In general most Nile Cruises run between Luxor and Aswan and back, with the majority of the sites being in Luxor and Aswan. Several cruises, the RA II being one of them, also sail north from Luxor to Abydos to visit the Temple of Dendera which then allows a whole days sailing back to Luxor which is surely one of the highlight of any Nile Cruise.
Dendera Temple
The Dendera Temple Complex is one of the best-preserved temple complexes in Egypt, and covers a huge area of over 40,000 sq. m. with the oldest building dating from 360-343BC. The site is believed to have been used as an area for chapels and shrines however since the beginning of Ancient Egypt with the most famous of all the sites in Dendera, the Temple of Hathor, being built in 1st century B.C. The site has recently gone through a large restoration process.
LUXOR
Valley of the Kings
The famous Valley of the Kings, located on the west bank opposite Luxor, is resting place to many of the great Pharaohs including Tutankhamen A place of great archaeological interest, the tombs and burial sites found here still offer research and intrigue, and excavations regularly find new pieces of history. The tombs here give an insight into Egyptian beliefs of the time, with perfect examples of mummification and of the material goods rulers were buried with still to be seen when exploring.
Colossi of Memnon
A very popular tourist photo stop, originally built over 3000 years ago to stand guard at the entrance to Pharaoh Amenhotep III’s memorial temple, these two giant statues of the pharaoh in a sitting position towering 60ft over visitors. The statues were actually built during Amenhotep’s lifetime, protecting the temple he had already built for himself.
Temple of Hatshepsut
The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is located at Deir el Bahari, and was built as a funerary Temple for one of Egypt’s most successful Pharaohs the great Queen Hatshepsut. The temple was also a dedication to the sun god Amon-Ra. On the middle terrace can be found a relief depicting the expedition sent by the pharaoh to trade goods with Punt (now known as Somalia), the first pictorial documentation of a trade excursion.
Karnak Temple
The Temple of Karnak was built over 2000 years ago and today is the second most visited historical site in Egypt, only behind the Great Pyramids at Giza. Part of the city of Thebes, it was built in dedication to the Theban Triad, Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. Karnak, and is the largest ancient religious site in the world. One of Karnak’s most famous features is the Hyposyle Hall, an area of over 50,000 sq. ft., and the biggest room in any religious building in the world.
Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple faces the Nile and was originally joined to Karnak Temple by an avenue of Sphinxes over 2 kms long and parallel with the riverbank. King Amenhotep III who reigned from 1390-53 BC built this beautiful temple and dedicated it to Amon-Re, king of the gods, his consort Mut, and their son Khons. This temple has been in almost continuous use as a place of worship right up to the present day. It was completed by Tutankhamen and Horemheb and added to by Ramses II
EDFU
Edu Temple
The temple of Edufu was dedicated the Falcon god Horus, and is yet another well preserved temple. Located north of Aswan the temple took over 180 years to build, being completed around 57 BC. The walls of the temple are covered in inscriptions that tell many stories, including how the temple was constructed.
KOM OMBO
Kom Ombo Temple
The Temple of Kom Ombo was built to honour the gods Horus and Sobek by Ptolemy VI, in 119BC. The temple became well known in Ancient Egypt for its healing powers, and became a sanctuary for many patients who would come to the temple to fast for a night. There are still many of the three-hundred original crocodile dummies which were made here in honour of Sobek, the crocodile god.
ASWAN
Philae Temple
Relocated from its original setting to an island in Lake Nasser due to the building of the Aswan Low Dam, The temple was built as a dedication to the goddess Isis during the 13th dynasty, and following the construction of the Aswan Low Dam spent half a century partly flooded. Following a campaign by UNESCO all the buildings on the island were painstakingly relocated to their current home of the island of Philae.
High Dam
Located just south of Aswan, the world famous High Dam was an engineering miracle when it was built in the 1960s. It contains 18 times the material used in the Great Pyramid of Cheops. The Dam is 11,811 feet long, 3215 feet thick at the base and and 364 feet tall. Today it provides irrigation and electricity for the whole of Egypt and is probably the most important site/place in the whole of Egypt
Unfinished Obelisk
The Unfinished Obelisk is situated in an ancient quarry in Aswan. Had it been finished, it would have been more than 40 metres long, and weighed 1,200 tons, making it the largest stone obelisk erected in ancient Egypt: almost one third longer than the nearest completed obelisk. However, during quarrying work on it a large crack developed which ruined the obelisk and it was abandoned.
ABU SIMBEL
Abu Simbel Temple
Situated on the banks of Lake Nasser, Abu Simbel Temple is a symbol of ancient and modern engineering genius. It was completely relocated to higher ground following the building of the Aswan High Dam in 1968. Originally built during the reign of Ramesses the Great, and dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah. The entrance to the Great Temple is an iconic site of Egypt, with four 20m statues of the pharaoh Rameses sitting either side of the doorway.
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ReplyDeleteA Nile Adventure – cruising and other stories
by Kim Molyneaux
Imagine yourself cruising serenely down the great river Nile. Not an obvious choice for a vacation given the current political climate? Think again – the Egyptians would like to encourage tourists to boost their economy, which means there could be travel bargains to be had. As a benefit to the tourist, you could be amongst the ‘few’ who have chosen to visit. No crowds, no queues, no forcing yourself to the front to photograph and appreciate the wonders of modern and ancient Egypt along with hordes of tourists.
My family and I made the trip in July 2011. Of the 300 ships that normally cruise up and down the river, we were told only 14 were running. I have photographs of the monuments without a soul in sight – a rare occurrence! This does not mean that the place felt void and isolated, far from it. The people we met were warm and welcoming and proudly shared the delights of their country with us.
The journey started with a flight to the UK. From London we flew to Luxor and boarded our ship – a most beautiful vessel with four decks and the most ornate marble staircase I have ever seen!
Life on board the ship is relaxing and the crew pamper to your every desire. Our cabins were elegantly decorated, well-equipped and cleaned three times a day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on board were all included and served in the dining room. Breakfast consisted of a buffet selection of breads, cakes, cereals, yoghurt and cheese, accompanied by hot croissants, spiced potatoes with sausage, omelettes and scrambled eggs. Lunch and dinner were sumptuous affairs – often several courses – all delicious and scrupulously prepared with either silver service or help-yourself buffets. The afternoons were spent lazily lying back and watching the fascinating landscape go by. For further amusement, on board was a little trinket and jewellery shop and the wonderfully cooling swimming pool to play in. The evenings were spent in the bar watching traditional Egyptian shows or simply retiring early to sleep off the rigours of the day.
We booked the ‘full excursion package’ which included morning guided visits to Kom Ombo Temple, Philae Temple (Temple of Isis), Edfu Temple, The Valleys of the Kings and Queens, Habu Temple, The Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Complex and Luxor Temple. The visits were fabulous. If this wasn’t enough culture, there were optional visits to Abu Simbel and other exciting trips including a Nile Adventure where we visited the beautiful botanical Kitchener Island and rode camels to a Nubian village where we were thrilled to be able to hold a baby crocodile! There was the spectacular Sound and Light show at Karnak, an early morning hot air balloon ride, and a horse drawn carriage ride around Luxor.
After all this, as you would rightly expect, a good deal of rest and relaxation was in order! Making a tour of all these monuments in a week, not to mention the heat, is hard work, but well worth the effort. We travelled to the resort of Hurghada on the Red Sea where we stayed for a few days in a most opulently-decorated, all-inclusive hotel. Many of our fellow travellers stayed here a whole week to unwind in the sun. The perfect end to the perfect holiday!
We really did have the most wonderful time. Before our holiday, I’d found it difficult to gather useful information about travelling in Egypt with a family, cruising and descriptions of all the monuments we would be visiting, so I decided to write a journal of our travels. Since our return, I’ve spent a most enjoyable time putting all my discoveries together in a book and packed it full of photographs, in the hope that other travellers thinking of heading in the same direction will find it a useful guide. Equally, I hope that the virtual traveller can immerse themselves and enjoy the experience through our story.
A Nile Adventure – cruising and other stories
www.anileadventure.eu