Showing posts with label ancient egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ancient egypt. Show all posts

Thursday, June 4, 2009

For the Adventure of a Lifetime, Check out the Nile


Hi everybody, a friend of mine "Nick" is in the middle of a love story with the Nile River, and I borrowed his passionate words to discribe the beauty of the Nile banks, here is what he said when I asked him about the Nile.

Imagine yourself exploring ancient Egypt, taking in the vistas once ruled by Pharaohs, and traveling along the Nile, one of the world’s largest rivers, and arguably the river most imbued with the history, architecture, and culture that made ancient Egypt the richest, most powerful kingdom in the world.


We’ve traveled extensively throughout Egypt, and feel there’s no better way to experience this fascinating, historical country than one of the many river cruises that travel along the Nile. A few longer cruises (ten to twelve days, mostly), go from Cairo all the way to Aswan, but most travelers choose a shorter four-day cruise from Luxor to Aswan, since most of the main attractions are between those areas. There are many options available, but in researching your Nile river cruise, be sure to see these can’t-miss sights:


Abu Simbel

This amazing place consists of two huge temples that were originally carved into the mountainside during the reign of Ramesses II as a monument to his power and victory during the Battle of Kadesh. Something very interesting about this massive structures is that they were completely relocated in the 1960s to avoid their being submerged when Lake Nasser was created. Abu Simbel is one of the top tourist attractions in all of Egypt.

Karnak

A massive campus of ruins, temples, chapels, and other buildings, Karnak is the largest ancient religious site in the world. Most tourists concentrate their visit on the Precinct of Amun-Re, which features the Great Hypostyle Hall, an area filled with 134 of the most massive columns you’ll ever see.

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is essentially an enormous graveyard! For almost 500 years, this was the spot where major royal figures and other privileged people were buried. There are currently 63 known tombs and chambers, some just a simple pit in the ground, some extremely opulent and enormous. The Valley is probably most notable for the discovery of the tomb of King Tut.

More Temples

Don’t miss these temples, either! The Temple of Hatshepsut is an homage to the “Foremost of Noble Ladies,” the female pharaoh who is generally seen as one of the most successful pharaohs to rule ancient Egypt. Another can’t-miss is the Temple of Kom Ombo, which is a strange “double” temple dedicated to two different gods, and is therefore split down the middle and perfectly symmetrical. Finally, don’t miss Luxor Temple, which sits next to Karnak and approaches Karnak’s grandeur.

This short guide is by no means an exhaustive list of everything you must see and do on your cruise along the Nile, but hopefully it’ll give you some idea of what this fabulous river has to offer. Filled with the history, culture, and romance that make every vacation special, a cruise along the Nile will be a trip you’ll never forget.


Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Most Beautiful Temples On Earth



Abu Simbil, the city of love and beauty, the capital of culture, a city which holds in its folds the most beautiful and amazing temples in the world..

They are the famous temples of Abu Simbil, and the Ramsis the 2nd temple, which he had built to honour the god of love and beauty “Hat-hoor”, then he gave it to his most beloved wife the beautiful “Nefertary”.

Abu Simbil became famous when the High Dam was built in Aswan across the Nile River, because these temples were threatened to drown in the Nile, If it weren’t for the 51 countries that held together with Egypt in order to move the entire structures to higher grounds, the world’s culture will stay forever thankful to these countries.

Now, the reason why these are the world’s most extraordinary temples is that they were carved into the body of a mountain a structure like that isn’t found anywhere else on earth.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Top 10 Places To Visit In Egypt



Egypt is the most mysterious place on earth, The taste of Ancient Egyptian Mysticism still lingers in the air, This ancient atmosphere really does give you the feeling that secrets are yet to be revealed. Maybe you could be lucky to reveal some secrets yourself, here's where to find them:

1- Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx
These pyramids of kings Khufu, Kafhre, and Menkaura, are the greatest tombs on earth in means of size and structure, these perfectly shaped structures leave anybody seeing them with the mysterious questions of how they were built.
As for the Sphinx, the saying "The riddle of the Sphinx" is full of meaning because archaeologies until this day still argue about its purpose and orgin

2- Abu Simbil
Ramsis II had these two temples built in order to give himself and his wife Nevertari mortality, It is said that these two temples are of the most beautiful in Egypt and the world, What is also extraordinary is that these temples were relocated in order to avoid the floods in the late years of the 20th century.

3- Cairo, The capital of culture
Cairo isn't the place you would want to miss, if you really want to dive in Egyptian culture Cairo is the place to go, full of luxurious bazaars and great restaurants makes it your chance to grab a bite from Egypt.

4- Al Azhar Gardens
As one of the most beautiful parks in the world. Al Azhar Gardens remains a landmark in Cairo, where you can catch a panoramic view of the old city, and it's spectacular minarets.

5- Temples of Karnak

This is where the ancient Egyptians worshipped their gods, This temple holds a monument of almost every single god in the Theban religion.

6- The Nile River

Who would be willing to miss the famous Nile Cruise? Yes that's right, Nobody.
It is the reason why all the other wonders are present, the legendary river has been the vein of life in Egypt for thousands of years, and it is said that the Nile river will be the last water source to dry out on earth, what else could be magic?

7- Valley of the Kings

The most sacred place of the Pharaohs, this is where the most esteemed kings were buried , present there are many mummies and lots of un-revealed treasures, in fact the most famous mummy was found there "Tutankhamun".

8- The Egyptian Museum

After visiting where the treasures were found, you sure would want to see what was found, if that's the case then the Egyptian Museum is the place to go.

9- Siwa Oasis
If Alexander the great liked this place, Why wouldn't you? Egypt is not all about monuments and Pharaohs, this place is one where you could loosen up a bit and take a swim in the cool waters in the middle of the desert.

10- Hurgada & Sharm El-Sheikh
Two world ranked resorts also well known for the great coral reefs and scuba diving sports, Here you can swim in the spectacular waters of the red sea, or dance your hips of at the famous bars and discos.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Ancient Egypt Pyramids"New Pyramid Found"


"Image copyrights Yahoo.com 2008"

I heard a rumour on the 10th of November that a new Pyramid was discovered In "Sakkara" area, on the next day the rumour was confirmed by the Egyptian press & media, the BBC, and yahoo news.

Now Egypt has 118 revealed Pyramids and lots more hidden ones, The Egyptian Antiques Chief thought it to belong to the mother of a Pharaoh who ruled more than 4,000 years ago who is said to be Queen Sesheshet, the mother of King Teti, founder of the 6th Dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom.