Karnak and Luxor

After we checked in at the boat, we had some time to unpack and relax. Directly following lunch we met up with our personal tour guide Ahmed. He would be with us for the next few days as we sailed (up) the Nile.

Our first stop was the Temple of Karnak. Built around 1350BC, it is dedicated to Amen, the Egyptian Sun god. We would quickly learn that Egyptians had gods for everything and trying to keep track of them would prove to be very confusing.

Karnak is the largest ancient religious site in the world and accordingly is the second most visited site in Egypt after the Pyramids in Giza. The complex consists of four main parts, but only the section dedicated to Amen-Re (the sun god) is open to the public.

What makes Karnak unique is that it was used my multiple Pharaohs. Most rulers wanted to have their buildings and structures for themselves only, but Karnak was used by over 30 dynasties, starting in the Middle Kingdom and stretching to the end of Ancient Egypt. Every Pharaoh during this time added something to the temple grounds.

The most famous part of Karnak temple is the Hypostyle Hall, which is 50,000 square meters and is comprised of over 134 massive stone columns.

Our next stop was Luxor Temple, a few km south of Karnak. This temple was also built to honor Amen-Re, as well as his wife Mut and Chons, the moon god. The entrance is the home of one of the Egpytian obelisks (we learned that most obelisks have been "given" away to other countries).

The obelisks are made of red granite which had to be quarried in Aswan, and then floated up the river to Luxor during the yearly flood.

One of the unique features of Luxor Temple is that it is the only site that also houses both a Mosque and a Church. Early Christians built a church at the back of the temple and then Muslims built a mosque on top of ruins (which is still in use today).

Luxor Temple also has a statue of King Tut and his wife, one of the more famous statues at the site. It was too dark at this point to get a photo, but the illuminated pillars did come out ok.

We wrapped up our day with a couple of Stella beers on the boat before making our way to dinner.

Exodus from Cairo

Aside from the Pyramids, Cairo was a little underwhelming. The traffic, smog, general chaos, all kind of chipped away at your nerves. I think we were happy when the morning came for us to catch our flight to Luxor and begin our tour of Upper Egypt (since the Nile flows South to North, Upper Egypt refers to the south, Lower Egypt refers to the north.... are you confused yet?).

We had a very early morning departure, which was probably a good thing since there was no traffic at that hour. I had a mini-meltdown at the airport because I had lost my electronic ticket receipt and our transfer agent yelled at me for not having it (I explained that an electronic ticket is paperless, but he said not in Egypt). Then the handle on my roller board broke and only came up about six inches so I had to walk like a hunched over old man to pull it (Stu would later joke that I should be on the lookout for dwarfs who would want to steal my bag).

Our flight to Luxor took about an hour. I fell in love with Egyptian mango juice, which is real thick. Marty commented that it was the only juice she has ever had to chew.

We also added two new people to our little group. The company with whom I booked the tour, ATB Holidays, arranged everything. A nice young couple were now part of our group, as they had booked with them as well. Oli and Yvetta. He was Albanian, she was Slovakian, and they lived in London. They were closer to my age, so Marty, Stu and our tour guide Ahmed, would start referring to us as the kids.

We had a short drive to the Nile where we boarded our boat, the Miss Egypt. All the riverboats going down the Nile looked the same, more or less. We had cabins that opened up to the outside, which was nice. The room was small, but comfortable. We all had rooms right next to each other, so if I needed anything from Stu and Marty I just yelled, or stuck my head out the balcony.

The very top of the boat served as a sun deck with a covered area, as well as a swimming pool.

When Marty visited Egypt 27 years ago, there were five boats sailing the Nile. Now there are over 350. As a result, there are lots of tourists, lots of congestion. In Luxor, our boat was about 4 deep from shore, so we had to walk thru the lobbies of other boats to get to land for our excursions. We had a river view for about the first 30 minutes, and then another boat docked next to us and our view consisted of the back office of the reception desk.

Saqqara

After we finished up with Giza, we made our way down to Saqqara, which is about 30km south of Cairo. It is the oldest known complex in history. There are several Pyramids in the area which are currently being excavated. The Saqqara complex covers structures from all periods of Ancient Egyptian history: The Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.

The most famous structure at Saqqara is the Step Pyramid of King Zoser. It is the oldest known pyramid ever discovered, dating back to the Fourth Dynasty. The Step Pyramids were built out of a core of rubble, versus the massive stone of later Pyramids. As a result, it's less preserved. The inside is structurally unsound, so it is not possible to enter the tomb's chambers.

See the Pyramids Along the Nile.....

We spent day two in Cairo visiting the Pyramids of Giza. Probably the most famous of all Egyptian antiquities, people come from all over the world to see them, just like us. There are actually over 130 pyramid complexes in Egypt, but the most famous are in Giza. The three pyramids of Giza are called Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinos. Cheops is the only remaining structure of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The rest have been lost to history. They were constructed as elaborate tombs for Egyptian kings.

Cheops, or the Great Pyramid, is believed to have been constructed around 2540BC. One possible construction theory is that stone was cut from a quarry and brought to the site, where huge ramps were used to position them in place. As many as 35,000 people were involved in it's construction, which took about 20 years to complete.

The day that we visited the site happened to coincide with the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure, so the place was packed beyond even it's normal high number of tourists. As a result, the traffic was brutal and trying to get anywhere was a major process and very frustrating.

Stuart and Marty entered into the Pyramid, but I don't do so well in closed spaces, so I waited with Nabil outside. They came out hunched over and sweaty so I think I made the right decision.

Each Pyramid has various chambers that served as part of the tomb, and were filled with everything the Egyptian royals would need to take with them to the afterlife. Today all the contents of the chambers sit empty, either from being raided, or because the contents were

removed and placed in museums.

The Pyramids were originally encased in limestone to provide a glossy and smooth finish, but over time that has all but eroded. Chephren still has a few remnants of limestone at it's apex.

Because of all the traffic associated with the race, moving from Pyramid to Pyramid was very difficult. There is a sit at the southern plateau where you can get a panoramic view of all three, but it was impossible to get there given the race, so we had to blow that off and make our way down to the Sphinx.

The Sphinx has a lion's body and a human head. The statue at Giza is the largest monolith in the world and is 240 feet long. It is only about 66 feet high and I was not expecting it to look so small.

The nose and beard are missing. The two theories most popular suggest that Muslim soldiers destroyed it when they arrived in the country (we saw this a lot at various sites.... they were bothered by the Egyptian practice of polytheism, so they destroyed statues). Another is that Napoleon shot it off when he invaded Egypt. I have my own third theory... his nose fell off when he sneezed.

Cairo, Day One

I can't say I was a big fan of where we were staying. The only options I had in the shower were scalding hot or freezing cold. I had about 10 seconds in transition time between temperature changes, so I had to wash fast and furiously.

I found a great tour package for Egypt that included time in Cairo and then a cruise down the Nile. We arrived a day early so our first full day in Cairo we could do whatever we wanted. All of our guides and coordination were provided by National Travel Services, and we arranged for a guide to take us around Cairo with visits to the Citadel, Mohamed Ali Mosque (not the prize fighter) and the National Museum.

Our guide, a nice fellow named Nabil, came and got us from our hotel. Cairo is a huge city. It is the largest metro area in all of Africa, with about 7 million people. Thankfully, he knew where we were going, because everything was so large and sprawling that we would have gotten lost for sure. I mean, we got lost in an open desert in Jordan, so we didn't stand a chance in Cairo.

The first stop was the Citadel. It was built by the ruler Saladin between 1176-1183AD as a fortification to protect the locals from invading Crusaders to the Middle East. By this time, Islam had found it's way to Egypt, so the invading Crusaders from Europe were deemed a threat, and the Citadel was seen as a way to provide protection.

Located inside the Citadel is the Mohamed Ali Mosque. It was built between 1830-1848 by Mohamed Ali Pasha. He was actually from Macedonia and was Albanian, but during this time, the Turks ruled the area, so he found favor with them and wound up ruling Egypt. He is considered to be the founder of modern Egypt. He intended the mosque to be built as a tribute to his son, who died in battle years before. In the end, Mohamed Ali died before it's completion, so it was dedicated to him instead.

The interior consists of a large central dome with four small domes, with hundreds of hanging lights. Mainly a tourist attraction now, it is still used for Islamic services, but we did not see anything while we were there.

From the top of the Citadel and Mosque, we had a panoramic view of all of Cairo. From this point, we could see how polluted the city was. The Pyramids of Giza, just 7km a way, could barely be seen with all the smog.

After leaving the Citadel, we made our way to the Khan-el Khalili, a bazaar dating back to the 1300's. It is one of Cairo's main tourist shopping areas. All I can say is that it was a zoo. Nothing had a price here. You had to haggle for everything, which I found to be very stressful. I finally found a somewhat decent shop keeper who sold me some souvenirs for a decent price. Marty and I use Stu as our secret weapon, who goes into Arab trader mode. We send him in to seal the deal. The Khan was the site of terrorist attacks in 2007 that killed 21 tourists, so now the area is sealed off and you have to enter via metal detectors at security check points. There was a bombing again just this past February that killed a French teenager.

After lunch at a restaurant on the Nile, we made our way to the Egyptian Museum. It was opened in 1835, but was moved in 1878 after a bad season of Nile River flooding. The exhibits are displayed between two floors, showcasing artifacts from the Early, Middle, and New Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt.

The highlight is most certainly the contents found in the tomb of King Tut. He was not a particularly important Pharaoh, but is famous for the fact that his tomb in Luxor was found completely intact with all the treasures. Most kings had their tombs robbed and raided, so the Tut find was very impressive and important.

Cameras are not permitted in the Museum, so I was not able to take any pictures. :(

Dead Sea and Mount Nebo

Our last day in Jordan we decided to take the King's Highway, AKA, The Scenic Route, back to Amman. We had to be out of the hotel by noon, but our flight to Cairo was not until 8:30pm, so we had time to kill. The concierge had arranged for us to head west and north to the Dead Sea and Mount Nebo before going back to Amman to catch our flight.

Our driver was named Jabil and he met us at our hotel at 9am. He did not speak much English, so it was a quiet ride. He must be very busy though because he had two cell phones that were constantly ringing. He did share his Jordanian version of Fig Newtons with me. They were called Softi Softi's.

The Dead Sea is the lowest elevation of the Earth's surface on dry land. Its salinity is about 33%, which is eight times more than the oceans. Nothing can flourish here, hence the name. Presently, it is a big supplier of potash (fertilizer) and ingredients for cosmetics (the ladies gotta look pretty). We descended down a sharp and curvy road to make our way down to the sea. Not something I could imagine doing on a large tour bus. It was scary enough in a car. As we got lower and lower, the temperature got higher and higher.

Once we were at Sea level, we had about a 30 kilometer drive north towards where the beach areas were. We passed a stone figure that legend claims is Lot's wife (see Genesis), which is made of halite. Although to be fair, Israel claims a similar figure on their side.

The beaches on the Jordanian side are relatively new, but we saw several resorts that were in the process of being constructed. We stopped at Amman Beach, where for 12 Dinars, you can go and float in the Sea and cover yourself with therapeutic mud. Across the sea, we had a great view of Israel.

They say when you enter the Dead Sea you discover cuts you never knew you had. It did sting a little. Ladies are suggested to not shave their legs the day before visiting. I guess it would be too painful. We saw lots of people caked in the black mud, but we did not try it. As soon as you exit, you have shower off with fresh water .

Upon departing the Dead Sea, we made our way back up the mountain, into cooler weather, heading towards Mount Nebo, the site where God first gave Moses a view of the Promised Land of Israel. It is the site of Moses' final resting place as well.

The top offers a panoramic view of the Holy Land, including the West Bank city of Jericho and Jerusalem beyond that.

In 1933, the remains of a monastery and church were discovered and excavation has been happening ever since. The religious site is currently run by a community of Franciscan monks.

After our visit to Mount Nebo, we made our way to Amman's Queen Alia International Airport. We got there about 4 hours before our flight was ready to leave, but better to be early than running late I guess.

I noticed the same corn in a cup phenomenon that we saw in Malaysia last year (see last year's blog entry.... http://ronno1976.blogspot.com/2008/10/corn-in-cup.html). Not sure if there is a connection here or not.

The flight to Cairo took about an hour and was full of geriatric Americans on a Grand Circle tour. When we got to Cairo their group leader tried to take Stuart's suitcase. We waited and waited for it to come off the belt and it never showed. Thankfully we spotted it with all the old people luggage.

Jabal Al-Najr (Arabic for: Biting Off More Than You Can Chew)

For our second day at Petra, I decided we would undertake our own hiking tour to the Jabal Al-Najr, which was the Nabatean High Place of Sacrifice. The book said the climb was not be attempted if you "were not physically fit" and that "the drop over the edge is fatal, but the views are splendid". We figured we were in relatively good shape. I mean, I can handle an hour long spin class, so how hard can this be? The sad truth, which we would later find out, is that it would be very hard.

The climb starts up a series of very steep and small steps next to the Street of Facades. We stopped about every five minutes or so, as some people who shall remain nameless, had to catch their breath.

Jabal Al-Najr is a double summit on the Atouf Ridge. The first is lower than the second because the entire peak has been sliced away to leave two 6 meter mazzaboth (what we call an obelisk). There are several theories about what the obelisks represent. The ancient Nabateans were more focused on the forces of nature and it's elements rather than tangible representatives like statues or physical symbols. The obelisks are suggested to represent fertility and reproduction so the place is nicknamed Zibb Attouf (zibb mean phallus...heehee).

Once we made it to the top, there was a nice Bedouin woman, who for one Jordanian Dinar, would brandish a sword and act like she was going to cut your throat for the next sacrifice. Nice local touch I thought.

The view from the top was spectacular. You could see the valley and surrounding mountains from all sides of the summit.

The actual place of sacrifice was built around 7BC by King Harith and Queen Huldu (who were also siblings....ewww). Their daughter was the first wife of King Herod, who was a key player in the events that led to the executions of John the Baptist and Jesus.

A common practice is the place a stone on top of other stones that previous travelers have left behind. Not quite sure what is represented, but it was fun to play along, just the same.

After you leave Jabal Al-Najr, you have to make your way down the backside and then, according to the map, take the long trek around to Al-Habis, what served as the Roman section.

All of the structures we passed as we descended from the summit were constructed/carved during the Roman period. Some of the columns still stand, while others have been toppled or fallen. My guide book stated: WARNING: "At this point you will have walked and climbed three strenuous miles and will be very hot and could possibly faint. Please keep track of all members of your party as rescue could be dodgy". To be fair, I did not see this part til we were back at the hotel that evening.

This is me standing outside what was a triclinium, or sacred hall, used for feasts and celebrations during funerals. I am trying to look somber.

About now, we noticed the road forked and we "took the road less traveled" and not necessarily on purpose. We kind of saw our trail dissolve into nothing and we ended up having to climb up the sand to the next trail with nothing to really hold on to. We were pretty much lost and in Marty's words, she "didn't want to play anymore". We were in over our heads. The question was how to get back to the main pathway of the ruins and make our way out of the Siq?

We found ourselves back to an established path, but when we followed it back to the main drag, we were on the side of a mountain where we could see everything but had no way to get down to all the little people (they looked like ants at this point). Carving our own trail in the sand, we figured it out and made our way back to Wadi Musa, the main trail. We stopped at a Bedouin hut for some diet cokes and water and a little rest. I think we were pretty much done with it at this point, so we made our way back to the Treasury and began the 45 minute walk up the Siq to the entrance/exit of the ruins.

After a few beers at the Sandstone Cafe (the only place we could find that served them) we had Felafel at another local dive before taking a cab back to the hotel. I was running out of cash and Petra houses three ATM machines in the whole city, none of which was near us, so we took the long way with the cab to get some cash before heading back. Our cab driver was an animated fellow with bad English who was the proud father of nine children. As we drove by his house, we joked that he should have us over for dinner!

That evening, our final night in Petra, we sat at the outside bar and enjoyed the company of Mohamed (Moe) our waiter. He was telling us about his upcoming trip to Russia to visit with one of his many girlfriends.