Al ‘Azīzīyah, Egypt Travel Journals & Blogs

Greece, Egypt and Jordan
- Dec 29, 2022, 3:00pm · ☀️ 21 °C Altitude: 240 ft
  Egypt Giza Abu Sir Pyramid of Djoser 29.871193, 31.21660529°52’16” N 31°12’60” E
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Day9
The Pyramid of Djoser
December 29, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
From the Sphinx, we drove for about 45 minutes to reach the Pyramid of Djoser, aka the stepped pyramid.

Built in the 26th century BC, this pyramid is thought to be the oldest man-made structure in the world. It is quite incredible to contemplate that thought!

It is located in the Saqqara archaeological site, a necropolis northwest of the ruins of Memphis. The 6-tier, 4-sided structure was built during the Third Dynasty for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser.

We were there just as the sun was beginning to fade so the light was great for photos.

After the visit, just as we were all beginning to feel faint from hunger (it was a long time since our 7am breakfast!), we went for a delicious, if expensive, lunch!Read more
Traveler
Looks like you are having a fantastic time, I’m very envious & starting to look at similar tours!! Happy New Year to you both ! Xx
12/31/22Reply
Traveler
Thanks, Barbara - and to you, too 😀. I'd definitely recommend a tour like this one - even though we had to get up at 1.45am this morning to go to Abu Simbel!! x
12/31/22Reply
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Traveler Nilkreuzfahrt & Kairo
- Jan 4, 2022, 9:00am · ☀️ 13 °C Altitude: 26 m
  Egypt Giza Mīt Ruhaynah Tall al Fakhrī 29.85, 31.25529°51’0” N 31°15’18” E
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Day7
Memphis
January 4, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Der heutige Tag begann mit viel Nebel 🌫. Unser Reiseführer meinte er habe seit langem nicht mehr so viel Nebel gsehen. Nichtsdestotrotz sind wir in die alte Hauptstadt Memphis gefahren. Diese war ca. 3000 vor Chr. bis 2000 vor Chr. die erste Hauptstadt im ägyptischen Reich. Danach folgten Theben (heutiges Luxor) und andere. Heute ist nicht mehr so viel übrig von damals. Man vermutet aber noch vieles unter der Erde. Die Ramses II-Statue ist 13m lang und 120 Tonnen schwer. Sie ist das Hauptstück der Ausstellung zurzeit. Die Alabaster-Sphinx ist auch noch eindrucksvoll. Viele andere Statuen sind daneben ausgestellt. Der Nebel war unglaublich dick. Die Ägypter sind ständig am restaurieren. Als wir dort waren versuchten sie gerade eine grosse Statue wieder zusammenzufügen. Mit dem Gewicht der Steine ist dies jedes Mal eine Herausforderung.Read more
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Egypt
- Dec 8, 2022, 11:51am · ☀️ 70 °F Altitude: 190 ft
  Egypt Giza Abu Sir 29.869147, 31.2181229°52’9” N 31°13’5” E
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Day6
Saqqara Necropolis
December 8, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
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Today we visited a sacred burial grounds for Egyptian royalty, the step pyramids at Saqqara. Inside the underground tomb you can see a man etched in the wall only when light is shining on the wall. They don’t know how this tomb was constructed.Read more
Traveler
👍🏽
12/8/22Reply
Traveler
Did you hear any unexpected voices?
12/9/22Reply
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Traveler Nilkreuzfahrt & Kairo
- Jan 4, 2022, 10:42am · ☀️ 16 °C Altitude: 56 m
  Egypt Giza Abu Sir Pyramid of Djoser 29.87167, 31.2166729°52’18” N 31°13’0” E
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Day7
Sakkara & die älteste Pyramide der Welt
January 4, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Der Nebel 🌫 wollte heute nicht weg. Wir fühlten uns fast wie Zuhause 😝. Leider war die Sicht dadurch sehr beeinträchtigt. Sakkara ist eine Begräbnisstätte in der Wüste 🏜 unweit von Kairo entfernt. Hier hat es viele Gräber der Pharaonen der ersten Dynastien, deren Frauen und Kindern, Priestern und vielen mehr die um die Zeit 2650 vor Chr. erbaut wurden. Zuerst besuchten wir ein Grab einer Prinzessin. Die Farben 🖌 hier sind auch nach über 4000 Jahren noch zu sehen. Die Bilder zeigen die Grabbeigaben die gemacht wurden. Leider wurden sämtliche Gräber bereits vor unserer Zeit von Grabräubern geplündert. Als nächstes ging es zur Dosjer-Pyramide. Diese Pyramide ist eine Stufenpyjamide die als erstes Bauwerk der Welt gilt das nur aus Steinen erbaut wurde. Zusätzlich gilt sie mit 4500 Jahren als älteste Pyramide der Welt 🌏. Der Tempel davor ist auch noch in guten Zustand und wurde für rituelle Zwecke benutzt. Danach gab es ein orientalisches Mittagessen, bei dem wie immer viel zu viel aufgetischt wurde. Das Fladenbrot wurde gleich frisch gebacken. Nun geht es weiter zur Hauptattraktion des Tages, hoffentlich mit besserem Wetter. 🌬️Read more
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Egypt
- Dec 8, 2022, 1:00pm · 🌙 66 °F Altitude: 49 ft
  Egypt Giza Al ‘Azīzīyah 29.865, 31.2370729°51’54” N 31°14’13” E
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Day6
Silk carpets
December 8, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 66 °F
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Silk carpets are unique because when looking at them from one direction the are dark in color and flipped to the other direction they are light. They feel very soft and smooth. They are the most expensive.Read more
Traveler
👍🏽
12/10/22Reply
Traveler
Just what a brutha needs 😁
12/11/22Reply
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Egypt
- Dec 8, 2022, 12:53pm · ☀️ 72 °F Altitude: 59 ft
  Egypt Giza Al ‘Azīzīyah 29.864717, 31.23691329°51’53” N 31°14’13” E
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Day6
Egyptian carpets
December 8, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
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We stopped at a carpet making school. It was family run. It was interesting to see little kids learning how to make carpets. 1 carpet can take anywhere from 1-2 months to several months. The prices ranged from $700+ for wool, $1300+ for Egyptian cotton, $3000+ for silk carpets.Read more
Traveler
👍🏽
12/10/22Reply
Traveler
Little kids making carpets?? That’s called an “Egyptian sweat shop”!
12/11/22Reply
Traveler
Yes we definitely did a double take at that. But they explained this is a “school” and since it is a family run business they are teaching their kids the technique so that it is not lost as the older generation dies out.
12/11/22Reply
Traveler
Ahhhh…that makes more sense!
12/12/22Reply
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skip's retirement travel Egypt
- Apr 10, 2021, 11:00am · ☀️ 18 °C Altitude: 70 m
  Egypt Giza Abu Sir Pyramid of Djoser 29.87063, 31.2162429°52’14” N 31°12’58” E
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Day2
Tombs at Saqqara
April 10, 2021 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
The Saqqara complex includes many tombs from the early part of Egyptian history. In addition a number of pharoahs (not just Djozer), high ranking clerks, pharaonic officials, etc. Are interred here.
These pictures are all tombs of those lesser officials, even though they are closed to the public. I met a guy with keys and was given private access to several of these. Talk about blessing!
What's important here is that all the carvings, paints, statues, etc., are original (no reconstructions). I was so blown away by these that I neglected to record the names of the persons interred. I'll let these all speak for themselves. It's too bad that the pictures don't do the artistry justice.Read more
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Traveler Middle East 2022
- Oct 30, 2022, 2:55pm · ☀️ 27 °C Altitude: 63 m
  Egypt Giza Abu Sir Pyramid of Djoser 29.87072, 31.21718129°52’15” N 31°13’2” E
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Day28
Pyramid of Djoser
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
This is the star attraction within the Saqqara site. Also known as the Step Pyramid, it was the first of the pyramids and is the oldest stone structure in the world and was built 2670 BC. Originally the tomb had just the first level as the entry to a network of underground burial chambers. The other 5 levels were added in stages. The completed structure represents a staircase by which King Djoser could ascend to join the god Ra.

I walked up to the base to appreciate the size again. Even the first level is so tall, I think over 8m. The entire complex consists of the colonnaded entrance with columns in the shape of bundles of papyrus reeds, a huge front courtyard and a variety of tomb structures around it.Read more
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Ladyandtramp Egypt
- Dec 13, 2022, 9:00am · ⛅ 16 °C Altitude: 72 m
  Egypt Giza Abu Sir Pyramid of Djoser 29.87092, 31.2165229°52’15” N 31°12’59” E
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Dec13
Saqqara
December 13, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
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We were up at 7 a.m. to prepare ourselves for our first sightseeing day trip with a driver and guide. We could hardly believe that we were going to see structures that we had only read about - the Egyptian pyramids!

Our hostel breakfast consisted of eggs, bread, a banana, a tomato and cheese salad and a bland instant Nescafé coffee. :( Tomorrow we will just ask for hot water as we brought some good coffee from home. Egyptians don’t usually eat breakfast until 2 p.m.!

At 8:30 am, our driver, Ahmed, arrived. He was excellent. No worries about driving with him in manic Cairo! We then picked up our guide who had a heavy duty day planned for us. We were going out to visit 4 different burial sites that were spread out in the desert on the Giza Plateau.

We started out by visiting the Saqqara site that only had a handful of tourists visiting it even though it is Egypts largest archaeological site. It was an active burial ground for Memphis, one of the greatest cities in the ancient world, for more than 3500 years. Actually, Netflix made a documentary called Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb.

Saqqara is best known for the Step Pyramid of Zoser that looks like a giant 6-layer wedding cake, but there are 10 other pyramids in the area.

We went into the Pyramid of Unas which doesn’t look like much on the outside but after going through tunnels, bent over as they were only 1 meter high, we ended up in a beautiful burial chamber. It’s ceiling was covered with stars and the white alabaster-lined walls were inscribed with beautiful blue hieroglyphs. These hieroglyphs are ‘spells’ to protect the soul of the deceased.

In this area there were also several very deep shaft tombs and a pyramid called Serapeum that was dedicated to the sacred Apis bull. When the bull died, it was mummified in Memphis, then carried in a procession to this pyramid and place in a huge sarcophagus.

These pyramids gave us a good introduction to how and why pyramids were built and what they looked like inside.

From Saqqara, we drove to pyramid site #2, Dashur.Read more
Traveler
Vraiment intéressant!
12/14/22Reply
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Traveler Middle East 2022
- Oct 30, 2022, 2:21pm · ☀️ 27 °C Altitude: 59 m
  Egypt Giza Abu Sir 29.869149, 31.21753429°52’9” N 31°13’3” E
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Day28
Saqqara
October 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
So now it's time to see the old stuff. Got an Uber from Memphis over here. Was let out at the ticket booth, then realized it was a couple of k's up to the actual ruins, an my driver noticed it before I did and drove in to get me. Good to have the ride up, and I walked down to be able to appreciate the views over the palm trees and Cairo.

This was the burial ground for royals going back to the First Dynasty in 3100BC and was used as such for 3,000 years. The full site is vast and you have to drive to see it all.

Tomb of Princess Idut, daughter of King Teti who ruled 2345 to 2323BC had some especially good wall paintingdRead more
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