Day Nine – ESNA & LUXOR
Esna Lock
Late start today as we make our way back thru the Esna lock.
Karnak Temple Complex
After lunch, we visited the Karnak temple complex – the second largest religious complex in the world that covers about 200 acres. The columns, hieroglyphics, obelisks, sphinxes and colossi there were amazing! I hope the pictures do it justice.
The Hypostyle Hall is a great architectural marvel and filled with its roof blocks, supported by colossal 134 columns standing at 70 feet high, with 12 larger columns standing at 80 feet high lining the central aisle. This hall is still the largest room of any religious building in the world.
Papyrus Factory
Next we stopped by a Papyrus factory and saw how papyrus was made into paper from ancient times. Made from the aquatic papyrus plant, also known as paper plant, papyrus served many purposes in ancient times from sails, cloth, food and especially paper for important documents and texts.
Temple of Luxor
Then we visited the Temple of Luxor, constructed over hundreds of years by Amenhotep III, Ramses II, Tutankhamun and other pharaohs. The views at night were spectacular as was the avenue of Sphinxes that connects the two temples.
Day 10 QENA & LUXOR
Temple to Hathor in Dandara
We sailed to Qena to visit the temple to Hathor, the Goddess of Love, in Dandara today. Hathor has the powers of joy, feminine love and motherhood. The temple was built by Ptolemy and a group of Romans who worshipped her. It has been defaced like others in the area, but there are many areas where the original colors are still visible. There are several smaller shrines surrounding the temple to gods and goddesses such as Isis. This temple also has multiple floors with shrines to Ra on the rooftop. In the back of the temple there is a relief depicting Cleopatra with Caesarion, her son by Julius Caesar, the Roman Emperor who brought us the months of July and August.
Unfortunately, we pack up to fly back to Cairo in the morning.
