Egypt

Uma 29aventura de um dia na skip's retirement travel Leia mais

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Egypt skip's retirement travel
KV 8
17 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
This is the tomb of Merenptah, son of Remeses II who ruled in the late 13th century BCE. It is the deepest tomb I saw.
The first picture is looking from the entry down the long corridor into the tomb. 2nd is a visual representation of the tomb. 3, 4, & 5 look at some of the art work, while the last is the sarcophagus.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
KV 16
17 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
This is the tomb of Rameses I, founder of the 19th dynasty and dating from early in the 13th century BCE. This is the smallest tomb I visited as Rameses I only ruled for 2 years. So there are no carvings, only painted walls.
The 2st picture is the schematic. The next 2 are of art. As it is not as extensive as others, I took fewer pictures.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
KV 11
17 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
This is the tomb of Rameses III, dating from the middle of the 12th century BCE. He ruled for more than 30 years until he was assassinated by a son. Given the long reign, there was plenty of time to carve and decorate the tomb.
As this is what you've been waiting for, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. The last, of course, is the tomb schematic.
The paint is all original. No restoration. I find it mind boggling that such stunning art work has survived more than 3 millennia.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
KV 62
17 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
This is the most famous tomb in the Valley of the Kings. This is the tomb of Tutankhamun who died in about 1325 BCE at the age of 18. This is the tomb found and opened in 1922 with all of the famous artifacts that are now in the new Museum of Civilization in Cairo.
This is a video of the chamber around the sarcophagus. It is the only only part openLeia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
17 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C
This is the famous temple, dedicated to Amun, of Hatshepsut, the 2nd historically confirmed female pharoah to rule Egypt, reigning in the 1st half of the 16th century BCE. This is a unique and stunning temple. Unfortunately, it was defaced be her successor, Thutmose III.
Each of the columns on the 2nd level had a statue of Hatshepsut. These were taken down and buried by Thutmose III, but they were found and some were restored. As this suggests, much of what we see today is a restoration.
All the paintings, however, are original. The 5th picture is of a section of the original ceiling/roof in blue with golden stars.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Collosi of Memnon
17 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C
The colossi are a pair of statues of pharoah Amenhotep III, dating to about 1350 BCE. These were originally placed as guardians at the gate of Amenhotep III's mortuary temple, some remains of which are visible in the background of the photos.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Karnak
18 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
Considered the oldest, largest and most important temple in ancient Egypt. Construction is said to have begun about 2,000 BCE, with work continuing until near the end of the 4th century BCE. Each pharoah felt the need to add to or modify the temple to make their own statement. The temple is primarily dedicated to Amum-Re, the creator deity and chief god among the Egyptian gods.
The temple is entered along what had been a canal up to an access marked by ram headed sphinxes (1st picture) with small statues of the pharoah between the forelegs (2nd picture) indicating that the pharoah was protected by Amun.
The 3rd picture is in the large courtyard looking at statues along one side.
The 4th picture looks from the sanctuary back along the main access, through the gates to the entry where the former canal came in.
Probably the most famous part of the temple is the hypostyle hall. This consists of 134 columns, most about 15 meters tall and 3 meters in diameter. The most central pair are over 20 meters tall, creating a clerestory roof. The last 2 pictures are of the hypostyle hall, with a detail of part of the original roof and of some of the original paintLeia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Opet
18 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C
Probably the most important annual festival celebrated in ancient Thebes (modern Luxor). This festival celebrated the rebirth of the son of Amun (ie, the pharoah) as a fertility rite and to reaffirm the pharoah's divine right to rule.
The events consisted of the statue of Amum-Re being carried from the inner sanctuary out along the axis of Karnak (see another post), through the gate to a boat in the canal, then along the river to the Temple of Luxor (see another post). Then Amum-Re and Mut spend the time of the festival on an annual "honeymoon" as part of the fertility rite. At the end, the statue of Amum-Re is carried along the Avenue of the Sphinxes, about 3 km back to Karnak.
There isn't much to show here as the festival is no more, and the statues are not here. However, the ancient Avenue of the Sphinxes has been rediscovered and is being restored. The 2 pictures look along the route from opposite ends, the former from the Temple of Luxor; the latter from Karnak. This is the direction Amum-Re is said to have traveled along this route on his way back home each year. In the latter picture, you can make out some of the sphinxes.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Temple of Luxor
18 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C
Perhaps also known as the Precinct of Mut, part of the Karnak complex. Mut is the wife of Amum-Re (See post about Opet).
The 1st 3 pictures are of the temple complex. The 3rd & 4th are of a bit of the decoration, with the 4th being some of the best preserved hieroglyphics. The last is Rameses II seated and is among the best preserved likenesses of Rameses the Great, as he is also known.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Wadi el Rayan
21 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
A natural area 25 to 30 meters below sea level where a mix of agricultural drainage and springs (some sulphur) are formed into 2 man-made lakes. In between there is a waterfall that is said to be the largest in Egypt. The 1st 2 pictures look at the double waterfalls. The 3rd picture looks out from the top of the waterfalls toward the lower lake, while the 4th looks at a bit of the surrounding desert. In the 5th picture are a couple of natural formations sculpted by sand. The last is an information sign at the parkLeia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Qsar Qaroun
21 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Qsar Qaroun is a well preserved Ptolemaic temple, probably from the latter part of the 4th century BCE. Of particular interest is the solar alignment of the temple. On the winter solstice, the sun directly shines in and illuminates the holy of holies, shown with artificial light in the 2nd picture.
The 1st picture is the entry gateway into the building that looks like a large sandstone box. The interior, pictures 3&4, is a warren of nooks, corridors, and underground storage spaces for valuables. The 5th picture is one of the few engravings here, this one of Sobek, the crocodile headed god. The last picture looks from the roof over the desert to the edge of the Fayoum oasis.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Library of Alexandria
22 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
This is a spectacular library with a museum below. It opened in 2002. While I knew that this is a modern, beautiful and hi tech library in it's own right, I kind of the expected some sort of remembrance of the ancient library. I did not see that, thought there are some manuscripts on display in the museum that are old enough (eg, picture 5).
The 1st 2 pictures are of the main reading room. It really is that architecturally stunning. The 3rd picture is a replica of the Rosetta Stone that made translating hieroglyphs possible. 4th is an early gospel manuscript, and last is a coptic primer. Coptic is the language of Egypt prior to Arabic, and it is still used in the Coptic Orthodox Church.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Montazah Palace
22 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
This is one of the royal palaces of Egypt, last used by the last king of Egypt, Farouk, who abdicated in 1952. For centuries, Alexandria has been a favorite summer retreat for wealthy Egyptians, royalty included. The palace is on high ground along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, east of downtown Alexandria. The buildings and much of the compound are under renovation, which is visible on most of the pictures. So access inside the buildings is closed.
The 1st 2 pictures look at the main palace building from 2 sides that look toward the Sea. The 3rd & 4th look at bits of the gardens and park like setting of the palace complex. The last 2 are of the waterfront over which the palace looks.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
El Alamein
23 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
The site of the major battle of WW II where Rommel's advance across north Africa was stopped by the British army under Montgomery. The pictures are taken at the memorial cemetery.
The 1st 4 are of different parts of the main portion of the memorial and cemetery. The 5th picture looks across to the separate Australian memorial. The last looks out over what had been a part of the battlefield, now with buildings developed.
This area is developing rapidly as I'm told that current Egyptian President al Sisi será Alamein developing to be "the Dubai of Egypt." In fact, mist of the way from Alexandria to Alamein is developing, looking like it wants to the "Riviera of Egypt "Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Monastery of St. Bishoy
23 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
The Monastery of Saint Bishoy (sometimes spelled Pishoy) is an ancient Coptic monastery founded in the 4th century in Wadi el Natrun. As an aside, Wadi el Natrun was important in pharaonic times as the source for one of the important ingredients required for the mummification process.
Only the original 4th century church was open for visitors as they were preparing for holy week. Much to my surprise, they are observing the Passion 4 weeks after we, in the western church, do.
The 1st picture looks at the entry gate to the monastery. The rest are inside the ancient church. The 2nd picture looks at part of the iconostasis. The names of the saints are written in Coptic. I was able to read the names as the Coptic was close enough to Koine Greek to work them out. The 3rd picture looks into the sanctuary behind the iconostasis. That is the original altar from the 4th century.
The 4th & 5th pictures look at parts of the church. While the last is a picture of the shrine holding the remains of St. Bishoy. His body is said to be uncorrupted as Jesus promised Bishoy himself.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Under the Red Sea
28 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Here are 6 pictures taken while diving in the Red Sea. All but the last show some of the coral. The 5th includes me swimming towards the camera. The last is a selfie of my instructor and me at the end of the 7th and last dive over 4 days, resulting in my now being a certified open water diver. YAY!Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Dahab
28 de abril de 2021, Egito ⋅ 🌙 27 °C
Dahab is a lovely small resort town about an hour and a half up the coast from the better known Red Sea town of Sharm El-Sheik. If you envision the Red Sea as a Y, Dahab is on the right hand arm, with Saudi Arabia visible across the water. I can recommend this place. It's been delightful to be here.
The 1st picture is of the pedestrian walk along the coast with shops and restaurants on both sides. The 2nd is the area called Lighthouse Square, more or less the center of downtown Dahab. It is named for the lighthouse that had been on the point. The 3rd is Dahab at night. The 4th looks along the shore of the Red Sea from the dive site we used. The 5th is in the opposite direction, looking away from the Red Sea into the Sinai.
The last picture is special for me. You may know that we are in Ramadan. This is a period when Muslims fast from pretty much everything from sunrise to sunset. Then the break the fast in a communal meal. I am honored to have been invited to share the "breakfast" one evening with the hotel staff. This is a picture of the table. A wonderful meal.
Ramadan kareem.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
3 de maio de 2021, Egito ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Newly opened but not yet complete museum. This is the place the mummy parade last month (April 2021) from the old museum ended. It's a beautiful buildings in a park like setting.
The main part of the museum is a recounting of Egyptian history, beginning in the prehistoric times.
The mummies are displayed on a lower level and arranged as if walking through corridors in tombs. Unfortunately, no photographing is allowed down there.
The 1st picture is of the museum courtyard. The 2nd is of construction models and implement, such as a plumb line. 3rd is a detail of the oldest wooden door found so far. In the 4th picture are god and goddess representations. 5th is an ancient papyrus telling a famous story about a general. Last is an example of the wooden caskets used in ancient Egypt.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
NMEC II
3 de maio de 2021, Egito ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
There is too much in this museum to fit in the limit of 6 pictures per post. So here are 6 more pictures.
This time, the 1st picture looks across the main hall to give a sense of the overall exhibit. There is plenty of room to add more as archaeology progresses. 2nd is of Akhenaten, aka the heretic king, who is the 1st person (as far as I know) to institute monotheism. 3rd is a group of models of various types of boats used in pharaonic Egypt. 4th is a display of some of one princess's jewelry. 5th is an example of Coptic art: wood inlaid with ivory (I think). Note that each arm of the cross ends in a 3 pointed shape. This is typical of traditional Coptic Orthodox crosses. Last is an Islamic "mashrabiya," a type of window. It allows light and air in, but those outside cannot see in.Leia mais
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ViajanteInteresting pictures and info.
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Dashur
4 de maio de 2021, Egito ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C
Dashur is the site of a royal necropolis in use from the early to middle part of the 3rd millennium BCE. The two best known pyramids here are the red pyramid and the bent pyramid. Both were built by the pharaoh Sneferu. The older, the bent pyramid (pictures 1&2) didn't start out to be bent. There were miscalculations and other poor design issues such the they had to lessen the load by sloping the sides in. So Sneferu went back to the drawing board and commissioned the so-called red pyramid (pictures 3, 4 & 5). 4&5 look down the entrance tunnel to the chambers. I didn't enter as that was too long a distance to go bent over. While my back is doing ok, that seemed like too much to risk.
Sneferu's son was Khufu who built the great pyramid at Giza (see another post). About 600 years after Sneferu, pyramid building resumed at Dashur. The last picture is of the so called white pyramid of pharoah Amenemhat II. The remains of this pyramid is in the 6th picture. Much of this one was scavanged for other building projects.Leia mais
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The Church of Saint Simon the Tanner
6 de maio de 2021, Egito ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C
This is the main church at the monastery, and is considered to be about the largest church in the middle east. It seats 20,000 worshippers. The pictures are of the space and the carvings.
The 1st picture looks up the amphitheater from all the way down front. The next 2 pictures are of the front, deep in the cave. The was the original part of this church that was built. The remaining pictures are of the artwork. Again, I leave them for your discernment.Leia mais
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The Church of Saint Marcus
6 de maio de 2021, Egito ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C
This is sometimes called the winter church as it is more enclosed and protected from the weather than the larger Saint Simon Church, and most of the seasonal rain occurs during the winter. This smaller church seats "only" 2,000.
The 1st picture is at the gate, while the 2nd is beyond the gate and just outside the door to the church. The 3rd looks across the 2,000 seats, showing the expanse of this "smaller" church. Again, the rest are of the art in stone.Leia mais
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The Church of St Paul and St Anthony
6 de maio de 2021, Egito ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C
This is the smallest of the 3 churches at the monastery. Saints Paul and Anthony are two of the original desert fathers. It is said that a bird would bring a half loaf of bread to Saint Paul each day. When Anthony reached Paul, the bird brought a whole loaf every day they were together. So this church has 2 altars to commemorate this double feeding of the saints.
The 1st 3 pictures look around the small (this one really is small) church. The 4th is of the Saint Paul altar while the last is the Saint Anthony altar.Leia mais
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Egypt skip's retirement travel
Monastery of Saint Simon the Tanner
6 de maio de 2021, Egito ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C
This is a Coptic monastery named for the 10th century saint and is located in the Zabbaleen community in Cairo. Zabbaleen means garbage collector, and this neighborhood at the base of the Moqattam cliffs is the center for collection and recycling of Cairo's waste. This community is overwhelmingly Coptic, and as that community developed, this monastery was founded as their spiritual heart.
There are 3 churches here, and I'm writing a post for each of them. The pictures here are of the rest of the site, mostly of the beautiful carvings on the cliff walls. I'll leave you to recognize the biblical scenes in the carvings. The only hint I'll give is the 2nd picture, written in Arabic, is exactly what the 2 tablets suggest.Leia mais
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Final da viagem
7 de maio de 2021