Luxor, Egypt

After docking in Safaga, we traveled 3 hours by coach to Luxor to see the Temple of Karnak and the Valley of the Kings.  We had an armed security guard onboard the bus and passed many police check points along the way.  Initially after leaving Safaga, the terrain was very desolate -- sand, rocks, hills, nothing green.  After driving for 1.5 hours, we came to the agricultural area of central Egypt.  Many small farmers were harvesting wheat and sugar cane by hand, transporting it by mule cart. The crops are grown near irrigation canals and the people have their homes along the canals.

The Temple of Karnak (meaning "The Most Selected of Places"), built between 2055 BC and 100 AD, is the largest religious building ever constructed (200+ acres). It features an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, the Hypostyle Hall with 134 tall columns, 2 obelisks, statues, chapels, temples and a lake.  You can still see hieroglyphs carved in the stone and paint at the top of the columns. We spent an hour exploring the grounds -- it was about 100 degrees.

After a buffet lunch at Jolie Ville resort, we then crossed the Nile River to go to the Valley of the Kings. The terrain is sandy hills, the climate is very dry. You can see why this was a perfect place to hide and preserve mummified pharoahs.  There are thought to be 63 tombs here, 19 of which are accessible.  We visited the tombs of King Tut, Rameses IX, Rameses IV, and Rameses VII. The only thing remaining in the small tomb of King Tut is his mummified body, which was discovered in 1923 by Howard Carter.  The golden mask and other artifacts buried with him are now on display in the museum in Cairo.  The other tombs were larger and had beautiful painted artwork and hieroglyphs on the walls and ceilings.  It was amazing how well the colors have remained over thousands of years.

Town on the way to Luxor

Harvested crops are transported by donkey carts

the agricultural area of central Egypt; mainly wheat fields

Approaching the Temple of Karnak in Luxor

looking down the central aisle

inside the temple

colors from 4000 years ago can still be seen on the columns 

carvings and hieroglyphs on the walls

columns in the Hypostyle Hall

1 of 2 obelisks in the Temple

The Nile River

Approaching the Valley of the Kings in Luxor

Tombs were dug down into the rocky hills

No photos allowed inside; only his mummified body remains

Painted walls in the tomb of Rameses IX

Decorated walkways leading to the sarcophagus

Beautiful painting on the ceiling of a tomb

sarcophagus carved with hieroglyphs