Desert Hot Air Balloon Ride
Amy signed us up for this attraction, the first that's not a temple or museum. We soared to as high as 2200 feet and hovered at around 500 feet. From here we could see the Valley of the Kings and many temples including that of Hatshepsut. We managed to touch back down on dry land.

Inflating our hot air steed to ride the skies. As one we rise into the sky. Looking west we see the dwellings of the tomb builders. And to the east the Egyptian sun god Ra rises on his two solar boats as he as done for millennia. More balloons over the Valley of the Kings. Soaring 2200 feet above the desert, we could see the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, Hatshepsut's Temple and much more (though not so clear from this height.) Hatshepsut's Temple. Roman Ruins (more later). Carter House where Howard Carter stayed during his excavations. Two seated statues mark the side of a new dig. We were headed to land in this muddy field. Fortunately the crew arrived and, with some heavy rope tugging and hot air lift assist we manage to set down on dry land. However, the crew's shoes were caked with mud.

The Colossi of Memnon
The Colossi of Memnon are two gigantic statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III seated on his thrown facing the rising sun. Standing 60 feet tall, they are built from blocks of quartzite sandstone mined near the modern day city of Cairo. Constructed in 1250 BC, they guard the ruined Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III. Unfortunately, the temple itself was slowly dismantled over the centuries to provide building materials for new temples.

One of the Colossi of Memnon Both of the Colossi of Memnon


Valley of the Kings
For a period of nearly 500 years from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth Dynasty (1550 BC to 1077BC), rock-cut tombs were excavated for pharaohs and powerful nobles in what today is known as the Valley of the Kings. Sitting on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes (modern-day Luxor), the valley is a wadi, a riverbed that is only wet when heavy rains occur. The Valley of the Kings contains 65 known tombs and chambers constructed for pharaohs including Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Seti I, Thutmose III, and Merenptah. Unfortunately, many of the 65 tombs are either unfinished or were looted over the centuries.

The idea for establishing this royal burial ground is thought to have originated with Thutmose I, who opted to conceal his tomb far from his mortuary temple in an effort to deter tomb robbers. Subsequent pharaohs did the same, changing a tradition that had endured for close to 2,000 years. Of course, one tomb could have remained concealed...65 not so much. Within the tombs and along the walls of the Valley of the Kings, inscriptions from the Book of the Dead provided instructions on how the pharaohs could safely journey to the next world and avoid the dangers that lay on the way. And the walls of the royal tombs are decorated with many scenes from Egyptian mythology and daily life. For the sake of preservation, only a handful of the most interesting tombs are open to visitors at any given time.

Entering the Valley of the Kings. As we enter the tomb of Ramses IV, on the immediate left we see the King receiving the Ankh from the goddess Hathor. The entrance passage to the crypt. As you can see, the walls and ceilings are covered with hieroglyphs and graphics. Some of the many wall paintings. Some of the ceiling paintings. The King with his god and goddess buddies sailing on his solar boat to the afterlife. Entering the tomb of the son of Ramses II we again see him receiving the Ankh from Hathor. And again we see the passage way to the crypt. Here we see paintings on the lintel. And again the solar boat. The sarcophagus of Tutankhamun. The mummy of Tutankhamun is the only one in the Valley. The rest have been moved to museums. (I was disappointed to not see his donkey!) Looking up a portion of the Valley of the Kings. The dwellings of the laborers that built the tombs.

The Temple of Hatshepsut is a mortuary temple built c.1749 BC during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Egypt's second female pharaoh. A mortuary temple was a temples that was erected in the vicinity of a royal tomb. Built into the face of steep cliffs, unlike any other funerary temples of the New Kingdom period the temple is made of limestone instead of sandstone. Hatshepsut’s successor, Thutmose III, attempted to remove her name from the temple and many images of the queen were damaged or destroyed during his reign.

The Temple of Hatshepsut is the one you often see on TV with its broad avenue. However, because of the many steps leading into the temple, this is as close as I got.

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To Day 4 - Temples of Hathor & Luxor To Day 6 - Kom Ombo Temple