During his reign, Ramesses II embarked on an extensive building program throughout Egypt and Nubia, which Egypt controlled. Nubia was very important to the Egyptians because it was a source of gold and many other precious trade goods. He, therefore, built several grand temples there in order to impress upon the Nubians Egypt's might and Egyptianize the people of Nubia.[3][4] The most prominent temples are the rock-cut temples near the modern village of Abu Simbel, at the Second Nile Cataract, the border between Lower Nubia and Upper Nubia.[4] There are two temples, the Great Temple, dedicated to Ramesses II himself, and the Small Temple, dedicated to his chief wife Queen Nefertari.
Construction of the temple complex started in c. 1264 BC and lasted for about 20 years, until 1244 BC.[citation needed] It was known as the Temple of Ramesses, Beloved by Amun.
Lunch at the Marriott Hotel Aswan
 |
| Baked Alaska to cap off our final dinner on the Neffertiti |
Video- Dancing on the ship:
December 26 -Aswan and the Aswan High Dam
The Aswan Dam, or more specifically since the 1980s, the Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. When it was completed, it was the tallest earthen dam in the world, eclipsing the United States' Chatuge Dam.[2] Its significance largely upstaged the previous Aswan Low Dam initially completed in 1902 downstream. Based on the success of the Low Dam, then at its maximum utilization, construction of the High Dam became a key objective of the new regime the Free Officers movement of 1952; with its ability to better control flooding, provide increased water storage for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity, the dam was seen as pivotal to Egypt's planned industrialization. Like the earlier implementation, the High Dam has had a significant effect on the economy and culture of Egypt.
Before the High Dam was built, even with the old dam in place, the annual flooding of the Nile during late summer had continued to pass largely unimpeded down the valley from its East African drainage basin. These floods brought high water with natural nutrients and minerals that annually enriched the fertile soil along its floodplain and delta; this predictability had made the Nile valley ideal for farming since ancient times. However, this natural flooding varied, since high-water years could destroy the whole crop, while low-water years could create widespread drought and consequently famine. Both these events had continued to occur periodically. As Egypt's population grew and technology increased, both a desire and the ability developed to completely control the flooding, and thus both protect and support farmland and its economically important cotton crop. With the greatly increased reservoir storage provided by the High Aswan Dam, the floods could be controlled and the water could be stored for later release over multiple years.
The Aswan Dam was designed by the Moscow-based Hydroproject Institute.[3] Designed for both irrigation and power generation, the dam incorporates a number of relatively new features, including a very deep grout curtain below its base. Although the reservoir will eventually silt in, even the most conservative estimates indicate the dam will give at least 200 years of serv
Depart ship in Cairo
December 27 - Cairo
Today, we visited the GizaPlateau, home of Egypt's signature attractions: the Pyramids of Giza, with the largest structure , the Great Pyramid of Khufu, probably built more than 2600 years before the time of Christ, standing 480 feet tall and the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still stands.Then there is the mysterious Sphinx, carved almost entirely from one piece of limestone. When Napoleon fist set eyes n the monument, it was still covered in sand up to its neck.
 |
| Smooth outer wall of temple |
 |
| Another lunch stop next to Pyramids |
December 28 -Civilization Museum - Cairo
 |
| Store where I purchased my chess set |
Assamba's video briefing on our trip experience:
Comments
Post a Comment