Karnak Temple, Egypt

The short version:-
"Jan visits a load of old temples".

The long version will be added but the Karnak Temple complex in Egypt is believed by some to be second only to the Pyramids at Giza in importance in documenting ancient Egypt.

After lunch on the boat, the 50 guests were divided into six groups for the visit to Karnak Temple. I was in a small group of five with one English couple and one Scots couple. Each group had their own guide and their own Mercedes 'Sprinter' people-carrier and driver. We'll keep these groups for all the excursions. We drove north, back to Luxor, and continued a short distance beyond the city centre to the Karnak Temple, which is now surrounded by a suburb of Luxor. The size of the car park and the number of coaches and taxis indicated that we would not be alone. We spent 90 minutes or so studying the layout and various features before driving back to the city centre where we visited the modern Luxor Museum where many artefacts from temple sites of superb quality are professionally displayed. Photography is not allowed inside the museum, so I have no pictures.

Then, it was back to the boat, with time to get ready for the evening meal. A tiring but very satisfying day!

For pictures of Karnak Temple click here.

Egyptian History

Egypt has some amazing temples but it's helpful to know a little about the history, which is very complex. Here's some quick notes put together from 'The Rough Guide to Egypt' (my Bible on this trip) and other sources. The errors are all my own work.

What always amazes me about ancient Egypt is how long ago the society was established in a structured, governmental form, the sheer scale of their building achievements and the sophistication of the end products.

It's an unlikely location for an empire - most of the land is arid desert. But the world's longest river, the Nile flows north through Egypt to discharge into the Mediterranean Sea at the Nile Delta. The water from this river creates a green swathe running through the country. Annual flooding inundated the plains, carrying rich nutrients which made the land very fertile.

Whilst records in hieroglyphs and murals from these old times survive, there is still some uncertainty. For convenience, Egyptologists have named the various eras but, of course, the ebb and flow of a country's fortunes does not divide itself quite so neatly.

The people who lived here were producing carved monoliths as early as 6,000 B.C. By around 3,300 B.C. there were two loose confederations, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Each confederation sought to dominate the other - the south prevailed around 3,000 B.C. and the Early Dynastic Period began in a strange mixture of fact and myth. Some surviving pyramids date from this period which lasted around 400 years.

The Old Kingdom which followed lasted around 500 years and more pyramids were built. There were incursions into neighbouring countries and foreign trade developed.

This stable Old Kingdom ended with the death of Pepi II when various contenders sought control. Struggles for power continued for around 150 years and this time of uncertainty is called the First Intermediate Period.

In 2050 B.C., Mentuhotpe II succeeded in re-unifying the country, inaugurating the Middle Kingdom. This stability lasted 400 years before giving way to disorder during the XIII Dynasty.

Politics then became very complex in what is called the Second Intermediate Period.

After around 250 years (Egyptologists have various timescales) the XVIII Dynasty ushered in the New Kingdom, with a surge in temple building (including Deir el-Bahri, Luxor, Karnak, Abu Simbel, Medinet Habu) and creation of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. This period lasted around 500 years until a series of weak pharaohs (all called Ramses) lost control.

The following 300 years of uncertainty is called the Third Intermediate Period.

From around 747 B.C Nubians, Assyrians and Persians controlled Egypt for about 500 years. This era is called the Late Period.

In 332 B.C. Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and founded Alexandria. This was the start of the Ptolemaic Era during which many temples were built or extended, including Edfu, Kom Ombo, Dendara and Philae.

After around 300 years, Cleopatra VII was defeated by Augustus and the power of Rome. The Romans adopted many of the existing ways as a means of controlling the population. There's lots more (of course) but let's stop there for now.

Embarcation on the 'Zahra'

On the 10th of March, I had to get up at 4.00 a.m. because they’d booked me on the 7.00 a.m. flight from Cairo to Luxor. I was picked up on time at 4.45 a.m. by the same car and driver but a different guide. We made good time to the airport, this time to the small domestic terminal nestling next to the international terminal. There was a crowd queuing to check in but my guide went to what I think was an unmarked check-in and quickly got the formalities dealt with for this, my first Egyptair flight. We then said goodbye. I spent a while writing a word file to incorporate in the blog, then I had a cup of tea and croissant at the small café. Although fairly basic, waiter service was provided.

When the flight was called, I passed through security to the waiting area. A bus drew up immediately outside. We boarded the bus which then drove in a ‘U’ to the aircraft waiting not 50 yards from where we got on! In fairness, the main internal road ran just outside the departure lounge so I suppose they’d decided to use the bus rather than having people dicing with death trying to cross the road but it’s the shortest ride I’ve ever had.

My seat number was 20A so I started to walk back along the cabin from the front entrance then I discovered that, on this aircraft (an Embraer 170, I think), the front row is numbered 20! In fact, I was in the tiny club class section. It was a short journey of just over an hour to my destination, Luxor, so there was only time for a drink and a bread roll. Most of the country we overflew was desert but, as we approached Luxor, we could see the Nile and the green swathe on either side which the river irrigates.

We landed safety and the business class disembarked first. I was surprised to find there was a separate transfer bus laid on for the business class passengers. This time, the journey was a few hundred yards. I met my guide – a very well-spoken, smartly-dressed young man - and we waited for my checked bag which only took a few minutes to arrive. Then we walked to the car and driver and set off for the short drive (around 10 kilometres) to Luxor City. It was only a little after eight and embarkation time on the boat was shown as noon, so I was worried as to what I’d do but my guide was unruffled.

The city was something of a surprise. The unkind first thought was “A bit like Blackpool, but less tasteful”. The proximity to tombs and temples means they’ve been catering for tourists for over a century and tourists have clearly been arriving in large numbers. When we got to the Nile, I was amazed to see rows of Nile cruisers, moored up to five deep all along the Corniche. Most of the shops seemed to be cafes of one sort or another or selling tourist souvenirs. We carried on south for a few kilometres, past a series of slightly more upmarket resorts and private moorings for Nile cruisers, until we came to the one for the Oberoi ‘Zahra’.

A short driveway at right angles to the road led past a security hut to a car park flanked by a grassed area. Moored at the river’s edge was the impressive-looking Hotel Ship ‘Zahra’. It was only 8.50 a.m. but I was welcomed aboard and seated in the Club Lounge area with a 'Welcome Drink' of locally-produced sparkling wine with hibiscus. The passengers from the previous cruise were still breakfasting, prior to leaving. One beaming English lady assured me “You’re in for a treat!”. Tapan, the Manager, dealt with the check-in formalities and invited me to take breakfast with the departing passengers, but I declined. He assured me my room should be available soon and that the wait will be no more than an hour – in fact it was much less. After a conducted tour of the facilities on the boat, I was shown my spacious and well-appointed room. During the morning, the other passsengers arrived and at 12.30 we all enjoyed an excellent A La Carte lunch in the dining room, prior to our afternoon excursion by road.

Pictures of 'Zahra'.