The Ancient Delights of the Middle East

Movenpick Resort Hotel

Hotel | "Beautiful Hotel Awful Guests"

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The hotel is a beautiful hotel with a grand avenue approach to the hotel but it is currently marred by the influx of Russian all inclusive stay holiday makers who are quite rude and well to put it politely ignorant as hell. This is quite a shame otherwise the hotel would have been an ideal stay for us.On arrival you have to pass through a scanner at a security point and all your hand bags are X-rayed and yet daft as it may seem the suitcases then come trundling in with no security check at all? The reception area is open airy and bright.The reception staff are very friendly and efficient and give you your room passes quite swiftly. There is a large communal sitting area here wi...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on September 25, 2009

Movenpick Resort Hotel
P.O. Box 14
Taba, Egypt
+20 69 353 0530

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Movenpick Pyramids

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Hotel | "A Room with a View! (Of the Pyramids)"

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Mövenpick Resort Cairo Pyramids.This is a five star garden hotel within sight of the magnificent pyramids of Giza. The hotel is situated on the outskirts of Cairo approximately one mile from the pyramids and it would be easy to walk to and they are an amazing sight to see. That being said it is about 8 miles into the centre of Cairo through the most horrendous traffic I have ever seen. The Mövenpick group are a Swiss operated hotel chain and have 65 hotels throughout the world.The main lobby consists of a vast open space which includes a check in facility, bank and a souvenir shop. It also houses a buffet restaurant, coffee shop, Thai restaurant patisserie shop and bar. There a...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 25, 2009

Movenpick Pyramids
Alexandria Desert Road
Cairo, Egypt
385 2555

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St. Catherine's Monastery (Santa Katarina)

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Attraction | "Site of the Burning Bush"

St. Catherine's Monastery (Santa Katarina) Photo, Sinai, Egypt

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St. Catherine’s Monastry. Sinai, Eygpt.St. Catharine’s Monastry a designated UNESCO site can be found in Sinai Eygpt at the base of Mount Sinai in a tiny little gorge which appears to be in the middle of nowhere. It is reputed to be the oldest working monastery in the world. It is of significant importance not only for Greek Orthodox Christians but also Islam. It is primarily a Greek Orthodox Christian monastry but within the walls of the monastry there is a mosque for the passing nomadic Bedouins some of whom still live within the walls helping the monks in their day to day lives.It is here at the base of Mount Sinai that it is supposed to be where God ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 25, 2009

St. Catherine's Monastery (Santa Katarina)
Foot of Mount Sinai
Saint Catherine, Egypt

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Egyptian Museum

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Attraction | "More than just Mummies"

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The Egyptian Museum Cairo.We visited the Museum in Cairo one afternoon and in fact you could probably spend a couple of days here as there is so much to see. The museum is housed in a building of great halls built by the French in 1908. The halls are absolutely massive and the security is quite tight here obviously because of the vast collection of priceless treasures and also because of the threat to tourists. Before you enter the Museum you have to go through a scanner to make sure you are not armed or carrying something you should not be carrying. All bags have to go through an x-ray machine and finally random searches are undertaken. It is forbidden to take photos in the museum....Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 24, 2009

Egyptian Museum
Tahrir Square
Cairo, Egypt
+20 (2) 579 6974

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The Great Sphinx

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Attraction | "Face off & We are not Talking about Cage Here"

Giza Pyramids and The Sphinx Photo, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

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The Sphinx.Following on from my review of the great Pyramids of Giza I am now writing a review on the Great Sphinx which is part of the complex of the Pyramids but is worth a separate review in its own right.The great Sphinx is sited at Giza just south of the Pyramids. The Sphinx is a mythological creature half Lion and half human. The lion’s body is lying down and the head represents that of a Pharaoh or the Ram God Amun. In some cultures the Sphinx may be represented by two animals but essentially the statue composes the head of one creature and the body of another and can be found throughout the Middle East and also the far Eastern cultures.In Luxor there is an a...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 23, 2009

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Giza Pyramids and The Sphinx

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Attraction | "Three Delightful Old Gizas"

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The great Pyramids of Giza.Before heading off to Egypt on my holiday I did a little bit of reading to prepare myself for my trip and I was really surprised to learn there are in fact 93 pyramids found throughout Eygpt. When you speak to people about the pyramids most people think of the three great Pyramids at Giza visualising them on the outskirts of Cairo.I was aware that there were other pyramids and had heard about the first pyramid at Saqqara which really did not look like the pyramids that we think about but were rather step pyramids or burial mounds. It was also true that the Pharaoh would have been buried under the ground and the pyramid built over the top of his ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 22, 2009

Giza Pyramids and The Sphinx
Giza Plateau
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

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Hatshepsut Temple - Deir el-Bahri

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Attraction | "The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut"

Hatshepsut Temple - Deir el-Bahri Photo, Luxor, Egypt

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The Queen who would be King.The Mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut otherwise known as the Temple of Deir El-Bahri is a temple in Egypt that is probably better known in recent times where a massacre of tourists occurred recently in 1997. 36 tourists were killed by Islamic terrorists causing a severe decline in Egypt’s tourist industry for which the Egyptian economy relies so much on. Queen Hatshepsut’s actual burial tomb was found in the Valley of the Kings about a mile away by Carter in 1916.In order to improve the safety of Tourists and encourage tourists back to Eygpt the movement set up tourist police to be in attendance where ever tourists were likely to visit. There are a...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 21, 2009

Hatshepsut Temple - Deir el-Bahri
West Bank
Luxor, Egypt

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Kitchener Island

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Attraction | "An island of Peace and Tranquility"

Steering the Felucca Photo, Aswan, Egypt

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Kitchener Island. Aswan.Kitchener Island, otherwise known as Geziret an-Nabatatis in Arabic, is a small island near Aswan and is now a botanical garden. It was given to Lord Kitchener as a token of thanks for his part in suppressing the uprising in the Sudan war. The island is part of two islands the other one being called Elephantine Island. It is only about half a mile long and is oval in shape. It is reached either by motor launch or a traditional Felucca a Nile sailing boat. On our visit about ten of us boarded a felucca which was piloted by a bare footed Nubian chap wearing a Galabaya. We all had to don fluorescent orange Mae West life jackets for the 25 minute sailing acr...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 20, 2009

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Philae Temple Complex

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Attraction | "Fantastic Photogenic Antiquity"

Philae Temple Complex Photo, Aswan, Egypt

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The Temple of Philae.The temple of Philae is perhaps one of the most picturesque temples on the Nile. Prior to the building of the dam it was situated on another small island but because of the building of the lower Nile dam it covered it under the waters of Lake Nasser completely submerging it. The paint was stripped off the temples by the rising and falling of the water levels. It was therefore dismantled into 40,000 blocks piece by piece weighing and estimated 20,000 tons, catalogued and moved to its present site on the Island of Angilika. It took 8 years to move it and reassemble it. You can see pictures of it on the internet submerged in the water.The temple is...Read More

The Temple of Philae.

The temple of Philae is perhaps one of the most picturesque temples on the Nile. Prior to the building of the dam it was situated on another small island but because of the building of the lower Nile dam it covered it under the waters of Lake Nasser completely submerging it. The paint was stripped off the temples by the rising and falling of the water levels. It was therefore dismantled into 40,000 blocks piece by piece weighing and estimated 20,000 tons, catalogued and moved to its present site on the Island of Angilika. It took 8 years to move it and reassemble it. You can see pictures of it on the internet submerged in the water.

The temple is dedicated to Isis and the God Osiris who was the Egyptian God of the afterlife and the underworld. To visit the temple you have to take a small boat over a large expanse of water. It is an absolutely brilliant sight as you see if from afar and get nearer. There is a hive of activity at the landing stage and the boats piloted by local Nubians jostling for a place to offload their passengers to race back and bring more.

Walking up the ramp and stairway you reach the top and are stunned by the sheer beauty of the temple complex. To the right there is a large arena where they hold Sound and light concerts describing the mythology of the great Egyptian Gods. This take place after nightfall when different parts of the temple are lit as the story unfolds.

Beyond this on the right hand side is the superb Roman Hypaethral temple built by the Roman Emperor Trajan. This temple looks like a typical Roman temple which would have had no roof. Apparently at some point during its history a wooden roof was put on the building. Beyond that is a square with numbered large pieces of stone that appears to have lost their way and seem to be spare with no where to go. It is quite a stunning building.

Looking left you see the massive temple complex to Osiris. Walking over to the temple you first enter a massive square surrounded by columned walkways. There are several side chapels leading off from the square. At the top of the square is the Temple of Osiris. There are two massive pylons either side of the main entrance which are quite magnificent with carvings on the façade. There are two granite statues of lions guarding the entrance. Walking up the ramp to the entrance you enter into a small courtyard surrounded by pillars and hieroglyphics on the walls. After passing through this courtyard you enter the Hypostyle hall where there are large columns inside. Carrying on you pass side chambers on either side of the aisle one side to the right is the vestibule and on the other side the Ostian rooms. All around the temple there are hieroglyphics telling stories of Osiris, Isis, Horus, Seth and Sobek.
You finally enter the Sanctuary.

Exiting this fantastic temple and walking around the perimeter you are awestruck by the amount of hieroglyphics and paintings on the outer walls of the temple. They are very detailed indeed. To the left hand side of the temple there is a set of small temples a gateway to one of the ruined temples is named after the Emperor Hadrian which leads to the ruined temple of Harendotes. This brings you back to the massive colonnaded square at the front of the temple.

This temple is one of the most enjoyable temples to walk around. It is quite a large site with many things to see both inside and on the outside of the temple. The surrounding waters make it a unique and calm setting despite the thousands of tourists visiting the Island. If possible it it best to visit the island early in the morning before the hoards of tourists arrive. There are hundreds of little sailing boats manned by local Nubian men all vying for your custom it is quite manic getting in and out of the boats and the boats are often rammed by another boat trying to dump their passengers so they can go back and get more.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 19, 2009

Philae Temple Complex
Agilkia Island near Aswan
Aswan, Egypt

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Kom-Ombo Temple Complex

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Attraction | "On the Edge of the Great Nile River"

Kom-Ombo Temple Complex Photo, Aswan, Egypt

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Temple of Kom Ombo.The second temple on our tour was at Kom Ombo previously known in ancient times as Nubt or city of gold. It was also known as Thebaid. It is situated on the East bank of the River Nile on a small close to the river. It looks quite stunning and it is only a two minute walk from standing hill where the boats dock on the quayside moorings.Kom Ombo was a small garrison town which was not really suitable for a large settlement due to its position on the Nile being slightly raised and the ground was infertile due to its rocky domain. However it was an important The temple was built from stone from local quarries and hauled by men to the site. There are ...Read More

Temple of Kom Ombo.

The second temple on our tour was at Kom Ombo previously known in ancient times as Nubt or city of gold. It was also known as Thebaid. It is situated on the East bank of the River Nile on a small close to the river. It looks quite stunning and it is only a two minute walk from standing hill where the boats dock on the quayside moorings.

Kom Ombo was a small garrison town which was not really suitable for a large settlement due to its position on the Nile being slightly raised and the ground was infertile due to its rocky domain. However it was an important

The temple was built from stone from local quarries and hauled by men to the site. There are two entrances at the front of the temple after which there is a long corridor that goes through the centre of the temple. It looks a little like a Pantheon with 15 grand columns at the front of the temple standing in three rows, two of the columns are missing. Each column is intricately carved with the crocodile headed Egyptian God and Horus the Falcon headed God hieroglyphics. There are still traces of paint in places throughout the temple. It is a double temple one at the front dedicated to Sobek which is nearest the River Nile and the one at the northern side is dedicated to Horus the Falcon God. Sobek was the crocodile headed deity who was held in great esteem and revered in awe so much so that mummified remains have been found in the area. Sobek was the God of fertility. Interestingly there are no crocodiles found this far down the river now since the building of the two massive dams at Aswan. Good news for the locals especially kids who are often seen playfully splashing about in the river along the Nile.

In the hypostyle hall some of the columns have carvings of papyrus and some are carved looking like a lotus and one is in the shape of a palm tree high above the ground. There is an imaginary line and a dividing wall that separates the two temples. There is not a lot left of the actual sanctuaries but there are offering blocks of stone and altars. There are also side chambers and vestibule rooms parallel to each other so that there is one set for the temple dedicated to Horus and one set for Sobek.

In the centre of the Temple there are magnificent walls full of descriptions of daily life you can read about the building of the temple how long it took. There is also a hieroglyphic calendar on one of the walls which gives a good description of days, months, and years phases of the sun and moon. There is also information about the gathering of crops in the area.

What I found very interesting was at the back of the temple on two massive walls was hieroglyphics detailing the types of medical instruments that were used at the time. Remember that this was 2 years BC. There were dilators, clamps, scissors, scalpels, curettes, bone cutters, saws and forceps instruments that we still use to this very day. They are quite detailed and easily recognisable.

Quite a bit of the temple has been destroyed over the centuries by natural disasters including floods and earthquakes. The most recent earthquake was in 1992 which caused some more damage to the temple. Man has also destroyed parts of the temple by taking some of the stone work for building.

To the left side of the temple there is a massive dug well which must be about 20 foot wide. There is a wall about three feet high but you can look over into the well and see the different water levels markings on the inner sides there is also a small set of steps at the bottom which would aid in the measurement of the water depth. It still has water at the bottom of the well.

On leaving the temple you exit down a ramp and there is a small museum here exhibiting some of the Mummified crocodiles and other interesting objects found locally

Throughout the day the colour of the temple changes according to where the sun is in the sky and after sunset the temple is lit up at night and looks quite a magnificent site.
Around the outside of the temples there are small markets selling clothing and trinkets.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 18, 2009

Kom-Ombo Temple Complex
105 miles south of Luxor, 28 miles north of Aswan
Aswan, Egypt

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Temple of Edfu

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Attraction | "The Temple of Horus the Falcon God"

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Temple of Edfu. The great temple of Edfu is situated on the West bank of the Nile River in Egypt. It was built on top of an even more ancient temple between the years 237BC and 57 BC during the time of the Ptolemaic Dynasty and the reign of Cleopatra. Edfu was an ancient city of about 60,000 people and it was believed that it may have been a major site for people setting out on their journeys into the desserts. It is the best preserved temple in Eygpt built of sandstone and it is quite large. It is the second largest and best preserved temple in Egypt.The story of Horus the Falcon God, It is dedicated to the God Horus. Horus was considered a Falcon God of the ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 17, 2009

Temple of Edfu
121 km north of Aswan
Aswan, Egypt

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SS.Misr King Farouks Steam ship.

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Hotel | "A Luxury Nile Steam Ship"

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The SS Misr was built in Preston Lancashire in 1918 originally for the Egyptian Royal Navy and bought by King Farouk of Egypt as a private cruiser. It is recorded that he had held his birthday celebrations aboard this boat.Misr means the Kingdom of Egypt.Being a steam ship it rekindles memories of Agatha Christie’s death on the Nile. It offers elegant and tasteful luxury service and there are over 60 members of staff to 46 passengers. There were only 42 passengers on our cruise.The ship has three decks and is 62 meters in length. There are two boilers and two steam engines which produce 4.2 tons of steam pressure per hour resulting in a speed of 10KM/HR. The lower d...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 17, 2009

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