1999-egypt

	In front of the famous pyramids at Giza. In this photo the largest pyramid, Cheops (Khufu) is on the left, the still partially limestone capped pyramid, Chephren (Khafre) is in the middle and the smallest pyramid, Mycerinus (Menkaure) is on the right.
	As you get closer to Cheops you can appreciate its massive size. It is perhaps the greatest single building ever erected by mankind. Its 230.4m sides rise at an angle of 51.87degrees and are accurately oriented to the four cardinal points of the compass.
	We are at last on Cheops. It is a masterpiece of technical skill and engineering ability. The geometric precision of its layout and the accuracy of its stonecutting are truly amazing, especially when one considers the colossal proportions of the whole and the size and weight of the blocks employed in it.
	Chephren (Khafre). The middle pyramid on the Giza plateau.
	The southernmost and last pyramid to be built at Giza was that of Mycerinus (Menkaure). Each side measures 109 metres, and the structure's completed height was 66 metres. Look at how close to Cairo the pyramids are.
	A closer view of Mycerinus, the smallest of the 3 pyramids on the Giza plateau. The stone pyramid is that of an unnamed queen.
	A closer view of Chephren (Khafre). The middle pyramid measures 216 m on each side and is 143m high.
	Carved from the bedrock of the Giza plateau, the Sphinx is truly a mysterious marvel from the days of ancient Egypt. The body of a lion with the head of a king or god, the sphinx has come to symbolize strength and wisdom.

	Because of the changing desert terrain, the body of the Sphinx has been buried several times over the past several thousand years.
	Most recently in 1905, the sand has been cleared away to expose the magnitude and beauty of the entirety of the Sphinx. The paws themselves are 15m long while the entire length is 45m. The head is 10m long and 4m wide. Because certain layers of the stone are softer than others, there is a high degree of erosion that has claimed the original detail of the carved figure.

In front of the great pyramid Cheops (Khufu). Built during the 4th-dynasty (c. 2575-c. 2465 BC, it was 147m high when built. It is now 138m high because of the loss of its limestone cap.

At the base of Cheops. The Great Pyramid's core is made of yellowish limestone blocks, the outer casing (now almost completely gone) and the inner passages are of finer light-coloured limestone, and the interior burial chamber is built of huge blocks of granite. Approximately 2,300,000 blocks of stone went into this stupendous structure, each weighing an average of 2.5 tonnes.

Although the head of the Sphinx is badly battered in some places, traces of the original paint can still be seen near one ear. Originally it is believed that the Sphinx was painted and was quite colorful. Since then, the nose and beard have been broken away. The nose was the unfortunate victim of target practice by the Turks in the Turkish period. It is often erroneously assumed that the nose was shot off by Napoleon's men, but 18th century drawings reveal that the nose was missing long before Napoleon's arrival.

	A dwarf on a stela at the Cairo Museum. Dwarfs held a special place in Egyptian culture.
Cairo Museum. Horus, the falcon headed god behind the pharaoh's head.
	Cairo Museum. Bastet, or Ubasti was not the goddess of cats; this is sometimes misunderstood. She was simply portrayed as a cat, but was really the goddess of happiness and contentment, and music. It is thought that the cat was the most content creature on earth when it was laying in the sun purring, so that is why the Egyptians proclaimed the Bastet was the right goddess for the purpose.
Cairo Museum. A statue of a pharaoh.
	Cairo Museum. From the tomb of Tutankhamun, Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of the dead, represented by a jackal. He originally enjoyed a preeminent (though not exclusive) position as lord of the dead but was later overshadowed by Osiris. His particular concern was with the funerary cult and the care of the dead: hence he was reputed to be the inventor of embalming.
The famous inlaid gold funerary mask of Tutankhamun in the Cairo Museum. He died about 1325BC.

Cairo Museum. Although its origin is hidden in antiquity, the domestic cat has a history that dates nearly 3,500 years to ancient Egypt. Although the cat was proclaimed a sacred animal about 2400 BC, it had not necessarily been domesticated at that time. It is probable that the Egyptians domesticated the cat because they realized its value in protecting granaries from rodents. Their affection and respect for this predator led to the development of religious cat cults and temple worship of cats.

We flew from Cairo to Aswan. It took about an hour.

Aswan

	The view from our hotel window at Aswan overlooking the Nile. Aswan was a delightful spot. It is situated just below the First Cataract of the Nile.
	This picture was taken on top of the Aswan High Dam overlooking Lake Nasser. Built between 1960 and 1971, the dam is 3 km across. Max. height is 111m and is 40m. wide at the top. Lake Nasser is huge (165,000 million cubic metres) and has changed the climate in the area.
	Looking downstream from the top of the Aswan High Dam. As well as controlling flooding of the Nile, water is used for hydro-electricity.
	The Unfinished Obelisk in a granite quarry at Aswan. The workers discovered a flaw in the stone and abandoned it. This obelisk would have been the biggest in Egypt had it been finished; 45m high and nearly 5 metres thick.
	Other abandoned granite carvings at the quarry near Aswan.
	One of the Nubian sons of our felucca skipper on our Nile cruise at Aswan.
	The Nubian sons of our felucca skipper on our Nile cruise at Aswan.
	Excavations of ancient ruins on Elephantine Island at Aswan. Excavations have revealed a small town, temples and fortifications.
	Elephantine Island excavations at Aswan.
	A felucca on the Nile river at Aswan. Elephantine Island in the background
	Kitchener's Island at Aswan. This small island is completely dominated by the hundreds of types of plant life that make up the island's massive botanical gardens. The island's name, Kitchener, refers to the British soldier to whom it was given as a reward for a victorious campaign in Sudan.
	In the botanical gardens on Kitchener's Island at Aswan. We strolled through the lush, tropical greenery, quite a contrast to the barren sands inland!
	A felucca on the Nile river at Aswan. Elephantine Island in the background
	Some of the Tombs of the Nobles on the banks of the Nile river opposite Aswan.
	A nilometer amongst the ancient ruins on Elephantine Island. It indicated the level of the Nile river.
	Elephantine Island excavations at Aswan.
	On a felucca at Aswan.
	Elephantine Island excavations at Aswan.

Another view of The Unfinished Obelisk at Aswan.

A statue found during excavations at Elephantine Island.

Another view of The Unfinished Obelisk at Aswan.

A statue found during excavations at Elephantine Island.

Another view of The Unfinished Obelisk at Aswan.

A statue found during excavations at Elephantine Island.

A street scene in Aswan. This was the scene outside the entrance to our hotel, which was off a lane-way at the back. The hotel occupied the floors above the National Bank of Egypt.

The Post Office at Aswan.

	Approaching the Temple of Philae near Aswan. Before its gradual submergence in the reservoir created by the old Aswan Dam in 1902 and 1907, the alluvium-covered granite rock of Philae, had always been above the highest Nile floodings. Accordingly, it attracted many ancient temple and shrine builders.
	From early Egyptian times the island was sacred to the goddess Isis; the earliest structures known date from 689BC. The present colonnade was built about 360BC. The complex of structures of the Temple of Isis was completed by Ptolemy II and III from 285BC to 221BC. Its decorations, dating from the period of the later Ptolemies and the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius (27 BC to AD 37), were, however, never completed.
	All these structures were thoroughly explored and reinforced (1895-96) before being partially flooded behind the old Aswan Dam. In 1907 a careful inspection revealed that salts were damaging paints on the decorations. When the temples reemerged after 1970 with the completion of the High Dam upstream, it was found that considerable damage had been done to the shrines.
	A decision was therefore made to remove them to higher ground on the nearby island of Agilkia. Agilkia Island was leveled to resemble the original Philae, and the temples were rebuilt in 1980, returning them to some measure of their original beauty.
	The Roman emperor Hadrian (reigned AD 117-138) added this kiosk.
	The stone blocks were held together with wooden wedges which have long since rotted away.

Another view of the Roman kiosk at the Temple of Philae.
	One of the spectacular pylons of the Temple of Philae.
A close up of some of many of the reliefs on the Temple of Philae. The Temple of Isis continued to flourish during Roman times and was not closed until the reign of Justinian I (AD 527-565). Late in Justinian's reign the temple was converted into a church. Many of the faces of the reliefs were defaced by the Coptics Christians who saw these reliefs as examples of a Pagan religion.
	Some fine reliefs on a pylon of the Temple of Philae.

From Aswan we went in a taxi in an armed, escorted convoy along the Nile River. The first stop was at Kom Ombo, then Edfu, finally finishing at Luxor.

	The Dual Temple of Sorbek and Haroeris (the local crocodile god and the falcon-headed sky god) at Kom Ombo.
	Carved Egyptian hieroglyphic reliefs at Kom Ombo.
	Carved Egyptian hieroglyphic reliefs at Kom Ombo.
	Part of the temple which stands on a promontory at a bend in the Nile river at the village of Kom Ombo about 50 km north of Aswan.

Luxor

	The Colossi of Memnon near Luxor. These 18m high statues are all that remain of a temple that was once on this site. One of these statues was once damaged by a flood and a hole formed which whistled in the wind. The locals thought it was the statue talking. The hole was later repaired.
	On the way to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut near Luxor. You can clearly see the 3 terraces of this impressive building. Even now the temple conveys a unique harmony between man's creation and the natural environment. The effect of its original appearance, with trees, flowerbeds and numerous sphinxes and statues, must have been even more overwhelming.
	The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. A good view of the causeway leading to the upper levels. The middle level was the only one open as the other two were being restored.
	Damaged by an earthquake in 1864, the temple was rebuilt by a large construction team from Poland.
	"Stars" on the ceiling of the middle level of The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
	Colourful wall decorations at the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
	Colourful wall decorations at the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

A closer view of the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. The Temple of Hatshepsut which carried the name djeser-djeseru, or "the sublime of the sublimes", is undoubtedly the most impressive building of Western Thebes.

At the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. The Queen is not buried here, as she considered herself a ruler and is believed to be buried in the Valley of the Kings.

Inside the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

	The path leading to some of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor.
	Outside some of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
	"Stars" on the ceiling and wall decorations inside the tomb of Amenophis II in the Valley of the Kings. This tomb had only been reopened for a month after extensive restoration work. A very, very deep tomb.
	Mud bricks, and crops close to the Nile near Luxor.
	The lotus flower towel arrangements and our neatly arranged pyjamas in our room at the Arabesque Hotel in Luxor. Clearly the staff had a lot of time on their hands.
	A view of the roofs of building near our hotel in Luxor. They keep their chooks on the roof. Notice also the satellite dish.
	On the roof terrace of our Luxor hotel.
	A glimpse of the Nile river behind the Luxor Temple from our Luxor hotel.

A double row of ram sphinxes that line the entrance to Karnak temple at Luxor. Once this double row extended three and a half kilometres to the Luxor Temple. It must have been an amazing sight. The statues were sculptured in the form of sphinxes with lions bodies and rams heads, in order to protect the other statues of the King. Whereas the lions represent the strongest creatures man has ever known, the rams are the epitome of fertility and reproduction.
	Ram-headed sphinxes at the. The ram-headed sphinx is a symbol of the god Amon. They protect the pharaoh - shown here between their front paws.
The temple of Karnak was known as Ipet-isut (most select of places) by the ancient Egyptians. It is a city of temples built over 2000 years and dedicated to the Theben triad of Amon, Mut and Khonsu. Karnak is still capable of overshadowing many of the wonders of the modern world and in its day must have been awe inspiring.


	Other parts of the massive complex of the Temple of Karnak.

Inside the hypostyle hall at the Temple of Karnak. With its 134 columns it is still the largest room of any religious building in the world.
	The massive columns in the hypostyle hall at Karnak dwarf the people. During the XIXth dynasty it is known that 81,300 people worked in the temple of Amon if we count not just the priests and guardians but also the workmen and peasants involved.
Inside the massive hypostyle hall at the Temple of Karnak. The hall is one hundred and two metres long by fifty-three metres wide and which there stand one hundred and thirty four columns. Each column is twenty three metres high and has a papyrus capital with a circumference of about fifteen metres.
	An indication of the height of this temple at Karnak. One of the walls at the main entrance.
An Australian tourist leaning on one of the columns in the shape of papyrus at the Temple of Karnak.
	The statue of a pharaoh and his wife at the Temple of Karnak.


	There is still some paint surviving on the under side of the capitals of the hypostyle hall at the Temple of Karnak.
	Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics on one of the columns of the hypostyle hall at the Temple of Karnak.
	At the western corner of the sacred lake at Karnak is this scarab beetle, representative of the God Khepri. It is said that if you walk around it 3 times you will return to Egypt.
	Another view of some of the ram sphinxes that line the entrance to Karnak temple at Luxor.
	The rear view of some of the ram sphinxes that line the entrance to Karnak temple at Luxor.

Margaret circled the scarab beetle 3 times to ensure her return to Egypt. The Egyptians apparently shared the widespread belief that the scarab ensured eternal life. The scarab beetle lays its eggs in balls of dung and die. The new beetles from the eggs come out of the dung. The Egyptians saw in the life cycle of the beetle a microcosm of the daily rebirth of the sun.
	Some of the ram sphinxes that line the entrance to Karnak temple at Luxor.
An indication of the gigantic size of the colossi at the Temple of Karnak.
	Yet another colossi at the Temple of Karnak.
Part of the Temple of Karnak.

Outside Luxor Temple at Luxor.

"Using the horn without any justification.... Will make you acountable to Law."

	A hot day outside Luxor Temple. "Parking in the wrong Places Will Make you accountable to Law."
	"Dear Driver … Do not Forget the Citizen's Right in Crossing the Road Safely".
	McDonalds are in Luxor too.
	At Luxor looking across the Nile to the West bank (Thebes). The valleys of the Kings and the Queens are over there. The burial grounds are here because it is where the sun sets and life finishes.

	The other end of the double row of ram sphinxes at Luxor Temple. This is three and a half km from Karnak Temple.
	A closer view of the ram sphinxes at Luxor Temple.
	Inside Luxor Temple.
	Inside Luxor Temple.
	Inside Luxor Temple.
	The mosque was built on parts of the foundations of the temple.
	The mosque built on parts of the foundations of Luxor Temple.
	The stone blocks were held together with wooden pegs.

A closer view of the mosque built on parts of the foundations of Luxor Temple.
	The intricate ceiling of the mosque that is built on parts of the foundations of Luxor Temple.
Another sphinx at Luxor Temple.
	Luxor Temple.
Luxor Temple.
	A pharaoh and his wife at Luxor Temple.

We caught a local bus for the 5 hour trip across to the Red Sea coast at Hurgharda.

Hurgharda

	Some interesting buildings at a resort near Hurgharda on the Red Sea.
	Swimming in the Red Sea at an island near Hurgharda.
	Swimming in the Red Sea at an island near Hurgharda.
	A small island in the Red Sea near Hurgharda.

Dahab

	At Dahab on the Egyptian Sinai. Dahab is, a sprawling conglomeration of palm trees, shops, campgrounds, hotels, bars, and restaurants that lie along the shore. It has a distinctly Bohemian feel.
	The Red Sea at Dahab. Dahab was a pleasant, supposedly Bedouin encampment on the Gulf of Aqaba.
	A scene looking inland from our hotel at Dahab.
	The rugged, dry Sinai inland from Dahab. The Sinai is an austere wilderness of granite and colourful limestone mountains. More rocky than sandy. There were occasional Bedouin encampments, and just a few roadblocks manned by Egyptian soldiers.
	Even in the rugged Sinai there is some vegetation.
	At the Egyptian port of Nuweiba on the Sinai.
	Margaret palled up with some of the children on the Egyptian ferry on the voyage from Nuweiba to Aqaba in Jordan.
	On the dirty, over-crowded ferry on the voyage from Nuweiba to Aqaba in Jordan. The passengers spat out their food on the deck and threw lots of rubbish into the Red Sea.
	The coast of Saudi Arabia from the Egyptian ferry.
	Sunset over the Sinai.

	A scene near Cairo. Date palms, sugar cane and other plants grow well where water is available from the Nile.
	Beside the road near Cairo.
	A donkey in poor condition. We saw lots of donkeys on our trips just out of Cairo. They had riders or loads on their back or were towing small carts.
	Typical rough mud brick Egyptian buildings near Cairo.
	A smiling young Egyptian girl at one of the irrigated areas near Cairo.
	A typical date palm with fruit near Cairo.
	An urban camel.
	A road scene near Cairo.

	The Red Pyramid at Dashur near Cairo in the distance. You can see that away from the Nile the countryside is just desert.
	The Red Pyramid at Dashur near Cairo. It is about 220 m wide at the base and 104 m high. It was the first proper pyramid built with all sides at the same angle (44 degrees).
	Walking up to the Red Pyramid at Dashur near Cairo. It is known as the Red Pyramid or Pink Pyramid from the colour of the limestone used to build it. The reason for this has not been established.
	In front of the Red Pyramid. Notice the steps leading up to the entrance.
	Looking up at the surface of the Red Pyramid.
	Climbing up the Red Pyramid.
	Inside the Red Pyramid. Notice how well the stone blocks fitted together.

	A shaft inside the Red Pyramid.

	Looking up at the ceiling of the Red Pyramid. All done very cleverly with stone.

	A corner of the Red Pyramid.

	An over-loaded camel near Cairo.
	An irrigation canal near Cairo.
	Poor looking scraggy sheep and goats near Cairo.
	A large statue of Ramses II at Memphis near Cairo.
	A close up view of the head of huge colossi of Ramses II at Memphis.
	Papyrus plants. At a shop at Memphis where we were given a quick display of how papyrus was made. Margaret bought a blank piece of papyrus.
	Another statue of Ramses II at Memphis near Cairo. Memphis was a former Pharaonic capital of Egypt.
	A sphinx-like statue of Ramses II at Memphis.

	In front of the stepped pyramid at Saqqara.
A close up view of the stepped pyramid at Saqqara. Djoser's Stepped Pyramid is a terraced structure rising in six unequal stages to a height of 60 m, its base measuring 120 m by 108 m.
With a self appointed guide at Saqqara.
Part of the complex of buildings near the Stepped Pyramid.

	Saqqara The Funerary Temple, part of the complex of buildings near the Stepped Pyramid.
	Polishing limestone the old way at Saqqara.
	At Saqqara. The statue of Djoser inside a small shrine as seen through a hole in the wall. The sun spotlights the statue through this hole.
	Horus and Thoth depicted on a sandstone relief at Saqqara.
	Our driver, Gamal, inside a sarcophagus at Saqqara near Cairo.

	A smaller unnamed pyramid at Dashur near Cairo.
	A smaller Queen's pyramid on the Giza plateau at Cairo.

	Date palms and mud bricks near Cairo.
	A donkey cart near Cairo.
	A fertile area. You can see Cairo in the background
	There were quite a number of eucalyptus trees along the roads near Cairo.
	Near Cairo. You can see that away from the Nile the countryside is just desert.

	One of the statues of Horus, the falcon-headed god at Edfu.
Another of the statues of Horus, the falcon-headed god at Edfu.
	Inside the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Building began in 237 BC and it took 200 years to complete.
Colonnaded courtyard at the Temple of Horus at Edfu.

	At the Temple of Horus at Edfu. This is the best preserved temple in Egypt.
	Horus, Isis and other reliefs at the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
	At the Temple of Horus at Edfu. There were lots of internal rooms in this temple.
	Sitting next to our driver, Aled, at Edfu who was smoking his hookah.
	Smoko at Edfu?