As much as we tease our guide, Mayer Magdy, about his use of the word AMAZING, this day truly met his description. We have been seeing all kinds of historical sites, temples, tombs, and other significant features. So when today’s itinerary indicated that we were going to see two more temples, there was a collective, let’s not say groan, but a deep intake of breath from all. Boy, were we wrong to think that! Mayer would not have wasted our time on something that was less than what we would want to see.
We were told that we should expect to have breakfast at 6 o’clock this morning, and that we needed to be in the reception area of the hotel no later than 6:45. We boarded the bus at seven and again headed toward Thebes, on the west side of the river.
Medinat Habu
Not exactly on everybody’s list of temples they had to see in Egypt, is it? I, in fact had never even heard of it, and my guidebook only mentions it briefly. In fact, the guide says that, despite its size and detail compared to the better-known Karnak, it is one of the less-visited sites in Thebes. It is, in fact, the most magnificent temple that we have visited.
I’m sure you can look up all the details on the Internet, and see even more pictures, but the brief story on this temple is that it was built in the time of Ramses III, and is dedicated to the god Amun-Ra. The outer, public section tells the stories of his battles to conquer the Hittites and the brutal consequences of his final victory over them. The inner sanctum, however, was only visited by the high priests of his time and tells of his relationships with the gods in efforts to ensure his immortality.
Some of what makes this temple unique is that the plaster into which the carving of the hieroglyphics is done is considerably thicker than found anywhere else. This makes the relief of the depicted figures thicker than usual and makes the carving jump out even more to the viewer. The painting was also different, painted in more varied and brighter colors.
Ramses holding his Hittite enemies by the hair and smiting them.
In the next two photos, Ramses’ brutality towards his vanquished enemies is on display. In the first photo, his people are shown counting the pile of amputated hands of the conquered warriors, the idea being that they would never again be able to lift a sword against him or his forces. But that wasn’t enough for him.
Ramses also declared that those warriors should not be allowed to reproduce other warriors that might rise up against him, so, as a result, his scribes are shown counting the pile of amputated male organs collected. Why not just kill them? Because he wanted to make an example for any others that might consider taking on the dynasty of Egypt.
The Inner
Sanctum
Mayer knows the people that own a coffee shop right across the street from the temple (of course he does), so when we finished the “on our own” exploring, we reconvened for a beverage of choice.
Fresh lemon drink with mint
How about a cup of Egyptian coffee?
Just passing by…
The Ramesseum
Ramses II ruled Egypt for 67 years in the 19th Dynasty and built his mortuary, also dedicated to Amun-Ra, over a twenty year period to impress his subjects and to increase his prospects for immortality. It is mostly in ruins now, scattered about the area, but still holds some interest for Mayer and his fortunate guests. It was dominated by a 60-foot high, 1000 ton granite colossus of the king which is now broken into several pieces and is lying on its side. Other interesting artifacts abound.
This unique sphinx, with head of a jackel, was part of the Ramsesseum, but when enlarged (click on it), one can see what look like tiny windows in the far hillside which were actually tombs of the noblemen of the time, since they didn’t qualify to be interred in the nearby (just over the top of the mountain) Valley of the Kings.
The Carter House
I’ve included a photo of the pots below because they show the drinking water system used in the house. They get filled with generally unsuitable water which eventually seeps thru the clay and into a basin below, providing filtered water for household use.
Again, I’m sure that the interested reader can find much more information about Mr. Carter and his discoveries online.
The “Bonus” at Carter House: King Tut Tomb Replica
Lunch at the house of Mayer’s Friend, Abdul
In his effort to be sure we got exposed to, and appreciated, the kind of meal that a typical Egyptian family might eat, Mayer took us down a back alley and to the residence of his friend, Abdul.
This is where Abdul’s mother cooked a “Thanksgiving meal” for us. It started with bread and a bowl of delicious lentil soup followed by a salad plate. We were soon served courses of cabbage rolls, rice, potatoes in a red sauce, a spinach dish, a beef “stew,” grilled chicken, most of which are pictured below, followed by a banana for dessert.
Other scenes from today:
My “new look”cost me a baksheesh (tip/bribe)
of 20 pounds Egyptian.
Group Photo at Ramesseum
Dates spread out and drying in a field
A pretty common sight
Finally, a return to the hotel and a dip in the pool with a Caribbean-style beverage.
This was a long post, but I hope you enjoyed it.
We meet in the lobby tomorrow at 4:45 am to head for our sunrise balloon ride, then are “off” until the afternoon for a trip to Karnak and Luxor temples.
Thanks for following!
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