Amman, Jordan

Thursday 19-Mar-2009

It's just 8.00 a.m. as I start to write this: at nine I'm being picked up to head off by road.

Some statistics:-

Population of Jordan 6 million
Population of Amman: 2 million
Literacy level claimed: 90 per cent (makes the U.K. look very Third World, doesn't it).
Religion: 93 per cent Sunni Muslim. Mayority of the balance Roman Catholic.

I check out just before nine and the driver from last night, Mr. Mamoon, arrives after a few moments. Outside, the sun is bright but there's a distinct chill, so I put a long-sleeved jumper on over my T-shirt. We set off south, along the road we came in on last night. I can't get over how modern Amman looks. It's also very hilly, with frequent rock outcrops.

We take a right turn onto a smaller road heading for the town of Madaba. Now we're in more open, rolling country. It's very green and there are extensive olive groves. They've also discovered the dreaded 'polytunnels' for cultivating all kinds of vegetables.

[To be continued]

Leaving Abu Simbel

Wednesday 18-Mar-2009

After breakfast, I fly to Cairo and then to Amman.

Well, the Seti Abu Simbel was quite a success. It's a remarkably tranquil spot with wonderful views of a corner of Lake Nasser and lots of bird life. Hard to believe we're at a water reservoir that was desert fifty years ago. Buffet breakfast is served in the restaurant. There's quite a large French contingent at breakfast - the staff tend to address you in French if you look European. I check the water temperature of the swimming pools. There are three pools, Childrens, normal and a somewhat deeper one. Although there's bright sun, the wind off the lake keeps the temperature down so I'm afraid it's too chilly for me. Instead, I decide to have a look at the village-cum-city of Abu Simbel by taking the road the coaches use to get to and from the temples.

The pavements, where provided, aren't too good so most locals walk at the edge of the road, usually with their back to traffic. Vehicles give a little 'pip' on the horn as a warning as they're about to pass pedestrians. Just after nine o'clock a convoy of large, air conditioned coaches passes me. Over a few minutes, about twenty-five big coaches and half a dozen smaller coaches rumble past, returning from their visit to the temples.

There's a scrum of local men around one building. They're queueing (but not as we know it, Jim) to buy a supply of the round, bread-like cakes they eat. I'm intrigued that they carry stacks of six or more away in their bare hands. Nearby, a local café seems to be doing a roaring trade but I notice all the customers are men. Outside, on the pavement, a couple of young men are operating a shoeshine business. I make my way back to the hotel. There's lots of little boats (all with outboards) in the little creeks nearby and plenty of men preparing for a day 'messing about in boats'. It all seems very relaxed. In the distance, the artificial bulk of the two man-made mountains which house the two temples looms large - the source of wealth contributed by visitors. Each admission fee to the temples includes a tax levied by the local authority and, with at least 500 guest beds nearby, there are lots of local jobs created by the tourism. Pictures of Abu Simbel town.

I return to my hotel and get ready to leave. Mr. Ahmed and the young driver are there early and we are soon on the way to the airport. I am seated in the departure hall whilst Mr. Ahmed checks in my baggage and obtains my boarding pass. I'm amused to see the staff furiously re-arranging all the seating. Mr. Ahmed, returning with a large batch of documentation for other passengers he's facilitating, explains that they're preparing for an international flight. Despite its small size Abu Simbdel is, genuinely, an International Airport. Shortly afterwards, a Thomas Cook liveried aircraft lands - probably the International flight in question. I thank Mr. Ahmed for his help and make my way through security. After a more thorough X-ray examination of the hand baggage than usual, I board the bus and am soon on board the EgyptAir Boeing 737-500.

There are just eight seats in the 'C' class section. On the short leg to Aswan - less than forty minutes - they've only time to serve a very welcome drink. On the ground at Aswan, Cairo passengers stay on the aircraft whilst people de-board and board. We take off again with only two 'C' class passengers and the friendly cabin crew serve a very decent cold meal with a couple of cups of tea. I'm quite relaxed by the time we arrive in Cairo.

I'm expecting to get myself across from Domestic Arrivals to International Departures but, as I'm waiting to collect my case from the baggage carousel, the young man who saw me off on the 10th to Luxor appears. He gets a trolley for my bags and takes me across to departures, checks me in and sees me safely up to passport control. It was certainly faster than if I'd been on my own.

I make my way to the EgyptAir lounge. It's a bit of a rabbit-warren with themed rooms 'English Room', 'Italian Room', 'Business Room'. I settle for a neutral-themed space overlooking the apron that just looks like a cafeteria. The charming waiter explains that my Wi-Fi should work there and, on the third attempt after re-booting, the computer connects to a fairly fast connection, allowing me to answer a couple of e-mails. I also uploaded some blog text "I'd prepared earlier" using 'Word' when an Internet connection was not available. I could happily have stayed there longer but I thought I'd better pack up and find Gate 7 for my flight to Amman.

The Departure Lounge was heaving with passengers but, shortly after I arrived, they started getting people onto buses to go to the aircraft. This took some time because there was a final security check of passports actually at the door leading to the coaches by uniformed officers who seemed to be taking no chances.

Eventually, I got to the waiting A320. The 'C' class is five rows of four abreast and I make myself comfortable. It's another cold meal but with hot bread rolls and, to my surprise, I find I'm hungry again and woof most of it down. The flight to Amman is only about one hour twenty minutes so I've barely time to finish before we get ready to land.

Amman Airport boasts air bridges, so I'm off the aircraft and walking to immigration when I see a sign for "JAM FORD". The sign is held by Mr. Nasr Bani Nasr of Petra Travel and Tourism Company and yes, he's looking for me. He says he'll meet me in the baggage hall. While I'm waiting for the bag to arrive, Mr. Nasr pops off to check on two people going to Petra. When he returns, we go outside to find our car. There's a lot of building work going on so the access for cars isn't terribly good. Mr. Nasr explains that the airport is being expanded from its present capacity of 3 million passengers to 10 million.

It takes about 30 minutes to drive to the city, most of the time on a 3-lane each way motorway. We go to the Kempinski Hotel Amman. Like the Conrad Hotel in Cairo, the Kempinski has a couple of 'Executive Floors', in this case 7 and 8, together with a private Lounge for use by guests on those floors. I'm soon in a decent room on the seventh floor with good views over modern Amman - the city is nothing like I expected.

Abu Simbel

Tuesday 17-Mar-2009

After breakfast, I take a quick walk to look at Aswan railway station and take a few pictures. A railway station is always a good place to see life 'in the raw' as the locals experience it but I have an additional interest in how the Egyptians run their railway. Click here to see my (rather technical) pictures.

At ten o'clock, I disembark from 'Zahra' and leave my new friends as we each make our separate way. Mr. Ahmed transfers me to Aswan airport for the flight over Lake Nasser to Abu Simbel, where I am to stay at the Seti Abu Simbel for one night.

Everything goes well and, on the approach to Abu Simbel airport, I even manage to catch a couple of pictures of the huge figures outside the relocated temples. Another Mr. Ahmed meets me and whisks me to the Seti Abu Simbel Hotel. They're very laid back here but also friendly so the place soon grows on me. My room is a comfortable stone-built terraced cottage with a private balcony giving a view of Lake Nasser. It's very peaceful with just the singing of the birds audible. The peace is only rarely broken by the sound of an aircraft landing or taking off and I can cope with that. After all, my flight avoided a three-hour bus journey from Aswan.

I'd complained that Philae had lost the "Spirit of Place" through relocation so you'll not be surprised that I'm uneasy about moving the Temples of Abu Simbel. I think the political imperatives behind the building of the High Aswan Dam and the creation of a huge lake meant that the impact of the loss of so many antiquities was not initially a priority. But the international cultural world was aghast when the extent of the anticipated destruction was understood. For once, the United Nations, acting through UNESCO, acted and managed to raise the money to preserve the more important sites. Would that the United Nations were as effective in dealing with humanitarian threats.

Three schemes for the preservation were looked at: a transparent caisson around the area, jacking up the area until it was above the new water level and moving the temples sideways onto higher ground. The last idea was implemented but sawing a cliff into cubes, hauling it away and sticking the pieces together again with resins might be expected to lose something of the original. I accept that it's probably the best solution in the circumstances. I was originally inclined to title this bit 'The Abu Simbel Theme Park' as the result strikes me as something Walt Disney's 'Imagineers' might have come up with but perhaps that's a bit unkind so I'll settle for 'The Abu Simbel Experience', for it's certainly that. It's impressive enough but I found myself thinking about the logistic problems which had to be solved by twentieth century engineers rather than marvelling at how the original builders managed it at all.

A dual carriageway leads right up to the entrance, then visitors have to walk. As you enter the site, you're looking at the rear of two huge artificial hills looking like overgrown noise bunds. A ten minute walk takes you round to the front, to the tomb entrances guarded by the huge statues. It's impressive but, in the afternoon sunlight, not dramatic. Click here for pictures.

All Egyptian temples had a dual role - they were there for spiritual reasons but also as totems of power. Pharaohs asserted their legitimacy to wield power by suggesting their lineage extended back to the Gods. But at Abu Simbel Ramses had a specific message for the Nubian people of the south that his Egyptian armies were invincible. The huge statues faced Nubia and served as a permanent reminder of the power of the Pharaoh. Of course, today Nubia is part of modern Egypt and the statues now only survey the stone theatre-style seats provided for the 'Sound and Light' show.

Staying overnight at the Seti Abu Simbel Hotel gave me the opportunity to return in the evening for the 'Sound and Light' show, so Mr. Ahmed arranged to pick me up at 5.30 p.m. for the 6.00 p.m. show. I walked from the entrance to the seats to find around 100 mainly French visitors already seated. They were all in one half of the seats and I realised only half of the seats had jack points for headphones giving sound tracks in different languages. The seats in my half of the theatre had blanking plates where the jack points should be. So that meant the main show would be in English. A lot more people arrived after me until there were around two hundred people present when the show started.

The story briefly told the tale of the Nile over the ages and the way the Nile was finally tamed by the High Dam. There were lighting effects on the statues, obviously, but a lot was done by lasers projecting images, sometimes simply animated, onto the face of the cliffs.

One unintended effect amused me. As we waited for the show to start, two dogs wandered around. They stayed for the start of the show then purposefully moved away. The one re-appeared a little later in silhouette in the distance against the almost-dark sky and, for a while, punctuated the soundtrack with his howling. Two intentional effects I did like were:

At one point, the sun is supposed to shine directly into the entrance of the main tomb. Whilst waiting for the show to begin, I'd noticed they'd placed shiny metal doors in front of the tomb doors. At the time, I thought it was for overnight security but, in fact, it was to serve as a reflector so that, at the appropriate moment, the door glowed brilliant white, like a special effect from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.

The other effect I found impressive was when a number of white lasers mounted at the top of the main temple cliff sent a fan of light upwards into the dark sky to represent the sunrise.

When the presentation had finished, they left the lighting of the statues on, creating harsh light and shade effects which were quite dramatic. As we were all leaving, visitors for the second performance of the night were arriving and they all seemed to be Japanese. As Mr. Ahmed took me back to the hotel, he explained that they often have around 500 visitors a night. Pictures from the evening visit to Abu Simbel.

Aswan, again

Monday 16-Mar-2009

Today, there is an optional visit to Abu Simbel to see the temples. I'm travelling to Abu Simbel tomorrow, so I'm not going on the Optional visit. When Mr. Ahmed from the tour company comes to discuss the slightly-altered flight details for tomorrow, he offers to arrange the trip I have in mind. I want to go to Elephantine Island to see the Aswan Museum and the temple remains at the adjacent archaeological site. Since I enjoyed the felucca trip so much yesterday, I decline the offered motor boat and insist on a felucca. A price is agreed and, within an hour, Mr. Ahmed returns for me and a felucca is waiting near the stern of the 'Zahra'.

We board the felucca and the master and his young assistant move the craft out into the river. Two more Nile cruisers are moored abreast just behind 'Zahra' so extricating the felucca is not too straight forward, requiring the crew to balance on the gunwhales pulling and pushing whatever part of the adjacent vessel they can reach. Once in clear water, the massive sail is deployed and we are soon moving upstream at a good pace, past lines of Nile Cruisers moored along Aswan's Corniche. We first dock at a landing place nearer Aswan's 'Downtown'. Here, Mr. Ahmed gets off and an English-speaking guide boards and we carry on south along the east channel of the Nile between Aswan and Elephantine Island. Numerous motor ferries criss-cross to the island but we have left the Nile Cruisers behind - they cannot get this far upstream. As we approach the landing place for the Aswan Museum, the young man hauls on the rope controlling the outer end of the boom, pulling the boom vertical against the main mast and collapsing the sail. We are then controlled by the tiller alone until we nose into the angle between the concrete steps of the landing and a moored boat and come to a surprisingly gentle stop.

The guide and I climb the steps towards the museum, stopping at the fairly modern security building. Everywhere there is security, usually with armed guards. There's usually a metal detector arch you're required to walk through which generally makes a threatening noise when you pass but it doesn't seem to worry them. Bags and possessions pass through an X-ray machine. However, this time we're waved past security and enter the museum without checks. It was originally the house of the Englishman responsible for building the first Aswan Dam. It's rather down-at-heel but with lots of good exhibits and I love its faded charm. After giving me an introduction to the layout, my guide leaves me to wander round. From time to time I'm shadowed by (presumably) a member of staff and we exchange a few words.

Rejoining my guide, we move to the adjacent archaeological site where some of the temple buildings are being restored by courtesy, once again, of UNESCO. This was a major township and there are extensive remains of the dwellings in mud brick. Everywhere is littered with pottery shards. Finally, I look at the Nilometer (I think it's really a hydrometer but everyone calls them Nilometer). It's just a chamber connected to the river with markings to show the level. In this one, you can descend 90 steps to see the water, currently at low level, lapping the lower steps. The wall of the steps carries both ancient and modern level markings.

Then it's back to the waiting felucca and go downstram, dropping off the guide and then continuing back the the 'Zahra'. Although we're going with the current, a lot of tacking is necessary to make progress. It's hard work for the crew but very enjoyable for their passenger.

I'm back on the 'Zahra' for one o'clock, nice timing for lunch. I take it in the dining room with a few others. Later, I discover there are more people having lunch on the Sun Deck. As soon as the people who've been on the Abu Simbel trip return, a little after two, we cast off for what they call a 'joy sail', up and down the river, returning to our original moorings.

There's one more activity today. At five o'clock we're to go by motor boat to Mango Island for a demonstration of Nubian Folk Dancing before returning to the boat for dinner.

For some reason, the performance area was very poorly lit and it was hard to follow some of the frantic dances. A couple of electricians worked on the sidelines to improve matters. They did get a couple of spots to work, but they were positioned behind the performers rather than in front so it didn't help as much as it should have done.

Audience participation was then required and, being unable to come up with a suitable excuse, Jan was dragooned into the conga line. I expected things to go on a couple of minutes but there were a number of 'changes' involving couples, fours and larger rings accompanied by all sorts of movements and various whoops and shouts. It all lasted a lot longer than my legs did. The photographic evidence was kindly provided by my Friend Jean Findlay, who coined the soubriquet 'Dancing Queen' having watched my antics.

In the morning, we'll disembark from 'Zahra' and say goodbye to all our new friends.

Pictures of Felucca
Pictures of Museum & Temple Site.
Pictures of Mango Island.

Nile Odessy

As the 'Zahra' cruises on the Nile, it's a fascinating opportunity to watch Egypt go by and get a little insight into the way of life of the people. In addition to the ancient simple ways, I'm interested in the impact of industrialisation and electrification, so some of the pictures may appear odd.

Click here for pictures.

Kom Ombo and Aswan

The Temple at Kom Ombo

At 6.45 a.m. the boat quietly slips away from the overnight mooring on Aswan's Corniche. We re-trace our steps, by sailing downstream about 30 km to Kom Ombo.

I take breakfast at 7.00 a.m. and decide to try the pool again. Although the pool water is pleasantly warmed, there's quite a cutting wind on the exposed sun deck. It's advisable to get in and out of the pool as rapidly as possible, although it's fine actually in the water.

Around three hours sailing gets us to the landing places on the east bank. There are a few cruisers already berthed, including one steamboat. Our guides have travelled from Aswan by road and are there to meet us. We are issued with tickets for the temple and disembark, being given a credit-card sized boarding pass. This is mainly so that the crew can easily do a 'body count' to see if stragglers have failed to return to the boat. They only issue these cards if the boat is scheduled to leave - they don't usually bother at an overnight stopping point.

The temple is only a few yards from the boat - a romantic-looking partially-ruined building in a superb location overlooking the river. It's smaller than many of the temples we've visited but, even in its incomplete state, I find it exquisite. The sun is warm, the wind has dropped and there aren't too many visitors about. I'm told that at night there can be rows of Nile cruisers moored, disgorging up to a thousand visitors!

After we board the 'Zahra', she departs upstream to return to Aswan. Today, I take lunch on the Sun Deck with some of my new friends - a couple from England, a couple from Australia and a couple from U.S.A. By the time we've finished eating and talking, we're almost back in Aswan. I watch the boat dock (at the same mooring we left this morning) and then quickly prepare for our afternoon visit to Aswan's Botanical Gardens. This time, we don't get in 'Sprinter' number 6 but board a felucca moored near the stern of the 'Zahra'.

'Felucca' is the name for the design of wooden sailing boat common on the Nile (and, I think, parts of the eastern Mediterranean). They come in various sizes - ours, the 'Sunshine' would probably carry around twenty passengers but today there's just the five members of our group, the guide and the two-man crew. They're a bit like a racing yacht, broad in the beam, large wooden rudder and a centreboard which appears to be steel. They can have one or two main masts. Ours has one, quite near the bow. They feature the 'Lateen' rig with a triangular sail suspended from a long yardarm aligned fore-and-aft. The yardarm is hoisted to the correct height with a rope and pulley system with the free end of the rope made-off at the bottom of the main mast and then the yard just lies against the main mast, The upper end of this yard arm is controlled by ropes and pulley blocks with the free rope end led down to the helmsman who sits on a small aft deck cradling the tiller. Well, that's one position. I've also seen the helmsman with his feet braced against the gunwhales and his back pushing the tiller hard over, leaving his hands free to 'trim' the sail. The bottom of the sail is controlled by a boom, horizontal when sailing, with the inner end just lying against the main mast and the outer end controlled by another rope taken to the helmsman to allow tacking. To prevent abrasion damage to the masts, there are patches of some sort of plastic material nailed to the main mast and yards in the areas which rub together. I guess that it's a recycled tyre, but the captain explains that it's cable insulation. When I check more carefully it is, indeed, the sheath off a 3 x 140 square millimetre cable!

The felucca is great fun. In a suitable wind, they have quite a turn of speed, because they carry quite a large sail area. By setting the ropes, the helmsman can get the sail to billow out like a spinnaker. The centreboard is very necessary to control the way the boat heels over when the wind is strong, but it has to be raised in shallow water or near the shore. When tacking, there's a metallic 'clang' from the centreboard each time the current changes to the other side. Soon, we're at our destination, the 'Island of Plants', Aswan's Botanical Gardens.

In gratitude for his military successes in the Sudan, Consul-General Kitchener was presented with this island, where he planted all sorts of exotic flora. This has now matured into a charming water-bounded oasis, full of birds and quite a few cats. Although the Gardens receive a lot of tourists, with a continuous procession of feluccas and motor boats coming and going, it was easy to find quieter, shaded spots and I enjoyed my visit.

Getting back into to our boat involved some undignified scrambling over other boats but we were soon under way. With a less-favourable wind, the return journey involved a lot of tacking, with the boom swinging to the other side to catch the wind. We were also required to join in a sing-song with the master playing a tambour, concluding with "She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes". Inexpensive necklaces and carvings were also displayed on the decking for our consideration. Every time the boat tacked, the deck heeled over and the souvenirs were scattered everywhere! I'd had a good time and was happy to purchase a necklace.

We arrived back at the 'Zahra' just after five o'clock, in nice time for afternoon tea in the Club Lounge, before retiring to our cabins to prepare for dinner. Dinner was rather more hurried than normal, as we had one more engagement in this busy day.

At 8.15 p.m. we were taken by our regular guide, 'bus and driver to the landing stage serving Philae Temple to attend the 'Sound and Light' show. A couple of motor boats transferred us to the temple island. The experience was quite different in the darkness and the re-located temple, which had rather disappointed on my first visit on Saturday, seemed to come alive at night. To my surprise, there were only about twenty people attending and we were just about outnumbered by the staff. The performance was very professionally produced, with well-known English actors doing the voices of various Gods and well-synchronised lighting changes. The story was vaguely a history of the temple from early times right up to the conservation of the temple by moving it to its present site - very poetic and sonorous. The first part of the performance involved walking round the temple whilst each scene played out. That was very effective. We then settled in the outdoor stone seats arranged theatre-style for the rest of the performance and, for me, this didn't work so well but I was impressed with the overall effect and enjoyed the trip back to the landing stage by motor boat. The 'bus then transferred us back to the boat at the end of a very satisfying day.

Pictures of Aswan.
Pictures of the Felucca trip.
Pictures of the Botanical Gardens.
Pictures of Philae Temple.

Aswan, Egypt

On Saturday 14-Mar-2009, we set off upstream before 6.0 a.m., going further south to Aswan. It's a leisurely morning and I even find time to try out the open-air pool on the sun deck.

Safely berthed alongside Aswan's Corniche and fortified by an excellent luncheon, we go by our usual bus to visit the Aswan High Dam. The High Dam serves not only Egypt's electricity needs but allows export to three neighbouring countries.

Our bus then takes us to a boat dock where a fleet of motor boats ferries endless streams of tourists to visit the Philae Temple, situated on an island. Philae Temple was on an island which became submerged after the introduction of the Aswan High Dam, so the whole structure was dismantled and rebuilt on a nearby island which was not inundated. Sadly, most of my pictures of the dam and Philae Temple are presently unreadable. My Aswan pictures.

Back at the boat, tonight's evening meal is Indian style. To my surprise, I find I can eat most of it. The Chef had previously offered to do something special for me but, after so many splendid A La Carte meals, I felt honour bound to try his set Indian menu and I enjoyed it.

Cruising to Edfu

After the exertions of yesterday, Friday is more leisurely. Breakfast is taken whilst at our new mooring at the East-Mar Travel dock. We set off upstream at about 8.45 a.m., heading south for Esna, 54km from Luxor. Just north of Esna there is a Barrage which the British built in 1906 as part of a grand plan to manage the Nile. A lock was provided to allow boats to continue south. With the popularity of the Nile Cruise Ships (there are now almost 300, I believe), the single lock became a bottleneck so a second, parallel lock was installed a few years ago. We enter the new lock and are raised to the upstream level, passing another ship going downstream which is using the old lock. We then continue our journey to a second barrage incorporating hydro-electric generators, built in the 1990s by the Italians. A lock was also provided here for the cruise boats but the rather mangled gates are open today so that we can just squeeze through without stopping. Pictures of Esna Locks.

At Esna we pass from the Qena Governorate to the Aswan Governorate. During the afternoon, the boat cruises to our mooring for the night at Edfu.

In the evening, we visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, said to be the best-preserved of the ancient temples. As at Dendara, this is a private visit for the passengers on 'Zahra'. I'm sure the number of staff on site exceeded the number of visitors. Visiting the darkened site, electrically illuminated in a variety of ways ranging from proper floodlighting luminaires to naked tungsten bulbs made a great impression on me. Perhaps Horus objected to my visit because the photographs I took are currently unreadable.

[Additions 16-Apr-2009]

West Bank re-visited

At about two o’clock at night, the engines are started and we start our journey upstream, back to Luxor. The noise wakes me and feeling fairly refreshed and discovering that the Internet is working again (albeit rather slowly) I do a bit on the computer. My cabin is now facing east and I watch the sun come up with the sliding window fully opened. At 7.15 I take breakfast.At 9.45am, we're back at Luxor and manoevre towards our mooring - a different one this time.

We’re scheduled to leave the boat at 10.30am for another visit to the West Bank. All the places of interest cluster fairly close together, a couple of kilometres inland from the village of Gezira. Gezira is on the bank of the Nile, directly opposite Luxor with a local ferry connecting the two. Our route by road is south from the boat, across the Nile on a fairly new bridge and north to Gezira along the main road which runs parallel to the El-Fadiya Canal. This time, we should visit the Tombs of the Nobles, Dier el-Medina (the site of the village used to house the workmen who constructed the tombs) and the Temple of Hatshepsut.

Our guide decides to take us first to the Temple of Hatshepsut. Set against cliffs on the west bank, on the opposite side of the ridge from the Valley of the Kings is Deir el-Bahri. The design of the temple is unique, which is fitting as it is the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the only woman to rule Egypt as a pharaoh, around 1500 B.C. To overcome the prejudice that a pharaoh must be a man and force acceptance of her claim to power, she must have been a remarkable woman. The site exploits the massive limestone crags as an imposing backdrop and the building itself is limestone which glows white in the sun. The design is arranged in three beautifully-proportioned terraces, each with a colonnade featuring rectangular columns. Each colonnade is set back relative to the one below and long ramps connect the levels. From a distance, the effect is very modern – I was reminded somehow of United Nations buildings in Geneva. Closer, you can admire the statues and the stories relating to Hatshepsut’s life in painted murals and hieroglyphs covering every vertical surface. Access to inner parts of the temple is very restricted because of major conservation work in progress, in which a Polish organisation is involved. Because it is such an important site, there were a lot of visitors there. Pictures of the Temple of Hatshepsut.

In contrast, there were very few visitors at the area of the Tombs of the Nobles. These tombs were created by government ministers and similar. It’s necessary to park on the plain and then walk up a twisting dirt road which climbs the steep hillside and gives access to the tomb entrances. We visited the two best-known tombs – the Tomb of Rekmire and the Tomb of Sennofer.

The Tomb of Rekmire is level with the entrance and features a long passage leading to a carved false door with two side passages. Painted murals and heiroglyphs describe Rekmire’s life in government. Sennofer was Mayor of Thebes and beyond the entrance you descend a narrow, twisting tunnel by uneven steps cut into the rock until hyou reach the level of the interconnected burial chambers. Every inch of wall is covered with painted murals and hieroglyphs and the ceiling features painted grapes and vines since Sennofer was responsible for viticulture. Pictures of the Tombs of the Nobles.

Finally, we move on to Dier el-Medina, the Workmens' Village. This is where the craftsmen building the Valley of the Kings lived with their families. The walls of their houses still exist, to about waist level, so it's easy to get an idea of what it was like. I think there were 67 families, masons, painters and sculptors and there are 67 tombs, on a smaller scale than the Tombs of the Nobles but elaborately decorated with painted murals and hieroglyphs. Pictures of the Artisans' Dwellings and Tombs.

Then it was back to the boat for lunch and a bit of a rest before the evening trip to Luxor Temple. Well, not too much of a rest, because I'd arranged a visit to the Engine Room of 'Zahra' with the charming and helpful Ship's Engineer. Engine Room pictures.

In the evening, we went in our convoy of 'Sprinters' to the temple at Luxor. This large temple sits on the Corniche (the 'promenade' facing the Nile) near the middle of the city. It was still packed with visitors when we visited. Luxor Temple pictures.

By the time we returned to the boat, we were ready for dinner and, once again, the Chef delighted us with a splendid A La Carte menu.

[Additions 13-Mar-2009, 15-Mar-2009, 16-Apr-2009]

Visit to the West Bank of the Nile

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

The longer version:-
Re-incarnation was believed to depend on the preservation of the body, hence the use of mummification by the ancient Egyptians. In the Old Kingdom, the Pharaohs' tombs were placed in very-visible symbols of their power - the pyramids. Despite the ingenuity of the tomb builders in protecting the burial chambers, over the centuries these tombs were broken into for the valuable artefacts they contained. By the time of the New Kingdom, tombs were placed in secret locations and precautions were taken to prevent even the workmen constructing them from discovering their location. These precautions were only partially successful. The most famous Necropolis where successive pharaohs were buried is the Valley of the Kings, an arid, mountainous area on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor.

On Wednesday, 11-Mar-2009, I breakfasted at 7.00am so as to be ready for an eight o'clock departure to visit some of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Photography is prohibited in the tombs, so I've only a few pictures of the exteriors. We stopped at a large car park already busy with a number of coaches and walked to a series of 'Land Trains' where visitors were shepherded onto the next departure for the journey of a few hundred yards over an excellent tarmacadam road through the rocky valley to the Visitor Centre. This was noisy, with a dozen different languages drowning out the sound track of a video telling the story of the modern exploration of these ancient burial-places. There was an excellent, if slightly confusing, model of the valley.

As the picture shows, the valley is represented by a clear plastic sheet shaped to show the contours of the land. From above, only the tiny entrances to the various tombs are visible. But, below the surface, the tomb passages and chambers are accurately modelled, eerily suspended in space, giving a good idea of the complex excavations.

Our guide had presented us with one ticket valid for three tombs and a second ticket valid for the ever-popular Tomb of Tut Ankh Amun, designated KV62 in the dessicated language of the archaeologists.

Our small group with our guide (right) about to enter the tomb in the background.

Every inch of the tomb passages has elborate painted or incised decoration. In some places, crude frameworks glazed with plastic prevent the fragile wall paintings from being touched but much of the artwork is exposed to direct view. Different tombs vary greatly in the size, length, inclination of the passages and the complexity of the the final tomb chamber. Some chambers are completely empty, others retain the sarcophagus. Of course, all the valuable possessions have been removed to various museums. The effect is impressive, but the slowly moving line of tourists, snaking in towards the tomb chamber then out again to the bright sunshine, detracted from the experience for me. Staff circulate through the tombs, keeping their eyes on the visitors.

As I climbed the steps to leave one tomb, I noticed a hiatus in incoming tourists and, looking back, I saw just one young couple and a member of staff remaining in the tomb chamber I'd just left. The member of staff had allowed the couple to cross the wooden barrier and stand at the very edge of the burial pit. I returned to the burial chamber and signalled to ask if I could also climb over the barrier. Receiving a friendly affirmation, I quickly joined the couple and we all stood for a few moments of stillness looking into the pit, contemplating the civilisation that had wrought these works. That was a magical moment.

I have mixed feelings about the Valley of the Kings. Like Abu Simbel (which I visited later) it is a place which has captured the public interest and provides a major source of income and local employment to Egypt. But the need to provide for such large numbers of tourists imposes change on the site. This, of course, is the age-old question of curatorial ethics to which there is no simple answer. I'm all in favour of giving people the opporunity of sharing these wonders (I'm a tourist, too) but tend to regret what may have been lost. The other aspect that troubles me is that these burial places originally had a high spiritual significance. Generations, from the early tomb robbers through the European archaeologists of the last two hundred years to today's tourists appear to have decided that the sheer antiquity of the original occupants denies them the respect that we would otherwise extend to the dead.

The West Bank of the Nile is the site of ancient city of Thebes. An astonishing collection ruined temples sits on the plain between the mountains and the river and, following our visit to the Valley of the Kings, our second stopping place was the temple at Medinet Habu. Click here for pictures.

Finally, we made a brief stop to see the two massive statues of the Collossi of Mnemnon before returning to the boat a little before one o'clock. As we enjoyed the usual excellent luncheon, the boat slipped moorings to cruise northwards (downstream) about 50 kilometres to Qena on the East Bank.

Most passengers took a fairly relaxing afternoon during the cruise - we'd all found climbing up and down in the tombs fairly tiring. I did manage a visit to the bridge. From five o'clock, tea and cake was on offer in the Club Lounge, to fortify guests for the evening visit leaving at six o'clock - a private tour of the illuminated Temple of Hathor at Dendara. The boat manoevred to a private mooring outside one of the better riverside hotels at Qena as the hotel staff made furious attempts to sweep and swab the large paved area where we were to disembark. The fleet of Mercedes 'Sprinters' had all made their way from Luxor to Qena to transport us from the boat to the Dendara site.

This temple is "only" two thousand years old and was constructed during the Greco-Roman period when the foreign rulers sought to establish their credentials as legitimate pharaohs by slavishly copying the ways of the older dynasties of rulers. The central temple complex is one of the best-preserved sites available to us and, remarkably, still retains its roof. This, the darkness and the small number of visitors on site made the visit, for me at least, exceptional. The more adventurous were allowed to descend into one of the crypts and I think everybody went up to the temples on the roof, using a stone staircase to go up and a long, straight sloping passage to come down. In its heyday, each part of the complex was invested with intense symbolism and the rituals were highly developed. Pictures of Dendara.

On our return to the boat, dinner awaited us and (fortunately) a rather more relaxed start on Thursday morning for a second visit to the West Bank.

[Additions 16-Apr-2009]

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'.

Canal Zone, Egypt

A year ago I visted the Panama Canal (see my posts, starting with Panama). Although the Frenchman, Ferdinand de Lesseps, started the Panama Canal it was America that finished it. De Lesseps had previously achieved fame through the building of the Suez Canal, which had been a huge commercial success (although a large number of men lost their lives during construction). So I was keen to see the Suez Canal.

The Suez Canal links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, saving almost ten thousand miles compared with the journey round the Cape of Good Hope. There are no locks - it's a sea-level canal, the longest such in the world and the third longest canal of any type. In the south, Suez marks the start of the waterway heading north through the Bitter Lakes, using as much natural formation as possible. North of Qantara, the long, artificial 'cut' extends to the Mediterranean at Port Said. Although the channels are being widened to accommodate simultaneous bi-directional movements, at present traffic is one way at a time.

We left Cairo heading east for Suez. It took some time to shake off the city - of the 75 million (and rising) inhabitants of Egypt, 20 million of them are in Cairo. Having left Cairo, we came to massive new housing developments - tall apartments reminiscent of southern China. This is New Cairo, very much 'a work in progress'. A myriad high-voltage pylon routes run parallel to the road. Comprehensive electrification of the country has taken place, presumably in the wake of the controversial hydro-electric project at Aswan.

The wide dual-carriageway passes through arid desert. It’s not the smooth, rolling dunes you might picture but a pock-marked landscape looking as if a mighty army of moles have been at work.

Road discipline in Egypt is, to say the least, unusual. On this 2-lane dual carriageway, traffic travels in either lane at any speed, overtaking or undertaking as convenient or swerving from lane to lane to make better progress. It’s not for the faint-hearted. There’s an almost continuous procession of heavy six-wheel lorries, each invariably towing a massive six-wheel trailer.

Eventually we come to the industrialised city of Suez. Egypt is self-sufficient in oil and Suez is the location for one of the refineries. The massive refinery site seems to have at least three fractionating columns for distilling petrol – not particularly modern-looking plant but clearly effective since petrol is very cheap in Egypt. We don’t go into the city proper but park near the Stadium overlooking the Gulf of Suez. The sun is bright but the wind off the water keeps the temperature down. After a few photographs of the Gulf, we set off north by road, passing through a rather depressing area of multi-storey apartments and crossing the railway near the refinery sidings.

Once again, the signs of modernisation accompany us, in the form of a number of medium-voltage overhead power lines. It's not just power; each community has a massive water tower assuring water supplies and there’s evidence of major drainage schemes as well. Frequent radio towers testify to a developed communications system. There are also cellphone masts – Egyptians seem to be addicted to mobile ‘phones as much as the rest of the world. The most unlikely buildings sport satellite dishes for television reception. Egypt has certainly made great strides in developing a modern infrastructure. However, when you look at any of the local buildings, they tend to be in a state of amateur lack of completion – a sort of ‘anything goes’ philosophy common in the third world. Even the least-complete dwellings, where you would imagine nobody yet lives, seem to have satellite dishes. Presumably the tenants consider a television service is more of a priority than, say, doors and windows. Something of this philosophy extends to road vehicles as well. Many are so battered that it seems improbable that they’re able to move at all.

From the road, we can see the railway paralleling our course on our right. I’ll refrain, with some difficulty, from discussing the lower-quadrant semaphore signalling still in use. Click for railway pictures.

The Bitter Lakes are further east and not visible. We’re back in the desert but irrigation means there’s a lot more green than on the first leg of our trip from Cairo to Suez. About 15km out of Suez, we pass the road junction leading to the Ahmed Hamdi tunnel under the Canal. Egypt only holds a narrow strip of land on the east of the Bitter Lakes, then you’re into Israel. The road tunnel provides the most direct route from Cairo to Israel. Egypt keeps careful watch on its neighbour to the east. We pass one large military compound with a large radar aerial pointing east, presumably on the lookout for attacking Israeli jet aircraft. We continue north, passing through the outskirts of Ismailiya. Modern bridges carry us over a wide irrigation canal and a double-track railway line.

Further on, we make a stop at a café with a large garden area. There’s a special room where one of the young waiters in jeans and T-shirt has a large stock of waterpipes which he prepares as ordered by customers. The ‘sheesha’ (which I learn is its correct name) is an integral part of Egyptian café life. I just have a cup of tea (Yellow Label tea bag, no milk but with sugar and in a polystyrene cup – the Egyptian way). There’s another road crossing into Israel at the Ferdan Suspension Bridge over the Canal. The road to Port Said passes under the bridge approach road which is carried on improbable-looking tall concrete piers.

Then, we see our first ship on the Canal, looking as if it’s sailing across farm land – the canal itself is out-of-sight. Ships are heading north at present. Click for ship pictures. Before we come to the next ship in the northbound convoy, we pass a passenger train from Port Said heading south. The next ship is the ‘Maersk Tukang’, with the hull in the characteristic pale blue colour of the Maersk Line and triple-decker containers on deck. This ship is followed by a black-hulled Hanjin Line vessel, also with three layers of container on deck. The following green-hulled China Shipping Lines vessel has containers stacked on deck seven high in places! I know there's a lot of weight inside the hull from the containers loaded in the hold, but it all looks very top-heavy. Further north, there's another Maersk Line vessel which appears to be called 'Sealand Slings' with container stacks 6-high in places. The 'Nedlloyd Drake' only balances the deck containers three high. Two more high voltage power lines march towards us from the west and continue on the east bank but they're not carried over the canal on tall pylons as is often the case. Instead, elaborate switchyards near the shore on either bank suggest an underwater cable connection.

As we approach Port Said, the city's maritime nature is announced by a tough-looking motor cruiser beached in a wave of concrete at the side of the road. We turn off the main road and head for the docks. Port Said is an important container-handling port and more container cranes are visible on the other side of the canal at Port Fouad. On our side, the modern ocean-going tug 'Oil Traveller' is moored. Symbols painted on the hull indicate that she's fitted with Bow Thrusters for improved manoevreability. There's a rather nice little building in the middle of the road junction near the entrance to the docks - I presume it's a disused port security office. Modern security is provided by an elevated watchtower with a single guard of the type that proliferate all over the country. A few more photographs and it's time to set off back towards Ismailia.

The first vessel we see as we set off for the south is the 'Hanjin Paris' which we spotted on the way in, followed by 'Maersk Tukang'. Behind her is green-hulled 'CSAV MARUMBI'. Apparently, the shipping line is called 'CSAV' but I've no idea where the Marumbi comes from. 'Rickmers Doha' is next, grey painted with only a couple of containers on deck but she sprouts a variety of derricks and deck cranes so that she can load and off-load her own cargo. A non-container ship follows, fitted with four deck cranes. For some reason, two of the massive hatch covers are partly open. 'Lissa Topic' follows - again non-container and with four deck cranes. The next vessel (with two deck cranes) has a remarkable deck cargo - lots of blades for big wind turbines. The next vessel is even more extraordinary. As far as I can see, it's moored off the main channel and appears to be an engineering vessel. There are two vertical piles at the rear which can be jacked down, presumably to hold the vessel firm when working. There are two deck cranes, of different types plus a massive girder framework extending from the bow with cables extending into the canal. It seems likely that this is an excavator bucket for dredging.

The bigger cities form 'Governorates' for administrative purposes. At the boundary of Port Said Governorate, some distance from the city, we pass through a highly-decorated toll gate. Travelling in this direction, I spot signs of an earlier accident. Something has hit one of the concrete supporting pillars and, insufficiently reinforced, it has crumbled, allowing the roof structure to partially collapse. The whole mess has been shored up with wooden scaffolding and life goes on.

We continue and, near Ismailia, take the direct road to Cairo. As we get nearer to Cairo, I'm surprised at how much industry there is. A lot of the factories are modern, large and in the heavy heavy engineering sector. I'm told that Russians have make significant purchases of Egyptian industry.

Our route takes us past the airport and into the city. This time, the traffic is heavy and progress is a lot slower. For a while, an elderly tram system shares our route.

Back at the Conrad, the Executive Lounge is fairly busy with people having drinks and eating the light meal on offer. Having enjoyed a snack, I buckle down to the first version of this blog and an early night - I've to be up early in the morning!

Pictures of the Canal Zone.

[Re-issued with additions on 10th, 11th, 12th and 28th March 2009]

Into Egypt

Boarded the aircraft (a British Airways 747-400) on time. Cabin staff very hospitable. For some reason, we were over half an hour late taking off. The journey to Cairo was less than 5 hours - short compared with some of my trips - so I didn't find it tedious. They served quite a reasonable dinner and I watched the 'Casino Royale' remake which I'd not previously seen. Cairo is currently two hours ahead of the UK so it was a quarter to midnight when we got off. I was surprised to find the travel company 'meeters and greeters' were 'Airside'. I easily found the man from Somak (who've provided this part of the trip) and he directed me to his colleague, Hossam, who walked me to Immigration, saying he'd meet me the other side. This time, I'd got the Visa in the U.K. (although you can buy them on arrival) so I was quickly into the baggage hall. My one checked bag was on 'Priority' and it soon appeared. Then it was outside to find the driver and car (an XJS). Although the airport road can get jammed, since it was just after midnight we sailed through on this occasion.

Security in Cairo is quite tight. The entrance to the Conrad Hotel was barred by an electric gate until the security man had checked the boot and examined the underside of the car with a 'mirror-on-a-stick'. On entering the hotel, my bags were X-rayed and I had to pass through a metal detector. Hossam checked me in and then said goodbye, saying I'd be picked up from reception in the morning at 8.30. I made my way (slightly wearily) to room 2333. The lift didn't move until another guest got in and activated it with his credit-card sized electronic room key. I realised that, as another security measure, you can't get far without your room key.

In common with a lot of city centre hotels catering for business travellers, the Conrad has a number of dedicated 'Executive Floors'. At Cairo, it's floors 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. The middle floor, 22, contains a private Lounge for use by guests on the executive floors. This is to stop business guests feeling hard done to when coach loads of tourists check in having paid highly-discounted room rates. I let the Bell Boy show me how the various things worked. He also showed me the views over the city and the Nile from the private balcony. By the time I was sorted out and in bed, it was 2.00 a.m. The bed was very comfortable and I was soon asleep. I felt fairly refreshed when I got up on Monday. I found the complimentary breakfast in the Executive Lounge very adequate and was in Reception just before 8.30. It was a little while before I found my young guide, Marko, because he'd been ringing my room from somewhere and, of course, I wasn't there. We met up with the driver and XJS from the previous night and set off on a trip to see the Canal Zone.

Pictures of the Conrad Hotel.

"The Game's Afoot!" (again)

I'm at Heathrow, off again. This time, a fairly modest itinerary, taking in just Egypt and Jordan.

Regular readers may remember that I've made a brief visit to Egypt once before, in February 2005. This was described in "Round the World Two". I was very impressed with the ancient Egyptian civilisation and determined to return one day. Well, that day is today.

I'm in the lounge at Heathrow, waiting for my British Airways flight to Cairo. This is my first departure from the new Terminal 5. It's also the first time on one of these jaunts that I've checked in on the Internet at home so, on my arrival, all I had to do was find the 'Bag Drop'. As usual, the time spent navigating security tends to put me in a bad mood - I respond badly to queuing and being bossed around. But I suppose it wasn't too bad (being relatively quiet on a Sunday afternoon).

My flight leaves from the Satellite terminal so I make my way by the driverless underground train from T5 to its Satellite. I'll spare you the details except to say rubber wheels on a concrete base with a central guide rail. Then I made my way to the Gallery Lounge, set up in the eaves and looking out onto the apron on two sides. It was raining on the way to Heathrow by road but, as I write this, the sun has come out and it all looks more cheereful. There are lots of Internet workstations and they work, so that creates a good impression. There's time to grab an orange juice and a bowl of vegetable soup, make this post, then I'm away to the Gate for my flight. I'll write more when I can.

Photographs

Heathrow.

Princes End

In 'Visiting Signalboxes' I described how, in the late '50s and early '60s, I managed to visit (and unofficially operate) a number of mechanical signal boxes in the West Midlands. Most of this write-up is from memory - notes I made at the time are lost or mislaid.

Back in the '50s, the Stour Valley Line from Birmingham to Wolverhampton made a triangular junction with the double-track Princes End Line. The boxes controlling the triangle were Tipton and Bloomfield Junction (both on the Stour Valley Line) and Tipton Curve Junction (on the Princes End Line). The next box was Princes End, then the line continued to Wednesbury, where it joined the South Stafford Line.

I worked the adjacent box at Tipton Curve when the signalling was still absolute block but I didn't get to work Princes End box until after Wolverhampton Power Box had opened. Princes End became a fringe box to the Power Box and trains to and from the Stour Valley were 'sent' and 'arrived' by Train Describer. The train describers at fringe boxes were made by Standard Telephones and Cables and were largely electro-mechanical, using crossbar switches. Crossbar switches were used in telephone switching for a short period, before reed relay and electronic designs took over. I spent some time studying the design of the train describer equipment at Princes End. There was usually plenty of time in between trains for study.

By the time I knew Princes End, the line down to bank to Wednesbury had been singled and was operated by Electric Token. Originally, it had been double. I believe the line was singled partly because of subsidence in one area of the embankment, probably caused by an underground fire. In mining areas such fires seemed fairly common. At the time, there was also what seemed to me a rather perverse fashion for reducing track maintenance costs by singling double track sections. I was never convinced that this idea was justified, taking into account the signalling complication at each end of the single line where it rejoined normal double track and the operational problems of having to wait for a train in one direction to clear before a train could pass in the opposite direction.

The box was of standard L&NWR construction, with the frame nearest to the track. Behind the frame, set in the floor, were a number of Annett's keys which could be released to allow a train to work at one of the private sidings controlled by Princes End. I think I only remember Austin's Siding being used and that infrequently. The display for the Train Describer to Wolverhampton sat on the block shelf.

The electric token machine for the single line to Wednesbury sat on a small table on the back wall of the box, next to the desk for the Train Register Book. Princes End was the only box I worked with electric token working, so I found this of interest and studied the operating principles. This relatively-simple equipment had brought considerable safety to the operation of single lines but, like any system invented by man, could be defeated by not sticking to the procedures. The head-on collision at Abermule in 1921 (see Wikipedia article) is an example of this.

There was a level crossing at the Wednesbury end of the box, controlled from a gate wheel which I found heavy to operate. Beyond the level crossing were the long-derelict passenger platforms. I think the passenger service was discontinued in the 1930s.

When the electrification of the Stour Valley was in progress, the Princes End Line was often used as a diversionary route for passenger trains at weekends. I can't remember details, but 'Sunday Stroll to Stafford' describes one trip I made.

I was at Princes End Box one day when the line was used for an emergency diversion. Mid-morning, there was a Scottish express from Birmingham to Glasgow, IS61, which was booked to run along the Stour Valley Line. One day, the North Stour became blocked (probably the day a freight tried to leave the down sidings at Spring Vale before the road was set. The steam loco ended up 'down the bank' and wagons were strewn around. Wish I'd seen it). 1S61 had already passed Winson Green (where it could have been diverted onto the Soho Road Line) so 'Control' decided to divert it onto the Princes End Branch. I don't know where it went afterwards - probably Rugeley then Trent Valley Line to regain its proper route at Stafford. To my surprise, '1S61' popped up on the train describer so I was able to send a 'four-beater' (express) to Wednesbury and extract the single line token (an overgrown 'lollipop'). These were handed directly to the loco crew from the narrow landing outside the front of the box principally used for window cleaning. There was no 'loop' as sometimes used to simplify the exchange. As 1S61, headed by an English Electric 'Type 4', roared towards the box, I was horrified at the speed the driver was maintaining and I had visions of either breaking a finger or dropping the token. In fact, I made the exchange OK but I still remember my fear!

There's a series of fairly technical articles on the electrical signalling controls starting with Princes End Electrical Controls (Part 1).

London Underground - Traction Power Distribution

White City, pictured during an Engineering Possession.

These notes on London's Underground Railways are taken from training material prepared by Ford Electronics Limited, with permission. Ford Electronics produce Tunnel Telephone systems for use on underground railways. This description applies to most lines, but there are local differences.

Introduction

London Underground uses d.c. traction power distribution from a series of substations at the relatively low voltage of around 630 volts. The conductor system consists of conductor rails laid along the track route allowing power to be picked up continuously by the train through its shoegear equipment. The positive conductor rail laid outside the running rails and the negative conductor rail laid between the running rails are supported on porcelain insulators at a maximum pitch of around 4.3 metres.

At turnouts, crossings, expansion gaps, isolator switches and section gaps the conductor rails are broken. Ramps at the start and end of conductor rail section lift the train collector shoes onto the rail or lower the shoes from the rail. The length of the gap depends upon the track feature. At turnouts and crossings, the gap is variable. Expansion gaps are normally 1 metre, provided every 246 metres on the surface and every 606 metres underground. Isolator switch gaps are normally 1 metre and Section gaps 15 metres.

The outer conductor rail is normally about 450 volts positive with respect to earth and the inner conductor rail in between the running rails is normally about 180 volts negative with respect to earth. The d.c. power is not directly earthed and the actual voltage to earth on each conductor rail will depend upon the insulation resistance. During wet weather on exposed lines, around 300 volts on each conductor rail is possible. Intentional indirect earthing through Bleed Resistors (see below) is provided at certain locations to establish the conductor rail to earth voltages during non-leaky conditions.

Source of traction power

Originally, London Underground produced its own power at generating stations like Lots Road, which no longer exists. Nowadays, power is taken from the National Grid at a number of sites at either 11kV or 22kV 50Hz, but London Underground currently retains the capability to generate power at a peak-lopping gas turbine installation at Greenwich, which is only used as emergency supply if the grid fails. As necessary, this high voltage a.c. power is distributed to Traction Sub Stations. To provide the necessary supply security Traction Sub Stations frequently have alternative sources, usually at 11kV 50Hz.

Traction Sub Stations

Transmission losses at 630 volts d.c. are relatively high so, to avoid excessive voltage drop, Traction Sub Stations (TSSs) have to be located quite close together. Originally, Traction Sub Stations were staffed but they are now remotely controlled from a power control room at a central London site.

At each Traction Sub Station, the incoming three-phase high voltage supply is transformed down and rectified (using fan-cooled semiconductor rectifiers) to provide the earth-free d.c. supply for the conductor rails. A typical rating for a single rectifier unit is 1500kW. Substations are normally provided with two or more rectifiers. Often, one rectifier will power the two roads in one direction, a second will power the two roads in the other direction. Circuit breakers allow individual roads to be discharged.

The conductor rails are divided into sections extending from one Traction Sub Station to the next. Each section is double-end fed with d.c. from rectifiers at both Traction Sub Stations, to further minimise voltage drop, particularly when more than one train is in a section. A simplified diagram of the arrangement is shown in Figure 2.1 below.

The practical arrangement of a typical Traction Sub Station with two rectifiers is illustrated in Figure 2.2 below.

The substation has two d.c. busbars linked or isolated by a coupling breaker. Each rectifier and each road supplied is associated with a circuit breaker. At most TSSs, the coupling breaker is normally closed so that both rectifiers and all four roads are connected together to minimise voltage drop.

Track Paralleling Huts

At Track Paralleling Huts, the conductor rails are broken to form a section gap, but normally contactors are closed to connect together all the positive conductor rails and all the negative conductor rails. Again, the aim is to reduce the voltage drop as a number of rectifiers can contribute current to each section. The arrangement is shown in Figure 2.3 below.

Sectionalisation

As described above, at most Traction Sub Stations the coupling breaker is normally closed so that the conductor rails are effectively continuous from section to section. Since the conductor rails are not directly earthed, an earth fault from one side of the supply to earth (for instance, on a traction motor or collector shoes) does not prevent the system from operating. But a second earth fault on the other side of the supply will cause the overcurrent protection to operate. If all the coupling breakers were closed, a second earth fault could propagate a shutdown along the whole length of the line, involving a large number of passengers.

To limit this fault propagation, London Underground introduced a technique called 'Sectionalisation' where a number of traction sections are connected together (to help minimise voltage drop) but the coupling breakers are intentionally open at the Traction Sub Stations defining the ends of that Sectionalisation section.

Bleed Resistors

In the absence of leakage currents to earth from the conductor rails, the voltage of each conductor rail with respect to earth is defined by a potential divider of bleed resistors added at each end of the Sectionalisation Section from each conductor rail to earth. The conventional values are 220 ohms (positive rail) and 110 ohms (negative rail).

Related articles in this Blog

Fourth Rail Electrification

Tunnel Telephone System

In tunnel sections of the system, a Tunnel Telephone system is provided to facilitate traction discharge and voice communication between the driver and Line Controller. Traction trip and speech is provided over two bare copper alloy wires carried, one above the other, on pairs of porcelain insulators supported on metal brackets fixed to the tunnel wall, usually on the right-hand side in the normal direction of travel. The insulators are generally provided every 6 metres along the tunnel so as to keep the wires about 115mm apart. The wires are positioned so as to be accessible by leaning from the driving cab window of a train. The general appearance of a single-bore deep tunnel is shown in Figure 2.4 below.

Where it is necessary for the tunnel wires to be carried across to the opposite tunnel wall, Over Track Crossings (OTX) are provided using cable. Where different sections of tunnel wire need to be interconnected, or equipment introduced, cabling is used and test boxes with sliding disconnection links may be provided to facilitate fault-finding.

Related posts on this website

All my posts on London Underground can be found here.

This topic is continued at London Underground - Traction Power Distribution (2).

[Bleed resistor values transposed, link to part (2) added 11-Apr-2021]

German Railway Signalling

This is a fairly superficial introduction to German railway signalling, intended to illustrate how different countries have evolved different solutions to the same basic problem of moving trains safely around the network.

Each European country has its own national variant traditional signalling system. Broadly, they may be divided into two types:-
- Route signalling, as in the U.K., where the specific route set is indicated to the driver
- Speed signalling, as in Germany and most European countries, where the maximum safe train speed is indicated to the driver, but the particular route set is not indicated.

In Germany, early colour light signals are according to system 'HV' using red, yellow, green and white lamps. More modern installations use system 'KS' where the signal lamps are supplemented by speed indicators for both Main and Distant signals.

The Hauptsignal (Main signal) is a stop signal. To allow sufficient braking distance for a train to stop at an adverse signal, each Main signal is preceded by a Vorsignal (Distant signal). This is a warning signal which may be passed when showing a restrictive aspect. The sequence of Distant signal, Main signal suffices where main signals are at least 1300m apart, otherwise a Distant signal is provided on the same post as the previous Main signal and, where this does not provide sufficient braking distance, also on the Main signal previous to that.

The heading photograph shows two Hauptsignal (main signal) at the north end of Mannheim Hauptbahnhof. Signal P004 on the left controls northbound departures from platform 4 and signal P003 on the right applies to platform 3. I believe the 'double red' is to prohibit passing the signal for shunting purposes, as well as prohibiting departure. The green lamp is above the red signal lamps. Below are two diagonal white lights which, when lit, authorise shunting movements beyond the red signal. Below the shunting signal is the yellow lamp forming part of the main signal allowing the 'green over yellow' aspect. When 'green over yellow' is displayed, the speed indicator at the top of the post (backed by a triangular sighting board) indicates the authorised reduced speed, in km/h divided by ten. Mounted lower down the post is the Distant signal indicating the aspect of the next Main signal.

This Distant signal is provided halfway along platform 3 at Mannheim, serving as the warning for signal P003, visible in the background. To indicate that the signal is less than the braking distance from the Main signal, a white light is displayed to the left of the signal. There will have been a previous warning signal at the full braking distance. The distant signal has two 2-lamp clusters, each showing Yellow or Green. The picture shows the 'double yellow' warning. When the main signal is displaying a proceed indication, the Distant displays a 'double green'. Where necessary, the 'green over yellow' indication can be given, indicating that the following Main signal is showing proceed at less than the line speed.

This picture shows two more Main signals at the north end of Mannheim Hauptbahnhof. Signal P002 on the left controls northbound departures from platform 2 and is showing 'double red'. Again, there are green and yellow lamps, plus a shunting signal and a numeric speed indicator at the top of the post. The cluster of three lights forming an 'A' is the 'Substitution signal'. These white lights, when lit, authorise a train to pass a defective Main signal which cannot be cleared. Lower down the post is the Distant signal for the next main signal, with a white light to indicate that it is less than the full braking distance from the Main signal.

Signal P001 on the right applies to platform 1. The grouping of lamps is a little more compact and the Shunting signal has additional lamps. The Main signal is displaying 'green over yellow' for proceed at reduced speed, as indicated (in this case) by the '5' in the speed indicator at the top of the signal for 50km/h. Mounted lower down the post is the Distant signal showing 'double yellow' indicating that the next Main signal is displaying 'stop'.

An elevated shunting signal is shown on the extreme right, applying to southbound moves on platform 4. Note the climbing brackets attached to the post to allow access to the signal head and the reflective red and white identification panel attached to the post to make the signal more visible to an approaching train. Another shunting signal applying to northbound moves on platform 4 can be seen, just behind the approaching 'ICE' train. A similar signal is mounted on the platform canopy of platform 3.

A snatched (rather fuzzy) picture of a Main signal as we passed at speed. Main signal at the top of the post. Below this, a shunting signal displaying two white lights diagonally and below this the yellow main aspect (to permit 'green over yellow' to be displayed. The separate cluster of three (yellow) lights forming a 'V' is the Caution signal. When illuminated, it allows a failed main signal to be passed. Below this, is the familiar diagonal pair of 2-lamp clusters of a Distant signal. Lower down the post is the signal number plate and the red and white reflective identification panel. There is no access ladder but the construction of the post presumably facilitates climbing. There are, however two landings with handrails to assist the maintainer - one by the main signal cluster, one by the distant signal. Finally, notice the two signalling equipment cases at the foot of the post.

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Another Main signal, near Frankfurt. All the standard aspects are provided but, in addition to the Main signal speed indicator at the top of the post, there is a Distant speed indicator (displaying yellow numbers) beneath the Distant signal.

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A main signal mounted on a bracket, presumably to improve sighting, on the approach to Frankfurt. This is a 'KS' system 'Combination' signal. The three Main lamps (red, yellow, green) are arranged in an 'A' to serve as a combined Main and Distant signal. It displays 'single red', 'single yellow', 'single green' or (when the Distant Speed indicator is lit) 'flashing green'. There is a Speed indicator above the Main signal and a Distant Speed indicator below the signal. The red and white identification panel indicates a Main signal - the yellow triangular identification panel is used in the 'KS' system to indicate a Distant signal.

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A final example of a bracket signal, near Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. This appears to be a 'KS' system Distant with yellow and green signal lamps and a Distant Speed indicator below.

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As can be seen, conveying speed information to drivers can result in quite complex trackside equipment so the trend is now towards 'Cab Signalling' where speed information is presented in the cab and there may be no fixed signals along the route. But that's another story.

The pictures in this article are taken from my collection on German Railways.

Information on railway signalling in Germany is taken from 'European Railway Signalling', published by A & C Black for the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (ISBN 0-7136-4167-3).