thefouramigosblog

Our afternoon was spent at the amazing GEM which officially opened last weekend to much fanfare.

What can I say about this museum? First, it is the largest archeological museum in the world and holds over 100,000 artifacts.

Upon entering the Grand Hall, a 36’ statue of Ramesses II holds court among the many visitors.

Walking past Ramesses II, our next site was of the Ptolemaic King and Queen statues. These statues are about 16’ tall and made of pink granite.

As we rode the escalator to the right of the Grand Stairs, we viewed the many beautiful statues. The Grand Stairs runs approximately 6 floors.

At the top of the stairs and in our case escalator, the view was sensational of the pyramids.

Bob took us for a quick tour around the museum. This was his first visit and we could see he was visibly in awe. A statue – Metri a scribe – was from 4000 years ago. Scribes were very respected and they were responsible for reading and writing. Metri has very life-like eyes.

The statue of King Amenhotep II and some of the jewelry from that time.

But the highlight of the museum is the King Tutankhamun exhibits. After visiting his tomb it was hard to believe over 5000 artifacts were discovered there. The famous mask was beautiful and displayed in an enclosed case.

King Tut ruled from 1336 to 1327 BC. The entire collection was presented under one roof for the first time. The following are a few of the thousands of pieces in the museum.

Two of King Tut’s twin daughters are on display but no photos were allowed.

It was an amazing museum with so much to see. Although it took many years to open, it is something Egypt should be proud of for centuries to come.

The museum had many venues to take a break and eat. Bruce and I had a little something.

In the Glass Hall, we came upon another statue of Ramesses II.

As we walked back to our bus, one more look at the pyramids.

Our tickets were $14 per person. And it was well worth the trip.

#gem#grandegyptianmuseum#kingtutankhamun#artifacts#ramessesII#obelisk

We started early this morning touring old Cairo with a Coptic Church and Synagogue on our schedule.

Our first stop, but not off the bus, was the front of the oldest mosque in Egypt the Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-As.

Our next stop was the Coptic Church of Saint Barbara. It was originally built in 684 but was rebuilt in the 11th and 12th centuries due to fire. It is also part of the Fortress of Babylon.

The courtyard holds beautiful mosaics and the church is adorned with inlaid wood.

We walked through alleys with book and photograph sales.

The church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus is where the Holy family are believed to have stayed. This ancient church is located in Old Cairo, and according to tradition, it was built on the spot where Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus took refuge during their flight into Egypt.

The crypt beneath the church, behind the altar, was where the Holy Family supposedly took refuge.

Moving through the alleyways we headed to Ben-Ezra Synagogue. Legend has it that this was the site where baby Moses was found in a basket.

Unfortunately, photos were not allowed so this was the only one from the door. Inside it was decorated with beautifully crafted patterns and inlaid reliefs similar to the Coptic churches but with Menorahs instead of crosses.

Our guide pointed out how the area of Old Cairo is where the three religions converge.

Our next stop was the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. This museum brought us through the times of different civilizations which we had touched upon at the sites.

It also holds the gallery of mummies. Going through this part of the museum, photography was not permitted. Several people tried to take photos but were quickly stopped and the photos deleted. So I definitely wasn’t going to try. Besides I believe when I am in a foreign place I should follow the rules. It is a sign of respect.

The above is part of the Museum of Egyptian Civilization which currently holds 1600 pieces.

Our next stop was the GEM or the Grand Egyptian Museum. But that was so amazing it deserves its own story!

#egypt#cairo#coptic#saintsergius#oldcairo#museumofegyptiancivilization#saintbarbara#benezrasynagogue

Our time on the MS Farah was over. Brief but lovely. I really wish the river cruise was longer.

We stopped at Philae Temple in Aswan. My camera battery has died so unfortunately I can’t show the pictures.

Bruce took one shot but that was it.

This temple was the last one built and it was built in the Greek and Roman style.

Bruce and I stepped away from the crowds and had some cold water sitting by the lake.

After we left there we had a quick bite at McDonald’s. Yes, there are McDonald’s in Egypt.

We visited the Aswan Dam before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Cairo.

And one of the millions of dogs on the streets in Egypt. He was posing for me.

Now we are back in Cairo at the Hilton and will have a busy day tomorrow.

#egypt#aswan#msfarah#river ruise#nileriver#aswandam#mcdonalds#philaetemple#

Today part of our group went on an extra excursion. They had to be up at 4 am for a 4 hour drive and several hours at the site and then a return drive. Bruce and I decided to stay behind which was really nice.

We slept until ten, spent some time on the upper deck, had lunch with a few people and basically chilled out. It was wonderful.

Later today we took a small boat ride along West Bank of the Nile.

Bob pointed out some of the sites along the River, such as the Cataract hotel where the likes of Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill stayed.

The Nubian boys on board were cute and led us in song and dance.

As the sun set we headed back to our ship taking in the beauty of the River.

Tomorrow we leave the ship and tour Aswan before flying back to Cairo.

#egypt#nileriver#nubian#aswan#felucca#cataracthotel

Last night we sailed through the night to Edfu going through several locks.

They were not as impressive as the Panama Canal but fun to see anyhow.

Our wake up time was 6:45 for us to leave by 8am. It was a short ride to Edfu Temple.

It was a large complex built around 300 BC with some Roman and Greek influence during the Ptolemic Dynasty.

The temple is dedicated to the God Horus and first observation is the 37 meter tall pylon.

At the front is a pair of granite statues of Horus as a falcon.

They are quite small compared to the pylon.

This leads into an open courtyard.

At the far end is Hypostyle Hall. Many columns are located inside the Hall and side rooms that housed oils, books, and textiles

And there is an outer wall all containing hieroglyphics.

After the tour of the temple we headed back to the ship for lunch.

In the late afternoon, we saw a beautiful sunset.

This evening we reached Kom Ombo which is located 25 miles north of Aswan to go to the Temple of Kom Ombo which is right on the Nile River.

This temple dates to the Ptolemaic Dynasty from about 205 BC.

Tonight we gazed upon the moon reflecting its light over the temple.

There is a 10-column hall with beautiful relief carvings.

And again the full moon peaking through the temple.

An interesting group of carvings were medical instruments very similar to what we use today.

It was a wonderful evening at the Temple and now we are on to Aswan.

#egypt#nile#edfu#komombo#pylons#

Yesterday we had another early start. It gets too hot in the afternoon to tour these ancient places so the earlier the better.

We visited the Valley of the Kings where kings were entombed to avoid issues with tomb robberies. This began in approximately 1550 BC.

Our first stop was the tomb of King Tutankhamun, which was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter, a British archaeologist. King Tut’s mummy is on display without its wrappings in an environmentally controlled case.

One tomb was a long descent and an equally long ascent. It was not as beautiful as some of the tombs but at the bottom was a sarcophagus and lid.

And another impressive tomb which was an easy walk was covered in beautiful scenes.

The Valley of the Queens is a short drive away and far less crowded. Supposedly one of the most beautiful tombs but it is not open to the public.

We went into the tomb of Titi.

And the tomb of Amun-her-Khepshef with a mummified fetus.

Our next stop was a mortuary temple which we didn’t go into.

We spent the afternoon enjoying the ship and lounging around the pool.

It was a crazy morning. We had to wake at 2 am to catch a flight at 5:30 to Luxor. I had a little bit of a stomach issue and didn’t sleep at all.

Our flight was on time and Bruce took some photos flying over the desert.

Once we arrived in Luxor we were off to Karnak’s Temple. It is one of the world’s largest religious sites and was built over centuries beginning around 1390 BC.

The avenue of the Sphinxes opened in 2021 after over 70 years of excavation.

Obelisks, pylons, and columns each containing carvings telling stories from ancient Egyptian history, stood tall through the complex.

The weather was very warm, in fact, much warmer than Cairo. After our tour, we went to our ship, the MS Farah.

We went to a sound and light show at Karnak Temple last evening after spending the afternoon napping.

The show was entertaining but also brought the history of Karnak Temple in a dramatic presentation.

For dinner, we had lobster and dessert accompanied by live entertainment!

#nileriver#egypt#luxor#karnaktemple#avenueofthesphinxes#msfarah#

We began our day with a light breakfast at the hotel. It was quite a spread but we didn’t really have time to eat since we were meeting at 8 am.

All the Avalon people met our guide in the lobby and headed out in a big bus.

We passed Tahrir Square on our way to the Egyptian Museum.

We drove through Cairo Downtown.

We finally arrived at the Egyptian Museum. This is the old museum. The grand opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum was today.

This is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East.

The Narmer Palette shows early hieroglyphics.

The statue below depicts King Khafre (Khefren to the Greeks), the builder of the second-largest pyramid at Giza. It was found in the valley temple of his pyramid complex.

Behind the King’s head is a falcon, which is the god Horus.

The Cairo scribe is carved and painted. It was discovered in 1893 and depicts the person who recorded and preserved the history and stories about Egypt’s culture.

So many amazing statues and artifacts dating back as far as 5000 years ago.

Rahotep and his wife Nofret were discovered in 1871. They are among the most famous statues of individuals not considered gods or kings. They are almost in perfect condition.

Some other statues at the museum.

We spent approximately three hours in the museum. Our guide Ihab or Bob, gave a very thorough and informative talk.

Bruce and I had some water, a mango smoothie, and a crepe as we waited to board our bus.

Our next stop was the Cairo Citadel. This is the Muhammad Ali Mosque.

It is an impressive fortress from the Middle Ages and it is a monument in Islamic Cairo.

A copper clock tower stands tall above the outer open courtyard of the mosque.

We needed to remove our shoes to go inside the mosque.

Inside is also the shrine of Mohmmed Ali. Not the boxer but a leader whose dynasty ruled for 150 years and his objective was to modernize Egypt.

After we visited the Citadel we returned to our hotel for a hot shower.

Bruce and I had drinks and pastries before dinner.

We ate at a Peruvian restaurant in the hotel. I had a delicious avocado and fruit salad.

Now it’s time for bed. We are meeting at 7:30 tomorrow to head to Giza.

#egypt#egyptianmuseum#rahotep#citadel#islam#misque#mohammadali#khafre#scribe#artifacts