Breakfast on the roof, met Catherine, Eva, and Jeanette who are college grads from Maryland and Connecticut.We meet downstairs and load into the van to start our day. We are headed to the Theban Necropolis on the West bank. The city of Luxor, on the East bank, was originally called Thebes (or the City of 100 gates) and was the capital. Across the Nile on the West bank, they created the City of the Dead - one huge cemetery. The reason for creating these underground tombs was to prevent the grave robberies that were taking place at the pyramids. The hill is also pyramid shaped. We are able to visit three tombs here: Ramses I, II, and V/VI.
The entrance has police guarding it (like the other places we visit) but they just sit in the shade by their vehicles.
No cameras are allowed in the tombs, so Mister leaves his camera in the van. Ragab explains the history and what to look for at the entrance to each tomb. No guides are allowed in the tombs, to reduce the noise and crowding inside and (supposedly) to reduce talking which causes moisture contamination in the tombs. Each tomb entrance is above ground and then a descent into the chambers. Picturing the effort that it must have taken to build and decorate these boggles the mind, but the fact that each one has this massive sarcophagus made of granite deep in the interior is absolutely overwhelming. How in the world did they get them in there? The artisans of the time were perfectionists and it shows in the colors and detail of the work inside the tombs -- simply incredible. As we are entering the 3rd tomb, Eva has managed to lose her ticket and the guard is not going to allow her in. Mister tries telling him that she has been with us all along and as I offer to give up my ticket for her, he relents and she is allowed in. We meet back up with Ragab and grab a tram to head to the exit. Young boys are hopping from tram to tram trying to sell "souvenir" items; they can be very persistent.
We return to the van and drive through the Valley of the Nobles, seeing various tombs from the road and stop in at an alabaster shop where local craftsmen carve figurines and dishes from alabaster found in the area. We are given a short lesson on alabaster and shown how to tell the difference between the real thing and the fake items we see in the souvenir stands. They treat us to a drink and I find a cool hand-carved white alabaster sea turtle to take home with me.
I ask the price and feel that it is too much so put it back. The shopkeeper starts asking me why and I try to explain that I HATE the haggling. Just give me a fair price and I will pay it. I give up and go sit down to visit with Ragab and Mister continues the haggling and gets the turtle for me. I just dislike the whole process so very much and share that with Ragab who tells me that it is in all aspects of life here -- not just for tourists. He says if he even stops for a bottle of water -- he has to haggle each and every day as well. I think it would get so old.
Back into the van and our next stop is Deir-al-Bahri or The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (pronounced like Hot Chicken Soup), the most important woman ever to rule over Egypt as Pharaoh. Although she only ruled for 7 years, it was a time of peace and construction for her people.
The Temple is a sublime piece of architecture and I am astounded with the size of it. Another incredible moment in Egypt.
We return to the van and our next stop is at Medinet Habu, The Mortuary Temple of Ramses III. It is a very large complex in which Hatshepsut built the oldest chapel.
The carvings were deep and still very easy to read. Ragab said that rulers wanted the carving and cartouches deep so they would be hard to alter by future rulers.We notice that many of the carvings and statues have been defaced. We discover that it was done by the Coptics in order to not have any idol worshiping in the land. It is sad to us though -- as one religion fears something, it takes a large chunk of history away along with that fear. It is time to return to the hostel, but a quick stop at the Colossi of Memnon shows us statues over 50 feet tall. One is made of a single solid piece of stone and the other is pieced. They were the gateway to the Theban Necropolis and are said to sing softly at dawn due to a fracture in one of them.
The site is undergoing archaeological work and so quick look is all we are able to have. We are back at the Cleopatra and it is definitely time for showers. We go up for a lunch of Koshary on the roof, enjoying the view of the rural setting.
Mahmoud gives Mister a quick shoulder rub, then we go back to the room for a nap and to cool off a little. Our afternoon activity is a felucca ride on the Nile, so we walk down to the river, passing local shops and restaurants along the way.
We settle in on the boat and glide out onto the river as the boat captain raises the sail.
It is a beautiful evening (down to about 95 degrees) and we relax as we sail towards Banana Island, so named since it has banana plantations on it. We dock at one of the farms and tour the banana grove, learning all about the way that these trees grow. After walking through the grove, we are seated under an awning along the shore of the Nile to sample the bananas and have a drink. We visit for awhile before boarding the boat and making the journey back to the main dock for the return walk to the hostel.
The day comes to an end with visiting on the roof, snacking on watermelon and mangoes, and bed. It is another busy day tomorrow.
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