Egypt: Ramesses in Abu Simbel

Nubia, an ancient region in north eastern Africa, extended approximately from the Nile River valley (near the first cataract in Upper Egypt) eastward to the shores of the Red Sea, southward to about Khartoum (in Sudan now), and westward to the Libyan Desert. 

Traditionally Nubia is divided into two regions. The southern portion, which extended north to the southern end of the second cataract of the Nile was known as Upper Nubia. This was called Kush (Cush) under the 18th-dynasty pharaohs of ancient Egypt and was called Ethiopia by the ancient Greeks. Lower Nubia was the northern part of the region, located between the second and the first cataract of Aswan; this was called Wawat.

To ancient Egyptians, Nubia was known as Ta-Sety, the Land of Bowmen as the Nubians were famous for their bows. The word Nubia is thought to be originated from the ancient Egyptian word nbw which means gold. Nubia was an important source of ivory, copper and gold for the Egyptians. 

We organised the transport to Abu Simbel through our accommodation in Aswan. We paid EGP 1,230 per person for the bus shuttle and the call time was at around 4am in the morning. We bought our tickets online (EGP 822 per person) while queuing in line at Abu Simbel. 

Temple of Ramesses II

The four seated 20 metre high colossi

The largest and most magnificent monument in Nubia is the famous Temple of Ramsesses II which was carved out of a mountain face between 1274 and 1244 BC. The rock temple was dedicated to the main gods of Upper and Lower Egypt, Amun-Ra and Ra-Harakhte but also to the deified pharaoh himself.  

The temple was salvaged from Lake Nasser and the operation entailed sawing the temple into more than 1,000 transportable pieces and reassembling them at a new site 60 metres higher than the original site. The move took more than five years and the phenomenon of solar alignment was only a day different. Following the reconstruction, the dawn rays of the sun reach into the mountain to illuminate the inner sanctuary striking three statues - Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty, and Ramesses II himself. The fourth statue, Ptah, the god of the underworld is left in the dark. This solar alignment happen every year on 22 February and 22 October. The original events were on 21 February and 21 October. 

Entering through the temple entrance is the Great Hypostyle Hall that is flanked by eight 10-metre high Osiride statues of the king in a double row facing eatch other against at corresponding number of square pillars. 

The detailed reliefs in the temple were amazing. The northern wall is decorated with the Battle of Kadesh, in which the young Ramesses II contronted the Hittites in Syria. The southern wall are decorated with scenes of the king kneeling in front of severa gods. 

The Small Temple at Abu Simbel

Next to the temple of Abu Simbel stands a smaller one dedicated to Hathor and Ramesses II's wife, Nefertari. Nefertari was the most beloved of the wives of Ramesses II. The facade of this temple is decorated with statues of himself, his wife and their children. The temple is also dedicated to goddess Hathor, representing love, beauty, music, fertility and joy. 

Side note: Harankash

Egypt: Of delayed flight and evenings in Aswan

There were only 4 things to do in Aswan in the initial plan. However, when we got around to book our flights from Cairo to Aswan, the cheapest flight was at midday. This means that we would not made the time to visit Philae Temple on the day we arrived in Aswan. The other items were High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and felucca ride. We did none of those either. Ha. 

On double checking the flight time before we ordered a ride, we noticed that the flight time was delayed by an hour or so but there were no notifications. It was, unfortunately on a Friday which is the weekend in Egypt and we couldn't get anyone on the phone. We decided to go to the airport in case. Long story short, there were further delays and by the time we reached Aswan, it was almost 8 pm. 

Our time in Aswan was brief, just the night we arrived and after returned from Abu Simbel. Aside from the time we spent hunting for an ATM machine that works, we decided to take it easy and chillax in Aswan. 

We stayed around 4 km south of the famous Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan so it was quieter where we were. 

Side note: To swap or not to swap

Egypt: Dahshur, Memphis and Saqqara

False door

The first pyramid was the Step Pyramid. Djoser's pyramid, at 60 m in height, although substantially smaller than its immediate successors was still an impressive monument. Snefru's first pyramid was the Meidum Pyramid which was originally built as a stepped pyramid. More stones were added to its sides and converted it into a straight-sided pyramid. 

Snefru's second pyramid was the Bent Pyramid. It was originally called the Southern Shining Pyramid. The angle of its sides was reduced during construction, perhaps due to concerns that it might collapse. 

Snefru's third pyramid have shallow slopes, like the Bent Pyramid. The Red Pyramid was made of sandstone and originally encased in whte Tura limestone. It is the largest pyramid of the Dahshur necropolis. 

The Step Pyramid 

→ The Meidum Pyramid 

→ The Bent Pyramid 

→ The Red Pyramid 

→ The Great Pyramid 

→ The Khaefre Pyramid

We took the easiest way to get there by booking a trip from the hotel reception, at USD 60 per person including lunch but excluding entrance and car fees. The 'tour' came with a driver and a guide but the guide didn't say much. We started with the Red Pyramid in Dahshur. 

Imhotep, not the character in The Mummy is seen as the first engineer, architect and physician in history as well as being a high priest and official of King Djoser. He was credited as being the architect of the Step Pyramid.

Dahshur

Dahshur is a royal necropolis located about 40 km south of Cairo, renowned for hosting Old Kingdom pyramids built by Sneferu. It features the Bent Pyramid (transitioning from steep to shallow angle) and the Red Pyramid (the first successful smooth-sided pyramid), which provided the engineering knowledge for the Giza pyramids.

Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid's name derives from the material that was used to construct the pyramid, red limestone. The entrance ticket to Dahshur included both the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid. This same ticket allowed one to enter the pyramids. At the time of visit, we paid EGP 425 for the 2 of us and car. 

It was sandy and looked blurry from afar

It started with climbing up to the wooden platform to the entrance. From there, it was a descent. It was a little low towards the end.

Followed by a short tunnel before reaching to a chamber with good ceiling height and fairly spacious. I thought we still a long way to go and took off my hoodie at this point. 

Then there were some wooden staircases to go uphill. After that, it was the end to the tomb. There were no sarcophagus at the tomb, just a pile of rubble stones. 

Bent Pyramid

The Bent Pyramid has a 54-degree slope of its sides and changes halfway up to an angle of 43 degrees. We entered this pyramid too, well, it was included in the general entrance ticket. This one, by far, has the longest descending tunnel at 79 metres. The internal beams inside the Bent Pyramid was said to be cedar trunks imported from Lebanon.

Similar to the Red Pyramid, it started with climbing up to the entrance via some wooden staircases.

It also started with a long descent, followed by a series of wooden staircases inside the pyramid. 

The end of the walk was also an empty tomb with some bats hanging on the walls. 

What goes down must come up, going in and out is through the same way. At certain point, we did have to stop to let people coming in to pass but it was much less crowded comparatively. I think the long descent might have dissuaded some people to go all the way. 

The shorter steps before the long ascend on the way out

Memphis

Memphis is located in the center of the floodplain of the western side of the Nile. Its fame comes from its being the first Capital of Ancient Egypt, the first one that was founded after the unification of upper and lower Egypt. The city was founded by King Narmar in the first dynasty (3100 BC) and located 20 km to the south of Cairo. The name of Memphis is driven from the ancient Egyptian name given to the city, it was called Min-Nefer, and the Greeks called it Memphis, today is the location of a local village called Mit Rahina. 

Entrance fee: EGP 200 per person

There is an open air museum now at Memphis which houses the Alabaster Sphinx and one of Ramesses' two colossi. 

Saqqara

Saqqara lies on the desert plateau about 3 km west of Memphis. This vast cemetery, which spans a period from the 27th century BC to the 10th century BC, is possibly named after the god of the burial sites, Sokar. 

Entrance to the Djoser funerary complex

Step Pyramid of Djoser

Dominating the whole area is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the earliest of all the pyramids and the first great monument in the world to be built of hewn stone. The entire complex was the conception of Imhotep. General ticket for Saqqara and car cost EGP 1225 for the 2 of us. Entering the Step Pyramid needs a separate ticket and we skipped this. 

There is a small stone annexe at the rear of the Step Pyramid, known as the serdab, contains a non original statue of the king looking out at the world through two eye holes cut in the wall. 

There are two 6th-Dynasty mastabas, tombs of Mereruka and Kagemni, viziers of King Teti (2345-2333 BC) next to the Pyramid of Teti, at the northeast of the Djoser Complex. These tombs contain a very oustanding tomb reliefs of the Old Kingdom. The wall were carved with lively scenes of domestic life, interests and pursuits of the Old Kingdom nobility like hunting, horticulture, husbandry, music, dancing, etc.

There was no lunch break but lunch was part of the tour. The guide did a takeway of koshari for us on the way back to Cairo. 

Side note: Possums are scary

Egypt: Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx

Some very simplified, incomplete timelines and who's who
Early Dynastic Period 3150-2686 BCE
First and 2nd dynasties: Ancient capital city of Memphis was founded as the capital of Egypt by semi-mythical King Menes. The rulers were buried in tombs at Saqqara, where the first pyramids were built.

Zoser (Djoser; c 2667-2648 BCE)
As the second king of the 3rd dynasty, Zoser was buried in Egypt's first pyramid, the world's oldest monumental stone building, designed by the architect Imhotep.

Sneferu (c 2613-2589 BCE)
The first king of the 4th dynasty and responsibe for four pyramids built. His final resting place was the Red (Northern) Pyramid in Dahshur. It was Egypt's first true pyramid and a model for the pyramids in Giza.

Khufu (Cheops; c 2589-2566 BCE)
The son and successor of Sneferu, he was the second king of the 4th dynasty. Best known for Egypt's largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid at Giza.

Khafre (Khephren, Chephren; c 2558-2532 BCE)
He was the younger son of Khufu and the fourth king of the 4th dynasty. He built the second of Giza's famous pyramids and the model for the face of the Great Sphinx.

Menkaure (Mycerinus; c 2532-2503 BCE)
The son of Khafre and the fifth king of the 4th dynasty and built the smallest of Giza's three huge pyramids.

Hatshepsut (c 1473-1458 BCE)
Egypt's most famous female pharaoh.

Amenhotep III (c 1390-1352 BCE)
The ninth king of the 18th dynasty, Amenhotep III's reign marks the zenith of Egypt's culture and power. He is the creator of Luxor Temple and largest funerary temple marked by Colossi of Memnon.

 
Nefertiti (c 1338-1336 BCE)
Famous for her painted bust in Berlin.

Tutankhamun (c 1336-1327 BCE)
The 11th king of the 18th dynastry, Tutankhamun's fame is due to the great quantities of treasures discovered in his tomb in 1922.

Ramses II (c 1279-1213 BCE)
The son and successor of Seti I, Ramses II fought the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh and built temples including Abu Simbel and the Ramesseum.

Ramses III (c 1184-1153 BCE)
Second king of the 20th dynasty, Ramses III was the last of the warrior kings.

Who knew of many years not venturing into the Africa continent, I returned again just a year after. We had about 4 days plus in Cairo in total. This is due to buffer time to get between locations. Sis arrived Cairo in the evening and I reached just before midnight. She had an unplanned adventure of trying to get hold of the airport transfer driver as he didn't hold a card at the airport for pick up and also moving hotels because the hotel we booked was said to be undergoing maintenance. I was forwarded a selfie of the driver and a photo of the car with carplate number in Arabic that I don't know how to read.

Based on the itinerary I saw online, most seems to mention to spent half a day in Giza. We left just before closing so getting to GEM at the same day was out of the question. We went by Uber and we didn't know at that time that this Uber driver was one of the few that didn't try to make us pay cash or cancel on us. 

The Great Pyramid entry ticket during our visit was EGP 700 per person and we decided to pay for entrance to the Great Pyramid of Khufu which cost EGP 1500 per person. We got the tickets at the ticket counter on the day of visit. 

Great Pyramid of Khufu

The Great Pyramid of Khufu, originally stood at 150 metres high and incorporates some 2.3 million stones blocks. Each block averagely weighed more than 2.5 tonnes. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the biggest pyramid and was built by teams of skilled labourers, and not slaves. The biggest pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Cholula in Puebla, Mexico.

The queue to enter the Great Pyramid of Khufu. I wouldn't describe it as hard if you don't have any medical issues or not claustrophobic but the spaces were tight especially since this was a very popular pyramid to enter. Also it was very warm and humid inside. There were also stretches of low ceiling so it could be tricky if you are tall. 

The main burial chamer is a small room with a large open sarcophagus in the centre. 

Pyramid of Khafre and the Sphinx

Slightly smaller than the pyramid of his fater, Hufu, Khafre's pyramid is at 144 m in height and was known as "Great is Khaefre". It looks taller than the pyramid of Khufu as it lies at a higher elevation and at a steeper angle. It is actually smaller but most complete in relation to its surrouding complex, which includes the Sphinx. The top part of the pyramid retains its limestone outer casing. 

 

The nose of the Sphinx was damaged in the Middle Ages. Its head and chest were subjected to several additions including a false beard, and it has been altered and mutilated througout its 4,500-year history. 

In the front of the Sphinx was the "Dream stela" of Tuthmosis IV. It was said that an 18th Dynasty prince called Tuthmosis fell asleep in the shade of the Sphinx while hunting. He dreamt that the god Horemakhet prophesied that he would become king if he cleared the sand covering much of the statue. The prince carried out the rquest, became Tuthmosis IV, recorded the incident on a stela and set it on the ground. 

Pyramid of Menkaure

The third of the royal pyramids at Giza was begun by Menkaure, the successor of Khafre. It was still unfinished when Menkaure died and hurriedly completed by his son, Shepseskaf, whose own tomb is at Saqqara. 

If you noticed the change in the photos, we stayed till evening. The initial plan was to go to Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on the same day but obviously that didn't happen. 

We encountered some issues to find a driver through Uber. By the time a driver accepted the ride, it was getting dark fast, it was winter after all. What was worse was the driver wanted us to pay him cash, twice the fare on Uber. With the difficulties of getting an Uber, it was getting dark and our first full day in Cairo, we decided to stay with this driver. We managed to haggle down the price though we still paid more than the fare on Uber. From this time onwards, we included enough buffer time whenever we need to call for a ride. 

Side note: Eid Mubarak