Teta and King Khufu
Teta was the most famous magician in Ancient Egypt in the days when Khufu (King Cheops) was Pharoah.
The King was looking for a particular scroll when one of the palace servants suggested asking Teta. For some reason, King Khufu didn't know of Teta's great fame, so he asked the servant why he should call for Teta.
"Because, oh, King, Teta is the very greatest magician!" replied the servant. "Why, he can even make the dead live again!"
Khufu was intrigued. That was a claim he'd never before heard a magician making. "Have this Teta brought to me!" he ordered.
Before very long, Teta arrived. He looked very ordinary and there was nothing to show that he was a famous magician.
"I hear that you can make the dead live!" the King said.
"The newly dead, yes." Teta repled.
"Will you show me?" Khufu asked.
"Certainly." Teta replied.
"Have a criminal brought before me!" Khufu ordered.
"Oh no!" Teta objected. "I will not kill a living man, not even to bring him back to life. I will not work magic on people. Bring an animal, instead."
"Bring an animal" the King ordered, beginning to lose interest.
A servant came in carrying a duck. Teta turned to one of Khufu's guards. "Strike off the duck's head." he ordered. The guard did as he was told and the duck's head abruptly left its body.
Teta bent down and put the two parts of the duck close together, then he chanted some magic words and made a gesture. The head and the body of the duck joined together, it shook itself and waddled ot of the room, quacking.
"Bring me a goose." Teta asked. There was a slightly longer wait and then a servant came in with a very angry goose, hissing and trying to break away. "Off with its head." Teta ordered. The guard's sword flashed and the goose's head separated from its body. This time, Teta left the two bits of the goose where they lay, he simply stood a bit straighter and chanted. Then he made the same gesture.
The head and the body of the goose drew together across the floor, joined up and one very angry goose hissed at everybody present, before letting the servant take it out of the room.
"Seen enough?" asked Teta. King Khufu nodded. "I've got a job for you ..." he began.
The rest of the story continues in the Westcar papyrus, but it isn't really about any more magic.
Civilization of ancient Egypt, Egypt's antiquities , Old sights in Egypt, the pharaohs mythology, ancient Egyptian culture, ancient Egyptian life. Modern civilizations, and modern tourist attractions
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Thursday, August 5, 2010
King Seneferu and the Magician
One day King Seneferu was feeling fed up (all that unsuccessful pyramid building, maybe?). He didn't know what to do with himself till he hit on the idea of sending for his Court Magician.
The Magician listened to the King and suggested that he take a boat ride. Seneferu said the ancient Egyptian equivalent of "Been there, done that, worn the T-shirt.".
The Magician smiled and said "Maybe not. Listen. Order one of your Royal Barges. The send for 20 of the prettiest young ladies in your House of Women (think hareem, but less restrictive and very, very luxurious). Have them wear net dresses and set them to rowing your Barge. You might find you enjoy the ride."
The King thought about 20 lithe young ladies rowing a boat wearing nothing but fishing nets and he smiled. "Make it so!" he ordered.
So, there they all were, rowing along the Nile, laughing and joking and having a very good time in the bright sunlight. 9 of the young ladies were rowing on one side and 9 on the other, whilst the last 2 were standing in the stern of the boat, working the great steering oars, one on each side. The King and the Magician were sitting back, enjoying the view. The ancient Egyptians put it this way: 'The sight of the young maidens gladdened the heart of His Majesty.'
Everything was going fine when there was a sudden scream from the stern. The King and the Magician hurried to the end of the boat, where one of the young ladies steering was standing there, in tears.
"What happened?" the king demanded.
"Somehow my hair got caught in the steering oar," the girl sobbed. "I got it free, but as I did so, a golden ornament I wore in my hair was pulled free and fell overboard!"
"Don't worry," said the king, "I'll get you another one!"
"But I want that one!" the young lady went into another flood of tears.
Seneferu looked helplessly at his Magician. "I think I can fix things" the Magician whispered and went to the side of the boat. He chanted some magic words and the waters of the river Nile parted (heard that one before, somewhere). Suddenly, the boat was resting on the bed of the river.
"Hop down and get your hair ornament" the Magician told the young lady and she did so, joyfully. (The King enjoyed that sight, too). She climbed back into the boat holding her pretty hair ornament tightly and smiling.
The Magician chanted some more magic words and quite smoothly, the waters of the Nile came back together and the Royal Barge rose until it was back, floating on top of the water, just as a respectable Royal boat ought to do.
"Well," said Seneferu, "Let's get on with the boat ride!". So they did.
Think I just made that story up? Well, I didn't. I read it in the Westcar papyrus, when I was learning hieroglyphics, many years ago.
The Magician listened to the King and suggested that he take a boat ride. Seneferu said the ancient Egyptian equivalent of "Been there, done that, worn the T-shirt.".
The Magician smiled and said "Maybe not. Listen. Order one of your Royal Barges. The send for 20 of the prettiest young ladies in your House of Women (think hareem, but less restrictive and very, very luxurious). Have them wear net dresses and set them to rowing your Barge. You might find you enjoy the ride."
The King thought about 20 lithe young ladies rowing a boat wearing nothing but fishing nets and he smiled. "Make it so!" he ordered.
So, there they all were, rowing along the Nile, laughing and joking and having a very good time in the bright sunlight. 9 of the young ladies were rowing on one side and 9 on the other, whilst the last 2 were standing in the stern of the boat, working the great steering oars, one on each side. The King and the Magician were sitting back, enjoying the view. The ancient Egyptians put it this way: 'The sight of the young maidens gladdened the heart of His Majesty.'
Everything was going fine when there was a sudden scream from the stern. The King and the Magician hurried to the end of the boat, where one of the young ladies steering was standing there, in tears.
"What happened?" the king demanded.
"Somehow my hair got caught in the steering oar," the girl sobbed. "I got it free, but as I did so, a golden ornament I wore in my hair was pulled free and fell overboard!"
"Don't worry," said the king, "I'll get you another one!"
"But I want that one!" the young lady went into another flood of tears.
Seneferu looked helplessly at his Magician. "I think I can fix things" the Magician whispered and went to the side of the boat. He chanted some magic words and the waters of the river Nile parted (heard that one before, somewhere). Suddenly, the boat was resting on the bed of the river.
"Hop down and get your hair ornament" the Magician told the young lady and she did so, joyfully. (The King enjoyed that sight, too). She climbed back into the boat holding her pretty hair ornament tightly and smiling.
The Magician chanted some more magic words and quite smoothly, the waters of the Nile came back together and the Royal Barge rose until it was back, floating on top of the water, just as a respectable Royal boat ought to do.
"Well," said Seneferu, "Let's get on with the boat ride!". So they did.
Think I just made that story up? Well, I didn't. I read it in the Westcar papyrus, when I was learning hieroglyphics, many years ago.
Magic in Ancient Egypt
Magic in Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptians believed in magic. They believed so much that, during the reign of the Pharoah Ramases III, there was a conspiracy against the King. Records of part of the trial of the conspirators shows that one of the steps they took was to have magic spells written to make the King's guards sleep! Whether the spells worked or not, we don't know, but since the conspiracy was found out, I guess they didn't!
Rameses III lived in the New Kingdom, at a time when Egypt was beginning its very slow slide down to being a second-rate state, but back in the Old Kingdom, Egypt was just beginning to flower. My next two hubs will tell of Magic in the Old Kingdom!
How Much Gold Has Been Discovered In The Tombs Of Ancient Egypt
The culture of ancient Egypt has long been known for its affinity for gold. The Pharaohs who ruled the lands at the time placed a great emphasis on mining and importing gold, as it was considered to be the skin of the gods and was used to create hundreds of works of art. Today, the golden objects continue to be greatly revered and sought after by those who are interested in studying the ancient Egyptian cultures as well as by those who are tempted by the potential for riches.
Tombs contained the golden adornments that kings used to wear.
There's Gold in Those Tombs
As historians attempt to learn more about the ancient
Egyptian culture, they continue to excavate the lands in the hope of digging up more of their ancient treasures. To date, several thousand gold items have been uncovered in Egypt as well as the Sudan. In addition, archeologists have determined that numerous gold mines were located in the desert valleys located east of the Nile River, particularly near Apollinopolis Magna, Ikoptos and Ombos. The mines that have been uncovered throughout the Egyptian empire have been impressively designed, though it does appear as if little regard was paid to those who worked the mines.When it comes to uncovering the golden objects that were created in ancient Egypt, the majority have been unearthed within the tombs of the Pharoahs. This is because only the kings were allowed to wear gold during the earliest parts of Egyptian history. As time went on, however, priests and other members of the Egyptian royal court were also allowed to wear golden adornments. Nonetheless, the king still enjoyed the majority of the gold. In fact, the sarcophagus of the Egyptian king was referred to as the "house of gold" because of the vast amounts of gold it contained.
There are numerous golden Egyptian artifacts on display in museums around the world.
Enjoying Golden Artifacts
Today, there are numerous golden Egyptian artifacts on display in museums around the world. Perhaps one of the most impressive of these findings is the mask of Tutankhamun, which is a golden cast of King Tut's face that was placed upon him at his burial. The mask, which is made from solid gold, weighs an impressive 24.5 pounds. Not only is the mask valuable in terms of the amount of gold used to create it, it also represents many of the king's features very well. In fact, with the help of the mask, historians can get a very clear idea of how his chin, lips, nose and eyes appeared while he was alive.
Most people do not have genuine ancient Egyptian artifacts in their homes, but for those who do have unwanted gold items in their homes can turn those items into cash with the help of Cash4Gold. With Cash4Gold, you simply request a free mailing envelope from the company, place your unwanted gold items inside, and mail it off to the company. Within days, you will receive payment for all of the gold items that you don’t even want any more. Even the ancient Egyptians would have to agree that the process is amazingly simple!
Photos of the monuments in Luxor
Hypostyle Hall, Karnak
Luxor Temple from the Nile
The Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Queens
The Valley of the Nobles
Deir el Medina - The Workmen's Village
Deir el Bahri
Medinet Habu
The Ramesseum
The Colossi of Memnon
Hot Air Balloons over Luxor
Monuments in the Luxor
Thebes of The Hundred Gates
Modern day Luxor is built on the ruins of ancient Thebes, on the banks of the river Nile. Thebes came to prominence in Ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom and was the capital of the country for most of the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom. It was also the major spiritual centre of Egypt for most of the New Kingdom, with it's most prominent deity being Amun, alongside his consort Mut and their son Khonsu.
In ancient times the East Bank of the Nile was where the dwellings of the living were built, and the tombs and monuments of the dead were constructed on the West Bank. On the West Bank of the Nile at Thebes is where the majority of New Kingdom pharoahs chose to dig their tombs and build their mortuary temples.
So, with this wealth of history and culture to choose from, what do you go and see?
Modern day Luxor is built on the ruins of ancient Thebes, on the banks of the river Nile. Thebes came to prominence in Ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom and was the capital of the country for most of the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom. It was also the major spiritual centre of Egypt for most of the New Kingdom, with it's most prominent deity being Amun, alongside his consort Mut and their son Khonsu.
In ancient times the East Bank of the Nile was where the dwellings of the living were built, and the tombs and monuments of the dead were constructed on the West Bank. On the West Bank of the Nile at Thebes is where the majority of New Kingdom pharoahs chose to dig their tombs and build their mortuary temples.
So, with this wealth of history and culture to choose from, what do you go and see?
Egypt - What to Do and See in Luxor78
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Thebes of The Hundred Gates
Modern day Luxor is built on the ruins of ancient Thebes, on the banks of the river Nile. Thebes came to prominence in Ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom and was the capital of the country for most of the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom. It was also the major spiritual centre of Egypt for most of the New Kingdom, with it's most prominent deity being Amun, alongside his consort Mut and their son Khonsu.
In ancient times the East Bank of the Nile was where the dwellings of the living were built, and the tombs and monuments of the dead were constructed on the West Bank. On the West Bank of the Nile at Thebes is where the majority of New Kingdom pharoahs chose to dig their tombs and build their mortuary temples.
So, with this wealth of history and culture to choose from, what do you go and see?
See all 13 photos
The East Bank - The Temple Of Karnak
Karnak is a complex of temples that was started in the Middle Kingdom and was the added to and extended by thirty subsequent pharoahs. It is the largest ancient religious site in the world and receives thousands of visitors annually. It has structures dating from the Middle Kingdom through to the Late Period. The vast Hypostyle Hall is probably it's most famous feature and has been seen in many Hollywood films (The Spy Who Loved Me, Death on the Nile). It's 134 huge columns set in 16 rows is truly awe inspiring. There is still a lot of excavating going on at Karnak, and there are areas of the precinct not open to the public.
Karnak is easily accessible from the centre of Luxor by tour bus, taxi, caleche or on foot.
The East Bank - Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple nestles in the very centre of the modern city, just along from the Old Winter Palace hotel, and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt. It was constructed in the 18th Dynasty, mainly by Amenhotep III and added to extensively in the 19th Dynasty by Ramsses II. Luxor Temple's main focus was the annual Opet festival, where the statues of Amen, Mut and Khonsu were brought from the temple at Karnak for the celebrations. A processional way lined by sphinxes once joined the two temples and major excavations, including the demolition of modern buildings, are being carried out to uncover its whole length.
Luxor Temple is easily accessible on foot, or by taxi or caleche
The East Bank - Other Things to See or Do
The two great temples of Karnak and Luxor are the two main attractions on the East Bank, but there are also many other things to see or do.
The Luxor Museum is well worth a visit and is within easy striking distance along the corniche. It contains an interesting, very well laid out collection which includes two royal mummies, artefacts from the tomb of Tutankhamen, talatat blocks from the temple of Akhenaten at Karnak and many other interesting pieces. At the other end of the corniche and built under it is the small Mummification Museum. It outlines the process of mummification and it's significance to the Ancient Egyptians, and has many artefacts relating to the funerary arts. Regular talks on Egyptology and current excavations are also held in the adjacent lecture theatre.
If you want walk in the footsteps of the famous archaeologists, royalty and other dignitaries go and eat or have a drink at the Old Winter Palace Hotel. Revel in it's Victorian splendour and take the air on their terrace overlooking the Nile. There are also many bazaars, shops, restaurants and cafes to explore. You will constantly be invited to 'come see my shop, looking free' and will be expected to haggle to get a good price. If you are female you will also be showered with compliments on your beauty and receive more marriage proposals than you have ever had in your life!
The West Bank - The Valley of the Kings
There are two ways that you can go the West Bank - the realm of the dead - you can either go on a tour bus or get a taxi to take you across the new road bridge or you can catch the ferry in Luxor and get a taxi on the other side. For the more adventurous camel rides can be booked!
The most famous site on the West Bank is undeniably the Valley of the Kings. It was in this lonely, wind swept valley that the pharoahs of the early 18th dynasty abandoned building pyramids and above ground structures as their tombs and started hollowing out burial places deep into the cliffs for themselves. There are 63 known tombs of kings, princes and high officials in the royal valley, but recent excavations have uncovered the entrances to two possible new ones. Of course, the most famous tomb in the Valley has to be that of Tutankhamen, KV62. Discovered by Howard Carter and Lord Carnaervon in 1922, it is the only intact pharoah's burial to have been discovered so far in the Valley.
There is a new visitors centre at the entrance and you can catch a little road train to take you up to the main valley. Take plenty of water (there is nowhere in the main valley to buy it), wear sensible shoes as there is a lot of climbing and rough surfaces to be navigated, wear a hat and use plenty of sunscreen!
The West Bank - The Valley of the Queens
The Valley of the Queens contains the tombs of between 75 and 80 Queens and royal children of the New Kingdom. The most famous tomb in the Valley is undoubtedly that of Nefertari, the beautiful wife of the the great Ramesses II. This exquisitely decorated, jewel-like tomb is very seldom open to the public, but there are several tombs that are open and can be visited.
The West Bank - The Valley of the Nobles
The nobles and high officials of the New Kingdom also dug their tombs on the West Bank, and many have been excavated and can be visited. The modern town of Gurneh was built over many of the tombs, and most of it has recently been demolished and the families moved to a new village. Unlike the tombs of the pharoahs which contain mainly religious texts and images, the tombs of the nobles contain scenes of daily life such as hunting, agriculture and celebrations
The West Bank - Deir el Medina, The Workmen's Village
Deir el Medina is the excavated village of the workmen and their families who worked on the digging and decoration of the royal tombs and the building of the mortuary temples. It was excavated and documented between 1922 qnd 1951 and has produced a wealth of material relating to the daily life of ordinary people in Ancient Egypt. Thousands of papyri and ostraca (limestone flakes that were used for recording information) have been discovered that comprise of personal letters, records of sales, contracts, prayers and examples of Egyptian literature. There are several well decorated tombs that are open to the public and a temple dating to the Ptolemaic period, as well as the remains of the workmen's houses themselves
The West Bank - Deir el Bahri
If the pharoah's chose to hide their tombs in the clefts and crannies of the Valley of the Kings, they built their moruary temples in front of the cliffs in plain sight. The most beautiful of these temples has to be that of the female pharoah Hatshepsut, built into a natural bay in the cliffs at Deir el Bahri. Hatshepsut was the wife of the pharoah Thutmosis II and took over the regency when he died and his successor Thutmosis III was only a child. She then assumed the full role of pharoah and had herself depicted as a male on temple walls and as statues. The temple rises to several levels and you can even see the roots of the myrrh trees that had been brought back from the legendary expedition to Punt and planted.
The West Bank - Medinet Habu
Medinet Habu is the mortuary temple of Ramesses III, the last great pharoah of the New Kingdom. It is famous for the reliefs of his defeat of the Peoples of the Sea and is also the likely location of the infamous Harem Conspiracy where a plot to assassinate the pharoah was hatched. It is a very large temple and continued as an important administrative centre long after the end of Ramesses's reign.
The West Bank - The Ramesseum
The Ramesseum is the mortuary temple of the great pharoah Ramesses II. It was built too close to the floods of the Nile, so only portions remain. There is a well-preserved hypostyle hall, where you can still see the bright colours that the whole temple was originally painted with. There is also a palace complex attached to the temple and extensive magazines for storage. In front of the temple is a vast fallen statue of Ramesses II that once stood about 70 feet high and would have weighed in the region of 1,000 tons. It is famous for having been the statue that inspire Shelly's well-known poem Ozymandias.
The West Bank - The Colossi of Memnon
The Colossi of Memnon are two huge statues of the pharoah Amenhotep III, that stand at what used to be the entrance of his mortuary temple. One of the statues reputedly used to 'sing' at dawn, due to damage incurred during an earthquake. Recent excavations in the mortuary temple itself have uneathed a lot of artefacts including many fine statues of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet
The West Bank - The Best Way To See It!
To see the whole of the West Bank laid out below you in the early morning sun, book a trip on a hot air ballon. Gently glide over all the monuments, the cliffs, the villages and the green of the cultivation. It's an early start, but well worth it!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Ancient Egypt Temples of Egypt Pics
The facade of the Temple of Rameses II; Abu Simbel
Great Temple of Amun in Karnak in Modern Luxor, Egypt 1
Great Temple of Amun in Karnak in Modern Luxor, Egypt 1
Great Temple of Amun in Karnak in Modern Luxor, Egypt 1
Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahri, Luxor, Egypt
Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahri, Luxor, Egypt
Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahri, Luxor, Egypt
Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahri, Luxor, Egypt
Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahri, Luxor, Egypt
Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahri, Luxor, Egypt
Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahri, Luxor, Egypt
Ancient Egypt Temples of Egypt info
Ancient Egypt_Temples of Egypt
Abu Simbel Temple
Perhaps after the Giza pyramids, or coincident with them, the great temple of Abu Simbel presents the most familiar image of ancient Egypt to the modern traveler and reader. When the conservation efforts to preserve the temple from the soon-to be built High Aswan Dam and its rising waters were begun in the 1960s, images of the colossal statues filled newspapers and books. The temples were dismantled and relocated in 1968 on the desert plateau, 200 feet above and 600 feet west of their original location.
Abu Simbel lies south of Aswan on the western bank of the Nile, 180 miles south of the First Cataract in what was Nubia. The site was known as Meha in ancient times and was first documented in the 18th Dynasty, when Ay and Horemheb had rock-cut chapels hewn in the hills to the south.
The facade of the Temple of Rameses II; Abu Simbel
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Karnak Temple
Karnak describes a vast conglomerate of ruined temples, chapels and other buildings of various dates. The name Karnak comes from the nearby village of el-Karnak. Whereas Luxor to the south was Ipet-rsyt, Karnak was ancient Ipet-isut, perhaps the most select of Places. Theban kings and the god Amun came to prominence at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. From that time, the temples of Karnak were built, enlarged, torn down, added to, and restored for more than 2000 years.
The ancient Egyptians considered Ipet-Isut as the place of the majestic rising of the first time, where Amun-Ra made the first mound of earth rise from Nun. At Karnak, the high priests recognized a king as the beloved son of Amun, king of all the gods. The coronation and jubilees were also held here. Staffed by more than 80,000 people under Ramesses III, the temple was also the administrative center of enormous holdings of agricultural land.
The largest and most important group in the site is the central enclosure, the Great Temple of Amun proper. The layout of the Great Temple consists of a series of pylons of various dates. The earliest are Pylons IV and V, built by Tutmosis I, and from then on the temple was enlarged by building in a westerly and southerly direction. Courts or halls run between the pylons, leading to the main sanctuary.
The temple is built along two axes, with a number of smaller temples and chapels and a sacred lake. The northern enclosure belongs to Montu, the original god of the Theban area, while the enclosure of Mut lies to the south and is connected with Amun’s precinct by an alley of ram-headed sphinxes. An avenue bordered by sphinxes linked Karnak with the Luxor temple, and canals connected the temples of Amun and Montu with the Nile.
Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten, erected several temples for his new state deity to the east of the central enclosure of Amun. The most conspicuous features of these temples were open courts surrounded by pillars and colossal statues of the king. The temples were dismantled in the post-Amarna period and the stone blocks reused in later structures, especially the pylons built by Horemheb.
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Hatshepsut Temple
The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most dramatically situated in the world. The queen's architect, Senenmut, designed it and set it at the head of a valley overshadowed by the Peak of the Thebes, the "Lover of Silence," where lived the goddess who presided over the necropolis. A tree lined avenue of sphinxes led up to the temple, and ramps led from terrace to terrace. The porticoes on the lowest terrace are out of proportion and coloring with the rest of the building. They were restored in 1906 to protect the celebrated reliefs depicting the transport of obelisks by barge to Karnak and the miraculous birth of Queen Hatshepsut. Reliefs on the south side of the middle terrace show the queen's expedition by way of the Red Sea to Punt, the land of incense. Along the front of the upper terrace, a line of large, gently smiling Osirid statues of the queen looked out over the valley. In the shade of the colonnade behind, brightly painted reliefs decorated the walls. Throughout the temple, statues a
nd sphinxes of the queen proliferated. Many of them have been reconstructed, with patience and ingenuity, from the thousands of smashed fragments found by the excavators; some are now in the Cairo Museum, and others the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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Horus Temple at Edfu
Idfu was the Greek city of Apollinopolis Magna, and is a religious and commercial center. Located about 33 miles south of Isna and 65 miles north of Aswan, this is a friendly town which produces surgar and pottery. It is also a hub of a road network. It was the capital of the second nome (Horus) of Upper Egypt. The main attraction here is the Temple of Horus, which is considered by most to be the best preserved cult temple in Egypt, but there is a mound of rubble to the west of the Temple which is probably the original old city of Djeba. The town was known as Tbot by the early Egyptians, by the Greeks as Apollinopolis Magna and by Atbo during Coptic times. It was the capital of the second nome (Horus) of Upper Egypt.French and Polish teams have excavated some of the ancient city, finding Old Kingdom mastabas and Byzantine house.
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Abu Simbel Temple
Perhaps after the Giza pyramids, or coincident with them, the great temple of Abu Simbel presents the most familiar image of ancient Egypt to the modern traveler and reader. When the conservation efforts to preserve the temple from the soon-to be built High Aswan Dam and its rising waters were begun in the 1960s, images of the colossal statues filled newspapers and books. The temples were dismantled and relocated in 1968 on the desert plateau, 200 feet above and 600 feet west of their original location.
Abu Simbel lies south of Aswan on the western bank of the Nile, 180 miles south of the First Cataract in what was Nubia. The site was known as Meha in ancient times and was first documented in the 18th Dynasty, when Ay and Horemheb had rock-cut chapels hewn in the hills to the south.
The facade of the Temple of Rameses II; Abu Simbel
---------
Karnak Temple
Karnak describes a vast conglomerate of ruined temples, chapels and other buildings of various dates. The name Karnak comes from the nearby village of el-Karnak. Whereas Luxor to the south was Ipet-rsyt, Karnak was ancient Ipet-isut, perhaps the most select of Places. Theban kings and the god Amun came to prominence at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. From that time, the temples of Karnak were built, enlarged, torn down, added to, and restored for more than 2000 years.
The ancient Egyptians considered Ipet-Isut as the place of the majestic rising of the first time, where Amun-Ra made the first mound of earth rise from Nun. At Karnak, the high priests recognized a king as the beloved son of Amun, king of all the gods. The coronation and jubilees were also held here. Staffed by more than 80,000 people under Ramesses III, the temple was also the administrative center of enormous holdings of agricultural land.
The largest and most important group in the site is the central enclosure, the Great Temple of Amun proper. The layout of the Great Temple consists of a series of pylons of various dates. The earliest are Pylons IV and V, built by Tutmosis I, and from then on the temple was enlarged by building in a westerly and southerly direction. Courts or halls run between the pylons, leading to the main sanctuary.
The temple is built along two axes, with a number of smaller temples and chapels and a sacred lake. The northern enclosure belongs to Montu, the original god of the Theban area, while the enclosure of Mut lies to the south and is connected with Amun’s precinct by an alley of ram-headed sphinxes. An avenue bordered by sphinxes linked Karnak with the Luxor temple, and canals connected the temples of Amun and Montu with the Nile.
Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten, erected several temples for his new state deity to the east of the central enclosure of Amun. The most conspicuous features of these temples were open courts surrounded by pillars and colossal statues of the king. The temples were dismantled in the post-Amarna period and the stone blocks reused in later structures, especially the pylons built by Horemheb.
---------------------
Hatshepsut Temple
The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most dramatically situated in the world. The queen's architect, Senenmut, designed it and set it at the head of a valley overshadowed by the Peak of the Thebes, the "Lover of Silence," where lived the goddess who presided over the necropolis. A tree lined avenue of sphinxes led up to the temple, and ramps led from terrace to terrace. The porticoes on the lowest terrace are out of proportion and coloring with the rest of the building. They were restored in 1906 to protect the celebrated reliefs depicting the transport of obelisks by barge to Karnak and the miraculous birth of Queen Hatshepsut. Reliefs on the south side of the middle terrace show the queen's expedition by way of the Red Sea to Punt, the land of incense. Along the front of the upper terrace, a line of large, gently smiling Osirid statues of the queen looked out over the valley. In the shade of the colonnade behind, brightly painted reliefs decorated the walls. Throughout the temple, statues a
nd sphinxes of the queen proliferated. Many of them have been reconstructed, with patience and ingenuity, from the thousands of smashed fragments found by the excavators; some are now in the Cairo Museum, and others the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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Horus Temple at Edfu
Idfu was the Greek city of Apollinopolis Magna, and is a religious and commercial center. Located about 33 miles south of Isna and 65 miles north of Aswan, this is a friendly town which produces surgar and pottery. It is also a hub of a road network. It was the capital of the second nome (Horus) of Upper Egypt. The main attraction here is the Temple of Horus, which is considered by most to be the best preserved cult temple in Egypt, but there is a mound of rubble to the west of the Temple which is probably the original old city of Djeba. The town was known as Tbot by the early Egyptians, by the Greeks as Apollinopolis Magna and by Atbo during Coptic times. It was the capital of the second nome (Horus) of Upper Egypt.French and Polish teams have excavated some of the ancient city, finding Old Kingdom mastabas and Byzantine house.
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7 Wonders of the World - The Great Pyramid of Giza - Egypt
The Great Pyramids of Giza or Gizeh in Egypt
The Egyptian Great Pyramids are probably the most recognised Wonder of the World in terms of the 7 Wonders of the World. Egyptian lore has fascinated the general public and almost every archealogical student the world over for dozens of years.
The search for hidden heiroglyphs and meaning in the unearthed heiroglyphs to date seems to send all and sundry on chases for dreams of uncovering the Great Kings of Egypts' tombs and sarcophicus' and inevatably the lost treasures buried beneath one of the biggest sandpits on earth.
The 3 Great Pyramids of Egypt
The Great Pyramids of Giza
For whatever reason that the purpose for their construction arose, the pyramids remain one of the most massive feats ever accomplished by an ancient civilisation with what some would call the most primitive of building techniques.However, hidden amongst the layout of these pyramids and their internal layouts of aquaducts and chambers is possibly the most purposeful alignments in the order of the stars to which they are attributed and honoured.The Pyramids have been known to provide an exact reflection in time of the star constellation Orion.
The Great Pyramids and the Giza Plateau are situated only a few miles west of modern day Cairo and for 4500 years remained the tallest man made structure. The pyramids were commissioned by the then Kings of the fourth Dynasty around 2450 BCE.
The Great Pyramids are made up of 3 distinctly aligned pyramids known as the largest being the Pyramid of Khufu, the middle being the Pyramid of Khafre and the smallest in the row being the Pyramid of Menkaure. There are also eight smaller pyramids on the plateau which however do not fall into the classification of the Great Pyramids.
There is much speculation about the Egyptians ancients being a star gazing civilisation and much thought and research has been put in to their esoteric nature and relationship to symbolism in their drawings and sculpture.There remains many missing elements to most theorists' conjecture on the subject, but I have to say I do think there is some sort of relationship between their placement of structure in their city to that of the star constellations in orbit above Egypt
View of the Great Pyramid of Giza over the Sphinx
The Great Pyramid of Giza
During the Ancient Egypt period, the Egyptians built pyramids, as tombs to protect the mummified bodies of their Pharaohs and their family. The Egyptians believed life continued after death. Their mummies were meant to stay in the pyramids forever, while the pharaohs spirits travelled to the afterlife.
Historians believe that the triangular shape of the four sides of these huge structures may have been designed to indicate the journey of the pharaoh to the heavens and the afterlife.
Historians believe that the triangular shape of the four sides of these huge structures may have been designed to indicate the journey of the pharaoh to the heavens and the afterlife.
The Egyptians built the pyramids on the west side of the Nile River in the path of the setting sun.
The most famous pyramids of all are those at Giza, just outside the city now known as Cairo in
Egypt. These three massive tombs were built more than 4,500 years ago. The pyramids at Giza were built for Pharaoh Khufu (also known as Cheops), Pharaoh Khaefre and Pharaoh Menkaure.Khufu's pyramid is known as "The Great Pyramid", it is the largest, but appears smaller as it sits on lower ground.
The Great Pyramid of Giza built around 2550 BC was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It covers an area of about five hectares and was approximately 147 metres high. It is one of the largest stone monument on earth and is an example of Egyptian scientific skill - each of its sides aligns almost exactly with north, south, east and west. The Great Pyramid also represents an amazing building effort.
Its sides are built at an angle of 51.5 degrees and it consists of at least 2,300,000 blocks of granite weighing 2.5 tonnes each. At its base are three smaller pyramids one for each of Khufu's queens . Historians think that it took approximately 100,000 men and 20 years to build the Great Pyramid.
How the pyramids were built?
How the pyramids were built remains a mystery. Historians think that the Egyptians organised peasants labourers to work on the project and that each stone was brought by a barge along the Nile from the quarries, lowered into the wooden rollers and dragged by group of workers up the earthen slopes.
As each level of blocks was positioned, sand ramps had to be built so that the next layer of stones could be moved into position,once all the blocks were in place, a smooth covering of limestone was placed on the outside of the pyramid. This meant the pyramid could be seen from a great distance, sparkling brilliantly in the strong sunlight.
Architects designed the inside of the pyramids to include chambers, tunnels and storerooms. Artists covered the wall with beautiful paintings of the pharaoh's life and sculptors carved many intricate scenes. These paintings still exist and give us a very good idea about what life was like for the important people of those times.
One of the biggest problems facing the builders of these enormous tombs was creating secret passages or false tombs, to trick the grave robbers.
The Pyramids
Khufu - Khufu's great Pyramid was surrounded by mastaba tombs build for the wealthy elite
and three queens pyramids. Originally there was a mortuary temple attached to the pyramid but this was vanished. It is the largest but appears smaller as it sits on lower ground.Khaefre - Khaefre was Khufu's son. Khaefre's pyramid is smaller than the Great Pyramid, but looks larger because it was built on higher ground.
Menkaure - The grandson of Khufu, Menkaure, built one large pyramid, plus three smaller pyramids for the most important royal women.
Guarding the Royal Pyramids
The pyramid of the Pharaoh Khaefre is guarded by the Sphinx -- a huge limestone statue of a lion with the head of a man, presumably that of the pharaoh himself. Egyptians believed that th
e Giza sphinx was a form of the sun god.For most of its 4500 year life, the Sphinx was covered in sand.
Pollution from nearby cars and factories in modern times resulted in large amounts of the Sphinx being worn away. However, the Egyptian government has recently restored parts of
Ancient egypt
Ancient Egypt was a civilization in eastern North Africa concentrated along the middle to lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern nation of Egypt. The civilization began around 3150 BC[1] with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over the next three millennia.[2] Its history occurred in a series of stable periods, known as kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods. After the end of the last kingdom, known as the New Kingdom, the civilization of ancient Egypt entered a period of slow, steady decline, during which Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers. The rule of the pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when the early Roman Empire conquered Egypt and made it a province.[3]
The civilization of ancient Egypt thrived from its adaptation to the conditions of the Nile River Valley. Controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which fueled social development and culture. With resources to spare, the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early development of an independent writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and a military that defeated foreign enemies and asserted Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a divine pharaoh who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people through an elaborate system of religious beliefs.[4][5]
Map of ancient Egypt, showing major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BC to 30 BC)
The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians included a system of mathematics, quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that facilitated the building of monumental pyramids, temples and obelisks, faience and glass technology, a practical and effective system of medicine, new forms of literature, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, and the earliest known peace treaty.[6] Egypt left a lasting legacy: art and architecture were copied and antiquities paraded around the world, and monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of tourists and writers for centuries. A newfound respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy for Egypt and the world.[7]
The civilization of ancient Egypt thrived from its adaptation to the conditions of the Nile River Valley. Controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which fueled social development and culture. With resources to spare, the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early development of an independent writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and a military that defeated foreign enemies and asserted Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a divine pharaoh who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people through an elaborate system of religious beliefs.[4][5]
Map of ancient Egypt, showing major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BC to 30 BC)
The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians included a system of mathematics, quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that facilitated the building of monumental pyramids, temples and obelisks, faience and glass technology, a practical and effective system of medicine, new forms of literature, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, and the earliest known peace treaty.[6] Egypt left a lasting legacy: art and architecture were copied and antiquities paraded around the world, and monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of tourists and writers for centuries. A newfound respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy for Egypt and the world.[7]
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