The Egyptian Museum and a Flight to Aswan

February 08, 2023

After three nights and a final wonderful breakfast at the beautiful Nile Tower Hotel, we loaded our suitcases on to the bus and headed off to our tour of the famous Egyptian Museum. For anyone planning a stay in Cairo, you cannot go wrong at this hotel. If you need a bar, though, for a late night drink, this would not be your place. The hotel was recently purchased by a Saudi company and no longer serves alcohol.

We arrived at the museum in a light mist but, in the anticipation of the moment, no one seemed to be bothered by it. Mayer arranged for group headsets for interpretations for us, and after a quick test we headed inside.

It’s difficult to try to summarize all that we covered while at the museum, but I’ll try to break into a couple of categories.

As you can imagine, knowing even a little about the history of Egypt, you can expect that most of our focus would be on the discoveries of so many antiquities. The first lessons centered on the reign and the deaths of the Royal couple from about 1400 BC known as Yuya and Tuya. An entire hallway of the museum features the artifacts from their time. The most highly visited section, of course, contains the artifacts found in the tomb of Tutankhamen.

In order to discuss all those artifacts, a review of mummification and burial processes needs to be considered. Photos will follow.

When a person of high ranking dies, in order to be mummified, some of their organs (lungs, kidneys, stomach, liver) are removed and mummified and saved in special jars (or, in the case of King Tut, miniature coffins) which will be placed in the tomb with the body, and they are then treated with a special oil before being wrapped in linen. The eyes and the brain are also removed but discarded as they tend to hasten the decomposition of the body.

Next, an ornamental mask is placed on the body which is then placed in the coffin. Understand that in some cases multiple coffins are used and placed inside one another much like those Russian nesting dolls. The coffin(s) is then placed into a large stone sarcophagus before the tomb is sealed.

Yuya and Tuya Photos

Tutankhamen Area Photos

ALSO IN THE MUSEUM

Lunch was alongside the Nile at the Riverbank Eatery and Cafe. Great views along the River and a menu that included just about whatever your tastes desired. I broke down and ordered a cheese burger, which was cooked perfectly, and a mango smoothie. Great spot.

After a pleasant flight from Cairo to Aswan, we have checked in to our new hotel, where we will be for a couple of nights. It is the Aswan Sonesta Nuba, and we all have individual cabins right here on the bank of the Nile. I have to say, first impressions are very positive. But as it turns out, the internet here sucks.