EGYPT: THE LAND OF PHARAOHS (Part 2)

Nile River is the lifeline of Egypt and is the longest river in Africa; an ancient civilization developed and thrived along the banks of this river. I had never been to any river cruises before but the very idea of cruising in this river was exhilarating. The program was to start from Aswan city sailing to Luxor covering all important landmarks and temples en-route and finally an experience of hot air balloon ride.

DAY 1:

We boarded the cruise ship in the morning and excited as we were, even before we were shown our cabins some of us thought of quickly exploring the ship. MS Mirage 1 was a 5-star deluxe cruise with lounges and reading areas, library, a sun deck and another shaded deck, a discotheque, swimming pool, a restaurant, work-out room and gift shops. All the cabins and suites were river facing. Below are some of the pictures of the cruise.

After freshening up and a buffet lunch we set out for first place of visit – the Unfinished Obelisk. Obelisks are vertically tall tapered structures pointed at the top made up of usually single granite stone block. Some say that Obelisks were a connection between earth and heaven and symbolizes the sun god – Ra. The unfinished obelisk that we visited is the largest unfinished obelisk in the world. The obelisk, if completed, would have easily been the largest monolithic one in the world measuring at 137 feet. It was thought to be commissioned by the female pharaoh Hatshepsut some 3500 years ago. The reason for non-completion was the appearance of cracks in the granite slab and due to this very reason the entire structure was abandoned by workers.

Interesting Fact #1 – Ancient Egyptians always placed a pair of Obelisks outside their temple; these structures were believed to be protection shields. There are a total of some 30 obelisks out of which 8 are in Egypt.

Tip to travelers – Afternoons are very hot, please carry a hat, umbrella, sunscreen lotion and a bottle of mineral water.

We were taken to this temple in a boat as it is located in an island. Initially when Aswan low dam was constructed, the entire temple went under water in 1902 and was later rescued and restored in 1979, a joint effort by Egypt Government and UNESCO. Temple of Philae was built as a tribute to goddess Isis; the goddess of fertility, magic and healing. The temple is considered sacred by Egyptians and Nubians alike as it is believed to be the burial ground of Osiris; god of afterlife and rebirth and the husband of Isis. The temple has a main entrance, a courtyard, an entrance to enter the inner sanctum, a birth-house dedicated to Horus, son of Osiris and Isis and Kiosk of Trajan (Pharaoh’s bed). Words fail to explain how beautiful the temple compound is and how glorious is the architecture.

We got up really early (a 3AM wake-up call!), all geared up for Abu Simbel tour. The plan was to witness the sunrise in the Sahara desert en-route so we set out when it was still dawn. The tour is done as a part of a police convoy for all tourists due to security reasons. Our bus started at around 4:15-4:30AM. The distance from Aswan to Abu Simbel is almost 280Kms and we were to reach the destination by 8AM. The moment the trip started, almost all of us promptly fell asleep. Our trip manager woke us all up for the sunrise view and early breakfast and yes….it was a splendid view! A ride through the greatest deserts of the world, witnessing the rising sun and the sun-kissed dunes in Sahara was indeed a magical sight. The temple of Abu Simbel was even more enthralling. Abu Simbel temples are situated in the banks of lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world named after the then ruling President Gamal Abdel Nasser. The majestic temple was built by the famous King Ramses II for himself and for his wife, Nefertari. The four 20-metre high statues of Ramses II embracing the entrance will take your breath away. What a sight to behold! Near to the temple of Ramses II, you will find equally colossal statues of his queen, Nefertari! The entire temple was reconstructed in 1968 by UNESCO and hoisted 60-meter above and 200-meter away from their actual location in order to avoid submergence in water owing to the construction of Aswan dam. The relocation project was one of the most notable ones in history. The visit to the temple is something which cannot be missed at any cost. While travelling back, we spotted vast stretches of mirage. From a distance we could see long patches of water, only it was not! It was just an illusion caused by refraction of light and was an amazing view. Afterwards we were taken to Aswan High Dam, Lake Nasser and we also got a glimpse of the Soviet-Egyptian lotus-shaped friendship memorial.

Tip to Travelers: Please carry a scarf/hat/umbrella, some sunscreen lotion and water along with you.

In the evening, we visited the twin temple of Kom Ombo. The temple is unique as it has duplicate halls, courtyard and rooms dedicated for 2 set of gods – the Crocodile god, Sobek and the Falcon headed god, Horus. The duality of the structure is something rare and is awe inspiring – one section for the so-called wicked god Sobek who was believed to be associated with Seth, enemy of Horus and the other identical part for Horus himself. There is a crocodile museum nearby where large number of mummified crocodiles can be found.

Interesting Fact #2: The temple of Kom Ombo has a 5000-old structure called Nilometer which was used by ancient Egyptians to measure the level of Nile’s water so as to determine whether there will be a flood or a famine.

Next day was relatively lighter on schedule, only trip that was planned was a visit to Temple of Horus, built during the Ptolemy Dynasty; the temple is dedicated to the falcon headed god, Horus. Beautiful and massive reliefs adorn the entrance gate and depict stories of Ptolemy King, Neos Dionysos. As you enter the temple, you will find a huge courtyard followed by the Room of the Gods. Almost all the temples of Egypt have interesting hieroglyphic panels and reliefs illustrating fascinating legends from Ancient Egypt.

Nile cruise will pass through Esna Lock Gates and is one of the exciting things to see while onboard. It is basically passing from high water level to low water level through the lock gates where water is pumped in for a smooth passage. We passed Esna Lock Gates in the afternoon. Our cruise had to wait in queue before we could actually experience the passage through two different water levels. The fun part was the small merchandize boats that were moving alongside us and throwing their goods on the deck for you to see. Well, if you are interested then just drop the money from the ship else just throw back their goods. The entire exchange and throwing things back and forth was really amusing, something that I never experienced before. I was also a bit worried thinking what if the money did not reach them or we accidentally drop something in the river. But the entire episode was entertaining and we had good fun.