Egypt
Karnak Temple Complex

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    • Day 167

      Nile Cruise

      September 4, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 104 °F

      Miles: 3.6 Steps: 9872 Flights: 8

      We made it to Edfu in the night and we were off the boat and out seeing the Temple of Horus at 5:30am. By 7:30 we were sailing again. We spent the morning and early afternoon up on the pool deck, again, just watching the amazing scenery from our lounge chairs.

      As we sailed, men in rowboats would get right in front of our boat and hook themselves to us with ropes while we were speeding down the river, and then try to sell goods to the passengers! From the boats! At times we’d get 2-4 boats hooked to us at once. It was fun to watch, and lots of people bought things just for the experience. They would show items, and then if you were interested they’d throw them up to you! You’d put your money in the plastic bag, and throw it back down to them. All without speaking each other’s languages. This went on for hours!!

      We also got to experience going though a set of locks, which was even more interesting as these rowboats were so determined, they would get themselves in the locks with us at times!! So crazy.

      Once we arrived in Luxor, we headed out to the Karnak Temple (2nd largest temple in the world) and then went to the Luxor Temple. Interestingly, when we were in Paris we saw a big Egyptian Obelisk there - it was a gift from Egypt. We were told when in Paris that the sister to it was at the Luxor Temple - and we saw it! Neat to know we saw both of these amazing artifacts on two different continents.
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    • Day 5

      Luxor: Karnak/Queen hatshepsut temple

      March 8 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      Today, I embarked on a journey to the Karnak Temple and the Temple of Queen hatshepsut. I was surrounded by the echoes of ancient rituals and historical significance. the Hypostyle Hall, one of the main reason i chose Egypt, left me breathless – the first ever religious building of a human civilization. Its towering columns, adorned with intricate hieroglyphs, stood as a testament to human ingenuity and spiritual devotion. Later, at the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the elegant terraces and hieroglyphic narratives provided a glimpse into the powerful reign of the female pharaoh. The juxtaposition of these two remarkable sites underscored the evolution of religious expression, with the Hypostyle Hall standing tall as the inaugural masterpiece of human religious construction.Read more

    • Day 5

      Karnak Temple - Luxor

      January 6, 2020 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      Went to the massive Karkak temple in Luxor where we were all running around like crazy trying to get as many photos as possible....the amount of carvings on the wall and how big all the stones are is so impressiveRead more

    • Day 2

      Karnak Tempel

      October 14, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C

      Die Tempelstadt von Karnak, einem Dorf ca. 2,5 KM nördlich von Luxor, direkt am östlichen Nilufer, ist die größte, religiöse Anlage in Ägypten. Ihre Bauzeit betrug ca. 1.700 Jahre. Man hat die Tempelanlage bis in die römische Kaiserzeit immer wieder umgebaut und erweitert. Die labyrinthartige Tempelanlage diente - wie der kleinere Luxor Tempel - der Verehrung des Gottes Amun. Die Tempelanlage besteht aus drei von Mauern umgebenen Bereichen.

      Der Tempel des Amun-Re, auch Reichstempel genannt, ist der größte ägyptische Tempel mit insgesamt zehn Pylonen. Zu den bedeutendsten Bereichen des Tempels zählt der große Säulensaal, der als eines der Weltwunder der Antike gilt und einen Raum von der Größe des Kölner Doms umfasst. Die 134 Säulen in 16 Reihen auf einer Fläche von 5.408 qm bilden eines der großartigsten Bauwerke der Menschheitsgeschichte.
      In der Antike verband eine Allee, die beidseitig von 365 Sphingen gesäumt war, den Amun Tempel mit dem ca. 2,5 KM entfernten Luxor Tempel.
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    • Day 268

      Karnak and Luxor Temples*

      November 11, 2023 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      Visited Karnak Temple (the 2nd largest temple complex in the world after Angkor Wat) and Luxor Temple on the East Bank. While both the temples, statues of pharaohs and hieroglyphics were very cool to see, we had more of an adventure getting to/from the temples. As we are staying on the West Bank, we have to walk to take the public ferry across the Nile. On the 10 minute walk to the ferry, we were hounded by relentless boat drivers - one even kept touching Cass's arm until she had to yell at him to stop. We were then hounded by taxi drivers when we arrived on the East Bank, where two drivers almost got into a fist fight over our business so we quickly jumped into a horse carriage passing by. The horse owner said it would cost 30EGP to get to one temple, and 60EGP return. We thought it was a good deal, so we paid him 50EGP for the first half (we didnt have change) and he waited for us outside Karnak temple and took us to the 2nd temple. It turns out that he wanted 90EGP total, not 60EGP. He also conveniently forgot that we already paid 50EGP and wanted an additional 60EGP on top of that, plus a 10EGP "tip" for his horse. It's not a lot of money, but we were annoyed that he was being dishonest so we argued with him until we just gave him 40EGP and walked off. We had heard about people being relentless and likely to scam you in Egypt, so we weren't too surprised that this happened, but still annoying that it's everywhere and you have to constantly be on your guard.Read more

    • Day 7

      Karnak und Tempel von / temple de Luxor

      February 10, 2023 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      🇩🇪 Karnak ist absolut grandios. Genau so wie der Tempel von Luxor, dessen zweiter Obelisk in Paris steht. (Er wurde Frankreich gespendet als Dank an den französischen Archäologen Champollion, der 1822 die Hyroglyphen entschlüsselte.)
      Man kann sich daran stören, dass Ramses II den Ruhm als grosser Baumeister einheimste, weil er hunderte von Jahren nach Baubeginn beide Tempel vollendete und überall seine Kartuschen anbringen liess (wie unser Führer) , der empört war). Aber man kann auch einfach nur bewundernd staunen über diesen grandiosen Wurf. Beide Tempel liegen 3 Km von einander entfernt, sie waren verbunden durch eine Prachtstraße die gesäumt war von 1450 Sphynxen, also etwa alle 4 Meter eine Spynx auf jeder Seite. 90 von ihnen existieren noch.
      Beide sind monumental, enorm und gleichzeitig so reich geschmückt. Den Luxortempel besuchten wir um 18 Uhr und profitierten so von der Beleuchtung.

      🇫🇷 Karnak est absolument grandiose. Tout comme le temple de Louxor, dont le deuxième obélisque se trouve à Paris. (Il a été offert à la France en remerciement à l'archéologue français Champollion, qui a déchiffré les hyroglyphes en 1822).
      On peut s'offusquer que Ramsès II se soit attribué la gloire de grand bâtisseur parce qu'il a achevé les deux temples des centaines d'années après le début de leur construction et qu'il a fait apposer ses cartouches partout (comme notre guide) , qui était outré). Mais on peut aussi être tout simplement admiratif devant cette réalisation grandiose. Les deux temples sont distants de 3 km, ils étaient reliés par un boulevard bordé de 1450 sphynx, soit un tous les 4 mètres environ de chaque côté. 90 d'entre eux existent encore.
      Les deux sont monumentaux, énormes et en même temps si richement décorés. Nous avons visité le temple de Louxor à 18 heures, profitant ainsi de l'éclairage.
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    • Day 4

      Temple of Karnak

      August 27, 2008 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

      Visit to the temple of Karnak - we spent the day wandering through the ruins, marvelling at the huge structures which seem to stretch far into the distance, marking out one of Egypt’s most well-know temples. https://travellingzombie.com/2018/01/14/temple-…Read more

    • Day 4

      Karnak Tempel

      April 3, 2018 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

      Die Karnak-Tempel liegen als größte Tempelanlage von Ägypten in Karnak, einem Dorf etwa 2,5 Kilometer nördlich von Luxor und direkt am östlichen Nilufer. Die ältesten heute noch sichtbaren Baureste des Tempels stammen aus der 12. Dynastie unter Sesostris I.  Bis in die römische Kaiserzeit wurde die Tempelanlage immer wieder erweitert und umgebaut.

      Die Tempelanlage steht seit 1979 zusammen mit dem Luxor-Tempel und der thebanischen Nekropole auf der Weltkulturerbeliste der UNESCO.
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    • Day 8

      Part three: Temples of Luxor and Karnak

      May 15, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C

      After the Valley of the Kings, we headed back to the boat to rest up and eat as it was very hot - 40 degrees by then. The first stop was the Temple of Luxor, started by by Amenhotep II in 1400BC, and continued by Rameses II. It is an amalgamation of many cultures, with Egyptian, Roman, Muslim and Christian influences. One big feature is the large obelisk on the left as you enter. The identical twin was taken from here, and we have seen it years before - it is at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, apparently a gift by the ruler of Ottoman Egypt in 1833. There is a big statue of king Rameses II here which is very impressive. There is a long avenue of sphinxes leading toward the Temple of Karnak 3km away.

      From Luxor we went to the Temple of Karnak. This is a shrine to Amun-Ra, the supreme god of Egypt, and is a huge area. There is a 3km Avenue towards the Temple of Luxor, and they are in the slow process of restoring it. The avenue of sphinxes here are different, in that instead of a human head on the lion’s body, there is a ram’s head. There is another impressive obelisk here, dedicated to Queen Hatshepsut, who crowned herself Pharoah of upper and lower Egypt. The carving of the hieroglyphs on this is so precise and clear, it could have been laser cut recently! The obelisks are fascinating, in that they are cut in a single block from the ground, horizontally, and lifted into place by a series of sand and mud ramps. Amazing!

      By now ‘twas 43 degrees, and we all, including our guide Hany who is fasting for Ramadan had had enough, and headed back to the delicious airconditioned boat...
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    • Day 2

      Karnak-Tempel

      December 30, 2021 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

      Heute haben wir bereits am frühen Morgen den Karnak-Tempel besucht. Dieser Tempel ist die grösste Tempelanlage in Ägypten und den Gottheiten Amun, Mut und Chons gewidmet. Ungefähr 2000 v. Chr wurde mit dem Bau begonnen und über 1300 Jahre wurde immer wieder etwas verändert. Der Eingang des Tempels ist mit Wiederkopf-Statuen 🐏 gesäumt, doch die Hauptattraktion befindet sich gleich dahinter. Eine Halle mit 24m hohen Säulen. Diese sind alle relefiert und teilweise sogar noch mit dem Originalfarben bemalt 🖌. Insgesamt 134 Säulen sind im Tempel erhalten. Neben dem Obilisken der Hatschepsut ist noch der Heilige See eine Besonderheit. Dieser wurde von den Priestern zu rituellen Waschungen benutzt bevor diese den Tempel betreten durften.Read more

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