Table of Contents
Introduction
As this was our first time to Egypt, we took our normal approach and tried to cross off some touristy spots. We were lucky to have enough time to hit many of the big locations as well as some lessor known or spots which required an additional ticket. There was even a few days on "Bruno-time" in Cairo to start the trip.
Jen reached out to her colleagues at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures for recommendations and they suggested that we use Egitalloyd Travel to plan out our itinerary. They were amazing. We provided the duration of our stay, any sites we were especially interested in visiting (tombs of Seti the first and Nefertari, Abu Simbel, etc), and they pulled together everything we needed.
The main section of the non-work itinerary was a 3-day Nile Cruise. We made some modifications, adding Abu Simbel before the start of the cruise, adding tickets for Seti the first and Nefertari, and finally Sakkara and Giza at the end. There were portions of the plan which were pretty hand-wavy for me, being the detailed orientated person that I am.
For example, the first day we were flying from Cairo to Aswan (with all our luggage), meeting their people, and immediately flying to Abu Simbel. After the tour and a quick lunch, we were flying right back to Aswan and then checking into the hotel for the evening. Despite my asking Jen to get clarification from them about what would happen at the Aswan airport. What we would do with our luggage before taking the, very small, plane to Abu Simbel: we never got any answer which made me feel better.
It turns out that what I didn't know was how well these folks take care of every detail. We were met by an Egitalloyd employee in Aswan, who found us when we entered the terminal and called us by name. He then took all the bags which we didn't need for Abu Simbel and, because he clearly didn't trust us to find our way in one of the smallest airport we've ever been in, escorted us to the single departure gate.
When we landed in Abu Simbel, it was very much the same, although the airport was somehow even smaller. An Egitalloyd employee knew us on sight, whisked us to a waiting van where our driver took us to the temples. We met our guide there, and after walking through both temples (taking many pictures), we made a lunch stop on the way back to the airport, and reversed our path back to Aswan.
The Old Cataract Aswan Hotel, commonly known as the Old Cataract Hotel, is a historic British colonial-era hotel located on the banks of the River Nile in Aswan, Egypt. It was built in 1899 by Thomas Cook and opened under the name Cataract Hotel. In 1961 the hotel was expanded with the addition of a new tower wing, operating as the budget wing of the hotel. From 2008 to 2011 the hotel was closed and underwent a complete restoration, reopening in October 2011 as the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan Hotel. more
Jen had explicitly asked if we could stay at the Old Cataract and it did not disappoint. The room they gave us was way nicer than what we believed we had paid for. There was definitely a combination of our one night stay and Egitalloyd "knowing a guy" which facilitated some sort of agreement.
I won't go into too much detail about the mechanics of the cruise itself, much like any cruise the boat is your traveling hotel. Details worth mentioning is that a Nile Cruise was different from the ocean cruises we had been on in the past. There are so many cruise ships, it's river so basically straight line navigation, everyone is making the same stops, which results in your ship being one in a long congo line of ships each day. At some of the stops, the ships would dock up against each other, so you might cross multiple ships disembarking for your morning tour.
When we booked the tour we had been told that our daily tours could be in a group of 4-8 people which spoke the same language as us. It worked out that we were alone with the same guide the entire trip. Mehat was our first female guide, although we did have another one for Giza, and she was really great. Being her only passengers worked out really well as she was really able to focus on what we were most interested in seeing. We were able to be nimble, getting up early to make sure we left the ship first, etc.
She was also able to work with Egitalloyd to make small changes to the itinerary. One example was suggesting that we take a boat to reach one of the temples, rather than the planned van which would get caught in traffic on the one bridge that went to the temple. We also took a van rather than a pony cart one day as the folks which provided the ponies did not take good care of them, they were obviously starved, and we agreed that we would rather not support the exploitation of the animals.
We learned from her that Historia was one of the few ships that worked with female guides. There was an entire group of ladies who were traveling together, not on the ship, from stop to stop.
While Jen was getting information from the kind folks at Chicago House for our trip, she inquired if we might be able to visit. They were very kind to make time for us.
After we left the Historia, our Egitalloyd folks guided us through the Valley of the Queens, Dier al Madinah, and Habu Temple. We stopped for lunch at the Hotel Marsam which was the original location of the Chicago House "Dig House" until it moved in 1939. The food was quite good. We even had several kitten hosts join us as we ate.
As our day was drawing to a close, we were escorted to the current Chicago House. Brett McClain was a generous host, walking us around the grounds, and showing us the volumes of output that the ISAC had produced over nearly 100 years of effort in Egypt. It turned out that the previous day we had seen a University of Chicago scholar at work at Karnak Temple in Luxor. We stayed long enough that we infringed upon their dinner and we were invited to stay. We were able to have good conversation with all the folks that were working that season.
The Mena House Hotel is a historic hotel established in 1886, located outside Cairo, Egypt. It is owned by Legacy Hotels Company, affiliated to Talaat Moustafa Group. more
We departed Luxor and flew back to Cairo. Mena House is another historical hotel which Jen chose for us. Unfortunately, the historic Palace wing was closed for refurbishment, but the hotel was lovely regardless.
Sakkara and Giza
Places visited
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Khan el-Khalili
Khan el-Khalili (Arabic: خان الخليلي) is a famous bazaar in the historic center of Cairo, Egypt. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the bazaar district has since become one of Cairo's main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike. It is also home to many Egyptian artisans and workshops involved in the production of traditional crafts and souvenirs. The name Khan el-Khalili historically referred to a single building in the area; today it refers to the entire shopping district. more… -
National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) is a national museum in Cairo, Egypt. The museum displays a collection of 50,000 artifacts, presenting the Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the modern era. more… -
Museum of Egyptian Antiquities
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly known as the Egyptian Museum (Egyptian Arabic: المتحف المصرى, romanized: al-Matḥaf al-Miṣrī, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [elˈmætħæf elˈmɑsˤɾi]) and also called the Cairo Museum or the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (EMC), is a national history museum in Cairo, Egypt. more… -
Hanging Church
Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic: ϯⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ̀ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉⲑⲉⲟⲇⲟⲕⲟⲥ ϯⲁ̀ⲅⲓⲁ̀ ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ̀ ϧⲉⲛⲃⲁⲃⲩⲗⲟⲛ ⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ Church of Mother of God Saint Mary in Egyptian Babylon), also known as the Hanging Church (Arabic: الكنيسة المعلقة, romanized: al-Kanīsa al-Muʿallaqa, Coptic: ⲁ̀ⲛⲁⲃⲁϯ ϧⲉⲛⲡⲓⲥⲡⲉⲗⲉⲟⲛ ϧⲉⲛⲃⲁⲃⲩⲗⲱⲛ ⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ), is one of the oldest churches in Egypt which dates to the third century. It belongs to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. more…
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Abu Simbel Temples
Abu Simbel is a historic site comprising two massive rock-cut temples in the village of Abu Simbel (Arabic: أبو سمبل), Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan. It is located on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about 230 km (140 mi) southwest of Aswan (about 300 km (190 mi) by road). more…
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Old Cataract Hotel
The Old Cataract Aswan Hotel, commonly known as the Old Cataract Hotel, is a historic British colonial-era hotel located on the banks of the River Nile in Aswan, Egypt. It was built in 1899 by Thomas Cook and opened under the name Cataract Hotel. In 1961 the hotel was expanded with the addition of a new tower wing, operating as the budget wing of the hotel. From 2008 to 2011 the hotel was closed and underwent a complete restoration, reopening in October 2011 as the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan Hotel. more… -
Philae Temple
The Philae temple complex (; Ancient Greek: Φιλαί or Φιλή and Πιλάχ, Arabic: فيلة Egyptian Arabic: [fiːlæ], Egyptian: p3-jw-rķ' or 'pA-jw-rq; Coptic: ⲡⲓⲗⲁⲕ, ⲡⲓⲗⲁⲕϩ, Coptic pronunciation: [ˈpilɑk, ˈpilɑkh]) is an island-based temple complex in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Egypt in Africa. more… -
Unfinished Obelisk
The unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk and is located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan, Egypt. It was studied in detail by Reginald Engelbach in 1922. more…
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Temple of Kom Ombo
The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple in the town of Kom Ombo in Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt. It was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC. Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period. more… -
Nilometer
A nilometer is a structure for measuring the Nile River's clarity and water level during the annual flood season in Egypt. There were three main types of nilometers, calibrated in Egyptian cubits: (1) a vertical column, (2) a corridor stairway of steps leading down to the Nile, and (3) a deep well with a culvert. If the water level was low, the fertility of the floodplain would suffer. If it was too high, the flooding would be destructive. There was a specific mark that indicated how high the flood should be if the fields were to get good soil. more…
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Temple of Edfu
The Temple of Edfu is an Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in Edfu, Upper Egypt. The city was known in the Hellenistic period in Koine Greek as Ἀπόλλωνος πόλις and in Latin as Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus, who was identified as Apollo under the interpretatio graeca. It is one of the best preserved shrines in Egypt. The temple was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Hellenistic period in Egypt. In particular, the Temple's inscribed building texts "provide details [both] of its construction, and also preserve information about the mythical interpretation of this and all other temples as the Island of Creation." There are also "important scenes and inscriptions of the Sacred Drama which related the age-old conflict between Horus and Seth." They are translated by the Edfu-Project. more…
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West Bank
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Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings, also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings, is an area in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth Dynasty, rock-cut tombs were excavated for pharaohs and powerful nobles under the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt. more…-
KV11 - Tomb of Ramesses III
Tomb KV11 is the tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses III. It is located in the main valley of the Valley of the Kings. The tomb was originally started by Setnakhte, but abandoned when it unintentionally broke into the earlier tomb of Amenmesse (KV10). Setnakhte was buried in KV14. The tomb KV11 was later restarted and extended and on a different axis for Ramesses III. more… -
KV14 - Tomb of Twosret & Setnakhte
Tomb KV14 is a joint tomb, used originally by Tausert and then reused and extended by Setnakhte. It has been open since antiquity, but was not properly recorded until Hartwig Altenmüller excavated it from 1983 to 1987. more… -
KV16 - Tomb of Ramesses I
Tomb KV16 is located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It was used for the burial of Pharaoh Ramesses I of the Nineteenth Dynasty. The burial place was discovered by Giovanni Belzoni in October 1817. more… -
KV17 - Tomb of Seti I
The tomb of Seti I, also known by its tomb number, KV17, is the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I of the Nineteenth Dynasty. Located in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, It is also known by the names "Belzoni's tomb", "the Tomb of Apis", and "the Tomb of Psammis, son of Nechois". It is one of the most decorated tombs in the valley, and is one of the largest and deepest tombs in the Valley of the Kings. It was uncovered by Italian archaeologist and explorer Giovanni Belzoni on 16 October 1817. more… -
KV47 - Tomb of Siptah
Tomb KV47, located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, was used for the burial of Pharaoh Siptah of the Nineteenth Dynasty. It was discovered on December 18, 1905 by Edward R. Ayrton, excavating on behalf of Theodore M. Davis; Siptah's mummy had been found earlier, cached in KV35. It was the last of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasty kings tombs to be uncovered in the Valley. Ayrton stopped his excavation in 1907 due to safety fears, and Harry Burton returned in 1912 to dig further. The cutting of a side passage was halted after the workmen cut into Side Chamber Ja of the tomb of Tia'a (KV32). The tomb was unfinished at the time of its use. more…
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Theben Necropolis
The Theban Necropolis (Arabic: مدينة طيبة الجنائزية, romanized: Madīnat Ṭaybah al-Janāʼizīyah) is a necropolis on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes (Luxor) in Upper Egypt. It was used for ritual burials for much of the Pharaonic period, especially during the New Kingdom. more…-
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut (Egyptian: Ḏsr-ḏsrw, lit. 'Holy of Holies') was built during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Located opposite the city of Luxor, it is considered to be a masterpiece of ancient architecture. Its three massive terraces rise above the desert floor and into the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. Hatshepsut's tomb, KV20, lies inside the same massif capped by El Qurn, a pyramid for her mortuary complex. At the edge of the desert, 1 km (0.62 mi) east, connected to the complex by a causeway, lies the accompanying valley temple. Across the river Nile, the whole structure points towards the monumental Eighth Pylon, Hatshepsut's most recognizable addition to the Temple of Karnak and the site from which the procession of the Beautiful Festival of the Valley departed. Its axes identify the temple's twin functions: Its central east-west axis served to receive the barque of Amun-Re at the climax of the festival, while its north-south axis represented the life cycle of the pharaoh from coronation to rebirth. more… -
Deir el-Medina
Deir el-Medina (Egyptian Arabic: دير المدينة), or Dayr al-Madīnah, is an ancient Egyptian workmen's village which was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th Dynasties of the New Kingdom of Egypt (ca. 1550–1080 BC). The settlement's ancient name was Set maat ("Place of Truth"), and the workmen who lived there were called "Servants in the Place of Truth". During the Christian era, the temple of Hathor was converted into a Monastery of Saint Isidorus the Martyr (Coptic: ⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲙ̄ⲫⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲓⲥⲓⲇⲱⲣⲟⲥ ⲡⲙⲁⲣⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ) from which the Egyptian Arabic name Deir el-Medina ("Monastery of the City") is derived. more… -
TT1 - Tomb of Sennedjem
TT1 is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian official Sennedjem and members of his family in Deir el-Medina, on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor. The funerary complex consists of three pyramid-shaped chapels dedicated to, from south to north, Sennedjem's father or brother, Sennedjem himself, and Sennedjem's son Khonsu. Of the three shafts associated with the chapels, only the shaft in front of Sennedjem's chapel was unrobbed. It leads to a series of underground rooms, including the extensively decorated burial chamber. more… -
Medinet Habu
Medinet Habu (Arabic: مدينة هابو, romanized: Madīnat Hābū; Ancient Egyptian: ḏꜣmwt; Sahidic Coptic: (ⲧ)ϫⲏⲙⲉ, ϫⲏⲙⲏ, ϫⲉⲙⲉ, ϫⲉⲙⲏ, ϫⲏⲙⲓ; Bohairic Coptic: ϭⲏⲙⲓ) is an archaeological locality situated near the foot of the Theban Hills on the West Bank of the River Nile opposite the modern city of Luxor, Egypt. Although other structures are located within the area and important discoveries have also been made at these sites, the location is today associated almost synonymously with the largest and best preserved site, the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III. It was an important New Kingdom period temple structure in the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt. Aside from its size and architectural and artistic importance, the mortuary temple is probably best known as the source of inscribed reliefs depicting the advent and defeat of the "sea peoples" during the reign of Ramesses III (c. 1186–1155 BC), including the Battle of the Delta. Some of the building more… -
Colossi of Memnon
The Colossi of Memnon (Arabic: el-Colossat or es-Salamat) are two large stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, which stand at the front of the ruined Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, the largest temple in the Theban Necropolis. They have stood since 1350 BC, and were well known to ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as early modern travelers and Egyptologists. The statues contain 107 Roman-era inscriptions in Greek and Latin, dated to between AD 20 and 250; many of these inscriptions on the northernmost statue make reference to the Greek mythological king Memnon, whom the statue was then erroneously thought to represent. more…
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East Bank
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Karnak
The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (), comprises a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I (reigned 1971–1926 BC) in the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000–1700 BC) and continued into the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305–30 BC), although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the 18th Dynastic Theban Triad, with the god Amun as its head. more… -
Luxor Temple
The Luxor Temple (Arabic: معبد الأقصر) is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned. more… -
Avenue of Sphinxes
Avenue of Sphinxes or The King's Festivities Road, also known as Rams Road (Arabic: طريق الكباش), is a 2.7 km (1.7 mi) long avenue (dromos) which connects Karnak Temple with Luxor Temple having been uncovered in the ancient city of Thebes (modern Luxor), with sphinxes and ram-headed statues lined up on both flanks. more…
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Valley of the Queens
The Valley of the Queens is a site in Egypt, in which queens, princes, princesses, and other high-ranking officials were buried from roughly 1560 BC to 1130 BC. Pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Queens was known anciently as Ta-Set-Neferu, which has a double meaning of "The Place of Beauty" and/or "the Place of the Royal Children". Excavation of the tombs at the Valley of the Queens was pioneered by Ernesto Schiaparelli and Francesco Ballerini in the early 1900s. more…-
QV55 - Tomb of Amun-her-khepeshef
Amun-her-khepeshef (also Amun-her-khepeshef B ) was the eldest son and appointed heir of Pharaoh Ramesses III. Like at least another of his brothers, he was named after a son of Ramesses II, Amun-her-khepeshef. more… -
QV66 - Tomb of Nefertari
QV66 is the tomb of Nefertari, the Great Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II, in Egypt's Valley of the Queens. It was discovered by Ernesto Schiaparelli (the director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin) in 1904. Nefertari, which means "The most beautiful (one) among them", was Ramesses II's favorite wife; he went out of his way to make this obvious, referring to her as "the one for whom the sun shines" in his writings, built the Temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel to idolize her as a deity, and commissioned portraiture wall paintings. In the Valley of the Queens, Nefertari's tomb once held the mummified body and representative symbolisms of her, consistent with most Egyptian tombs of the period. Now, everything has been looted except for two thirds of the 5,200 square feet of wall paintings. For what still remains, these wall paintings characterized Nefertari's character. Her face received particular attention to emphasize her beauty, especially the shape of her eyes, the blush of her cheeks, and her eyebrows. Some paintings were full of lines and color of red, blue, yellow, and green that portrayed exquisite directions to navigating through the afterlife to paradise. more…
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Pyramid of Djoser
The Pyramid of Djoser, sometimes called the Step Pyramid of Djoser or Step Pyramid of Horus Netjerikhet, is an archaeological site in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the ruins of Memphis. It was the first Egyptian pyramid to be built. The six-tier, four-sided structure is the earliest colossal stone building in Egypt. It was built in the 27th century BC during the Third Dynasty for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser. The pyramid is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration. more… -
Pyramid of Unas
The pyramid of Unas (Egyptian: Nfr swt Wnjs, lit. 'Beautiful are the places of Unas') is the funerary monument built for the Egyptian pharaoh Unas, the ninth and final king of the Fifth Dynasty, in the 24th century BC. It is the smallest Old Kingdom pyramid, but significant due to the discovery of Pyramid Texts – spells for the king's afterlife – incised into the walls of its subterranean chambers. Inscribed for the first time in Unas's pyramid, the tradition of these funerary texts carried on in the pyramids of subsequent rulers through to the end of the Old Kingdom, and into the Middle Kingdom through the Coffin Texts that form the basis of the Book of the Dead. more…
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Giza pyramid complex
The Giza pyramid complex (also called the Giza necropolis) in Egypt is home to the Great Pyramid, the pyramid of Khafre, and the pyramid of Menkaure, along with their associated pyramid complexes and the Great Sphinx. All were built during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt, between c. 2600 – c. 2500 BC. The site also includes several temples, cemeteries, and the remains of a workers' village. more…-
Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It served as the tomb of pharaoh Khufu ("Cheops"), who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Built c. 2600 BC over a period of about 26 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only wonder that has remained largely intact. It is the most famous monument of the Giza pyramid complex, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Memphis and its Necropolis". It is situated at the northeastern end of the line of the three main pyramids at Giza. more… -
Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. The monument was sculpted from the limestone bedrock of the Eocene-aged Mokattam Formation and faces east on the Giza Plateau, on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt, the Sphinx is part of the Memphite Necropolis and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. more…
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