Egypt is where history first emerged. It is
here that we have the first pictographic record of events and persons.
Hieroglyphics, the system of writing used by ancient Egyptians can be
traced back to about 3200 BC. At about 3180 BC, the nations of Upper and
Lower Egypt were brought under the rule of a single king titled Pharaoh.
The first Pharaoh is thought to have been Menes, who set his capital at
Memphis, 22 km south of Giza in today's Cairo. The Pharaohs established
the systems that brought forth the highly successful Egyptian
civilization.
The history of Ancient Egypt lasted for
about 3,000 years. Ancient Egypt declined, was overrun and thereafter
ruled by foreign powers. The Greeks and Romans who ruled after the
decline were aware of the great similarity between their own gods and
those of the Egyptians. They not only tolerated Egyptian religion, but
also expanded existing temples and dedicated new ones to existing cults.
Some of the new overlords, Alexander the Great for example, styled
themselves as divine priest-kings in imitation of the Pharaohs.
Emperor Theodosius, who reigned after
Christianity became the state religion in Rome, extinguished the last
remnants of the living culture. The Egyptians worshipped hundreds of
gods - a great offense against the monotheistic religions; whose first
article of faith is that there is only one God. Theodosius decreed in AD
391that all pagan temples in the Roman Empire be closed. The Arabs, who
brought Islam to Egypt in 640 AD, also had no time for deities such as
Anubis the jackal, Horus the falcon god or even Amon the king of the
gods.
Ancient Egypt was dead for one thousand
five hundred years, until the French came across the Rosetta Stone in
the nineteenth century invasion of Egypt by Napoleon. This priceless
discovery was inscribed in both Greek and Egyptian, and it was the key
that allowed the deciphering of Hieroglyphics by Jean-Francois
Champollion in 1822. The voluminous literature produced by Ancient
Egyptians was now accessible to curious scholars. This rekindled great
interest in Ancient Egypt in the West that remains undiminished to this
day.
Religion is the common theme running
through the attractions of ancient Egypt. The diversity of gods found
worthy of worship is astounding. There were over 2,000 of them of either
sex and they supposedly manifested themselves to earthlings as animals.
There were overlaps and the same gods could be known with different
names in various parts of the country. There was hardly any part of the
life experience that was not assigned a deity- digestion, mummification,
sexuality, feasting, childbirth, writing - you name it. Some gods came
and went out of fashion, but those connected with basic aspects of life
were enduring. Such deities had cults and temples dedicated to them.
The afterlife was taken very seriously,
and a lot of the monuments relate to preparation for that glorious time.
Mortuary and burial preparation was so elaborate as to ensure a painless
and enjoyable afterlife. The custom of mummification, for example, was
seen as necessary for the soul needed a physical body to occupy in the
other world. There was however great inequality in preparation for
eternal life. The Pharaohs and other royals, nobles and key officials
were mummified and accompanied by grave goods and great treasure. The
common folk who could not afford the full treatment had to do with
statuettes of mummies.
The main draw to Egypt is the legacy of
the Pharaohs and the Greeks and Romans who ruled after them. Basically
this legacy is associated with temples, tombs and burial places. People
in Egypt from the earliest times to present have always lived along the
River Nile and this is where you find the richest harvest of ancient
monuments. As many travelers will testify, the best way to experience
classical Egypt is by taking a Nile cruise. The cruise is a very
pleasant and relaxing way to get close to the attractions of antiquity,
most of which are not far off from the banks of the river. You also get
a glimpse of rural Egypt where many eke out a living just as their
forbearers did thousands of years ago.
The typical Nile cruiser is really a
floating hotel. Amenities on board will include lounges, restaurants,
bars, swimming pool, discotheque and shops. The rooms are rather smaller
than those of a land based hotels but will have air conditioning, TV and
enough room for twin beds, private shower, nightstand and dresser. The
quality of cruisers varies and they are graded with stars just like
hotels. Top end cruisers have spacious suites and amenities almost equal
to those of ocean cruisers. Generally, the quality and romance of Nile
cruisers surpasses other riverboats anywhere else in the world.
Nile cruises normally take three, four or
seven nights. You will be able to see the most important and interesting
monuments on the shorter and more popular cruises that ply between Luxor
and Aswan. The longer sail takes you up to Dendera. The boats sail both
downstream and upstream and on the shorter cruises, you can embark at
either Aswan or Luxor. The more adventurous travelers or those on a
tight budget avoid the luxury cruisers in favour of fellucas- the
traditional Nile sailboats. Though amenities onboard fellucas are very
basic, those who can survive them, visit all the attractions along the
Nile at a fraction of the cost of the cruisers.
At Aswan, the Nile is deep, calm and is
at its most glorious. It is a good place to embark on your Nile cruise.
Aswan was for long Egypt's southern frontier city and its gateway to
Africa. This was the region known as Upper Egypt, being upstream of the
Nile. After Aswan, the Nile passes through a section of hard rock,
resulting in rapids or cataracts. Thus by nature did Aswan attain its
strategic position and it has served as a garrison town for those who
have ruled Egypt over the centuries. And for this reason, there are
monuments here associated with the Pharaohs, Greeks, Romans, Christian
Copts and Islam.
At Aswan, make sure to visit the Philae
Temple. Ptolemy II started the temple when the Greeks ruled, and the
Romans completed it. It was dedicated to the goddess Isis, an important
figure in Egyptian mythology that was worshipped across the Roman
Empire. Even after Emperor Theodosius ordered all pagan temples to cease
operations, Isis was still being glorified at Philae, until about AD 550
when Emperor Justinian finally shut down the temple. The early
Christians converted the temple's hypostyle hall into a chapel. For good
measure, they defaced some of the pagan reliefs adorning its walls.
The temple forms an excellent backdrop
for the nightly sound-and-light show. The temple was nearly lost after
the Aswan High Dam was commissioned in the 1960's. It took UNESCO and
the Egyptian government ten years to move it, one stone at a time, to
higher ground on Agilka Island. Most people also visit Elephantine
Island, which has temples and a museum. The Island has been inhabited
since about 3000 BC and was an important trading and cultural centre.
Aswan is home of the Nubians, a dark
skinned people, related to the people of the north of the Sudan. You can
see some Nubian villages at Elephantine Island. The Nubian museum
celebrates Nubian culture right from prehistoric times. Aswan was once
an important centre for Christian Copts. You can see the ruins of the
once majestic Monastery of St Simeon, which was destroyed by the
conqueror Saladin (Salah ad-Din) in 1173 AD.
Aswan was the source of the granite stone
that the Pharaohs favoured for building temples and other monuments. The
Northern Quarries are the site of the giant Unfinished Obelisk. Had the
obelisk been successfully completed, it would be the single heaviest
piece of monolithic stonework -reaching about 42 m and weiging over 1168
tonnes. It must have broken the hearts of the builders, who supposedly
abandoned it, after coming across defects in the rock formation.
The next stop on the cruise is Kom Ombo,
48 km to the north of Aswan. The main attraction here is the Graeco-Roman
temple. Work on the temple was started by Ptolemy VII in early second
century BC and continued by some of his successors. The Romans Emperor
Augustus built part of the temple at around 30 BC. The Temple of Kom
Ombo actually consists of two separate temples, each with its own
entrance, colonnades, hypostyle hall and sanctuary. The southern temple
is dedicated to Sobek -the crocodile god, while the northern one honours
Horus -the falcon god.
Though the two gods shared the same
grounds, in mythology, Sobek was associated with the god Seth, an enemy
of Horus. At Kom Ombo, the gods took the liberty to bring along family -
Sobek sneaked in his consort Hathor and son Khonsu, while Horus had his
wife Tesentnefert and son, Panebtawy. If you have not seen mummies
before, be sure to see the mummified crocodiles in the Sobek part of the
temple.
At Edfu, you disembark to see the Temple
of Horus. Edfu was the cult centre of Horus the falcon god. It is
perhaps the best preserved of ancient temples of Egypt. The temple
standing today was started by Ptolemy III at about 237 BC on the site of
an earlier Pharaonic structure. Work continued under some of the
Ptolemies that followed. Appropriately, the entrance adorned by two
majestic granite falcons. The walls bear reliefs depicting Horus. One
scene would please any tyrant -it shows Ptolemy XII dealing mercilessly
with his enemies.
You next stop and highlight of the cruise
is Luxor. The range, magnificence and diversity of the monuments in the
Luxor area is unsurpassed in all of Egypt. Known to the Greeks as
Thebes, Luxor became the capital of Egypt at around 2040 BC. The city
survived the sacking by the Assyrians in the 7th century BC, but
steadily declined, and was finally destroyed by the Romans in the first
century BC. Among the celebrated monuments dating from Luxor's heydays
are the necropolis complexes at the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the
Queens and Tombs of the Nobles. You will also come across some
outstanding temples scattered in the region.
The Egyptians buried their dead in the
direction of the setting sun and the west bank at Luxor was the final
resting place of royalty and high officials. The Valley of Kings is
where the rulers of the period historians refer to as the New Kingdom
period (BC 1550-1070) awaited the afterlife. The Pharaoh normally picked
the spot for his tomb and had it built in his lifetime. Tomb building
for royalty and high officials was very serious business and it
supported a battery of architects and craftsmen, who had a settlement in
the valley. The valley contains over 60 tombs that have so far been
excavated.
The tombs have suffered in recent years
due to increased number of visitors, pollution and the rising ground
water that has come with the Aswan High Dam. For this reason, not all of
them are open to the public at any one time. Unless you are a scholar,
visiting three or four tombs should be sufficient. Among the best tombs
are those of Ramses I, Tuthmosis III and Ramses VI. Tutankhamun's is
today the most famous - though he is not considered a significant
Pharaoh and he died at only nineteen.
Treasure hunters had over the years
looted most tombs in the valley. But Howard Carter, the British
archeologist, discovered Tutankhamun's tomb almost intact in 1922. The
treasure that was found here is truly amazing- statues, chests,
chariots, beds, weapons, and many items he needed for the afterlife. The
main item today at Tutankhamun's tomb is his mummy. About 1700 items
recovered at the tomb are now at display at the Egyptian Museum in
Cairo. The most outstanding of the collection is the 11 kg solid gold
death mask. Imagine then, what the looters carried off from the bigger
tombs of the more illustrious Pharaohs!
On the other side of the Valley of Kings
is the Temple of Deir el-Bahri, built by Queen Hatshepsut. Hatseput. The
temple is very impressive from a distance and is a great place to take
photos. The name Valley of the Queens is misleading, as both male and
female royals and some high officials were interred here. About 80 tombs
have been identified, of which the most famous is that of Queen
Nefertari. Take more photos at the Colossi of Memnon -two huge statues
that are the sole legacy of the temple of Amenhotep III.
Amenhotep III also built the Temple of
Luxor on the east bank. The temple was dedicated to the god Amon, though
inside you also find a shrine dedicated to Alexander the Great. The
temple's entrance is lined with Sphinxes, and inside you find
colonnades, courts, obelisks and wall murals. The mosque of Shaykh Yusuf
Abu al-Hajjaj was built on top of part of the temple. You can also visit
the Luxor Museum, which has interesting exhibits from the area.
The incredibly impressive Temple of
Karnak is a huge complex that was dedicated to the god Amon. In the New
Kingdom period, this was the most important temple is Egypt. It is
probably the largest religious building ever and it can carry no less
than 10 average Christian cathedrals. Some of the interesting structures
within the complex are the gigantic hypostyle hall, the Kiosk of Tarhaka,
statue of Ramses II, temple of Ramses III and the sacred lake.
The best time to take a Nile cruise is
over the cooler months of November - March. These are also the peak
months and to avoid crowds, always start out early each day. October, at
the end the hot season is tolerable, especially when you factor in that
it falls with off-season period: it is cheaper ad less crowded. When
visiting the monuments, you are advised to hire a guide who will explain
the historical context at each site. If you are on a Nile Cruise
package, the services of a guide will usually be included.
You do a lot of walking, and you need to
bring along suitable shoes. Other items you ware encouraged to pack are:
sunglasses and sun screen lotion. Remember also to carry bottled water
and photographic film, which you can buy at the cruiser or at a bazaar.
Light clothing is generally recommended though you may need a sweater
and jacket for winter evenings.
About the Author
Andrew Muigai is editor of AfricaPoint
Insider online newsletter. It is part of Africapoint.com - the Africa
travel website that has helped thousands of travelers discover Africa.
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