The Great Sphinx

In a depression to the south of Chephren's pyramid sits a creature with a human head and a lion's body. The name 'sphinx' which means 'strangler' was first given by the Greeks to a fabulous creature which had the head of a woman and the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The sphinx appears to have started in Egypt in the form of a sun god. The Egyptian sphinx is usually a head of a king wearing his headdress and the body of a lion . There are, however, sphinxes with ram heads that are associated with the god Amun.

The Great Sphinx is to the northeast of Chephren's Valley Temple. Where it sits was once a quarry. Chephren's workers shaped the stone into the lion and gave it their king's face over 4,500 years ago. The sphinx faces the rising sun with a temple to the front which resembles the sun temples which were built later by the kings of the 5th Dynasty. The figure was buried for most of its life in the sand. King Thutmose IV (1425 - 1417 BC) placed a stela between the front paws of the figure. It describes when Thutmose, while still a prince, had gone hunting and fell asleep in the shade of the sphinx. During a dream, the sphinx spoke to Thutmose and told him to clear away the sand because it was choking the sphinx. The sphinx told him that if he did this, he would be rewarded with a kingship. Thutmose carried out this request and the sphinx held up his end of the deal.

The sphinx is built of soft sandstone and would have disappeared long ago had it not been buried for so long. The body is 200 feet (60m) in length and 65 feet (20m) tall. The face of the sphinx is 13 feet (4m) wide and its eyes are 6 feet (2m) high. Part of the uraeus (sacred cobra), the nose and the ritual beard are now missing. . The beard from the sphinx is displayed in the British Museum. The statue is crumbling today because of the wind, humidity and the smog from Cairo. Attempts to restore it have often caused more harm than good. No one can be certain who the figure is to personify. It is possible that it is Chephren. If that is so, it would then be the oldest known royal portrait in such large scale. Some say that it was built after the pyramid of Chephren was complete. It may have been set as a sort of scarecrow to guard his tomb. Still others say it is the face of his guardian deity, rather than Chephren himself. The image of the sphinx is a depiction of royal power. Only a pharaoh or an animal could be shown this way, with the animal representing a protective deity.

In the 1980's, a carefully planned restoration of the Sphinx was in progress. Over 6 years, more than 2,000 limestone blocks were added to the body of the sphinx and chemicals were injected. This treatment did not work. It just flaked away along with parts of the original rock. Later, various mortars and many workers who were not trained in restoration worked for six months to repair it. In 1988 the left shoulder crumbled and blocks fell off. Present attempts at restoration are under the control of the Supreme Council of Antiquities' archaeologists. They are concentrating on draining away subsoil seepage which is damaging the rock. They are also repairing the damaged shoulder with smaller blocks and staying with the original size.


Source: interoz.com

Read More..

The Pyramids of Egypt

There are no more famous ancient sites within Egypt, or for that matter elsewhere in the world, than the Great Pyramids at Giza. They are, without question, the icon most associated with the Egypt. They have been both the main destination for tourists, and a source of imaginative thought to the world for over three thousand years.

However, there are actually over 100 pyramids in Egypt, many of which are relatively unknown to anyone who is not an ancient Egypt enthusiast. All but a very few are grouped around and near the City of Cairo, just south of the Nile Delta. Otherwise, only one royal pyramid is known in southern Egypt (at Abydos), that being the one built by Ahmose, founder of the 18th Dynasty and Egypt's New Kingdom. It may have also been the last royal pyramid built in Egypt.

Hence, major pyramids were not built throughout Egypt's ancient history. The Pyramid Age began with a burst of building, starting with the 3rd Dynasty reign of Djoser. Some of the early kings, most specifically Snefru, built more than one pyramid. Almost all of the kings added to their number through the end of the Middle Kingdom, with the possible exception of the First Intermediate Period between the Old and Middle Kingdoms. After the first Pharaoh of Egypt's New Kingdom, Ahmose, royal pyramid building by Egyptians ceased entirely. Somewhat abruptly the kings of the New Kingdom chose, rather than making their tombs completely obvious, to hide them in the hills of the West Bank of Thebes (modern Luxor).

However, smaller pyramids were constructed, for example in the Deir el-Medina necropolis, by private individuals. The Late Period Nubians who ruled Egypt also built relatively small pyramids with much steeper sides, though these were in fact constructed in Nubia itself. This tradition was carried on in Nubia after these southern rulers lost control of Egypt, and eventually, more pyramids were actually built in Nubia than Egypt, though on a much smaller scale.

Other pyramids in the world certainly exist, but their purpose, for the most part, was different than those of ancient Egypt. The most famous outside Egypt are probably those located in Mexico and to the south of Mexico, but these appear to have been built more as temples. In Egypt, all but a select few of the pyramids were built as tombs, sometimes to hold the physical body of a pharaoh (as well as other individuals), or to hold the soul of the deceased (as in the case of the small cult pyramids built next to the larger ones). Otherwise, the purpose of only a few small, regional stepped pyramids remains elusive.

While pyramids were, for the most part, tombs for the Pharaohs of Egypt, one must nevertheless question the reason that Egyptian rulers chose this particular shape, and for that matter, why they built them so large. Today, we believe that they chose the shape in order to mimic the Benben, a pyramid shaped stone found in the earliest of temples, which itself is thought to symbolize the primeval mound from which the Egyptians believed life emerged. This also connected the pyramid to Re, the Sun God, as it was he, according to some of the ancient Egypt mythology, who rose from the primeval mound to create life.

As far the great size of many of the pyramids in Egypt, we can really only surmise that the Pharaohs were making a statement about their own power and perhaps, about the glory and strength of their country. However, it should also be remembered that many of the latter pyramids were not nearly as large as the Great Pyramids at Giza (and elsewhere).

Pyramids evolved. The first of them was not a perfectly formed pyramid. In fact, the first Pyramid we believe that was built in Egypt, that of Djoser, was not a true pyramid at all with smooth sides and a point at the top. Rather, its sides were stepped, and the top of the pyramid truncated with a flat surface (as best we know). As the Egyptian pyramids evolved, there were failures as well glorious failures until finally, they got it right with what was probably the first smooth sided true pyramid built at Meidum. In fact, pyramids continued to evolve throughout their history, perhaps not always in outward appearances, but in the way that they were built and in the theology surrounding their construction. For example, towards the latter part of Egypt's Pyramid Age, Osirian beliefs seem to have had more and more impact on the arrangement and layout of the subterranean chambers.

However, soon after the first pyramids were built, their form became somewhat standardized. Royal pyramid complexes included the main pyramid, a courtyard surrounding the main pyramid, a much smaller cult pyramid for the king's soul, a mortuary temple situated next to the main pyramid, an enclosure wall and a causeway that led down to a valley temple. Some pyramid complexes included subsidiary, smaller pyramids for family members, and most were surrounded by some sort of tombs for family members.

Our thinking on pyramids has evolved considerably over the years. Many of us who are a bit older were taught that the pyramids were built using Jewish slave labor, which is a fabrication of immense proportions. Most of the pyramids were built long before the Jews made their appearance historically and currently, many if not most scholars believe they were not built using slave labor at all (or perhaps a nominal number of slaves).

Otherwise, we can also dismiss offhand alternative theories related to aliens or some lost culture being responsible for pyramid building. There is just far too much evidence, including tools, drawings, evolutionary changes, and even worker villages that rule these farfetched ideas obsolete.

However, some mysteries remain, even in some of the best well known Pyramids. The most famous of them all, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, continues, year after year, to give up a few more secrets, and there doubtless remains much to learn from these Egyptian treasures. There may even be one or more pyramids yet to be discovered.


Source: touregypt.net

Read More..

The Nile River

The Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching north for approximately 4,000 miles from East Africa to the Mediterranean. Studies have shown that the River (Iteru, meaning, simply, River, as the Egyptians called it) gradually changed its location and size over millions of years. The Nile flows from the mountains in the south to the Mediterranean in the north. Egyptians traveling to other lands would comment on the "wrong" flow of other rivers. For example, a text of Tuthmosis I in Nubia describes the great Euphrates river as the "inverted water that goes downstream in going upstream."

Three rivers flowed into the Nile from the south and thus served as its sources: the Blue Nile, the White Nile and the Arbara. Within the southern section between Aswan and Khartoum, land which was called Nubia, the River passes through formations of hard igneous rock, resulting in a series of rapids, or cataracts, which form a natural boundary to the south. Between the first and second cataracts lay Lower Nubia, and between the second and sixth cataracts lay upper Nubia.

Along most of its length through Egypt, the Nile has scoured a deep, wide gorge in the desert plateau. At Aswan North of the first cataract the Nile is deeper and its surface smoother. Downstream from Aswan the Nile flows northerly to Armant before taking a sharp bend, called the Qena. From Armant to Hu, the River extends about 180 kilometers and divides the narrow southern valley from the wider northern valley.

Southern Egypt, thus being upstream, is called Upper Egypt, and northern Egypt, being downstream and the Delta, is called Lower Egypt. In addition to the Valley and the Delta, the Nile also divided Egypt into the Eastern and Western Deserts.

The Nile Valley is a canyon running 660 miles long with a floodplain occupying 4,250 square miles. The Delta spans some 8,500 square miles and is fringed in its coastal regions by lagoons, wetlands, lakes and sand dunes.



The Delta represented 63 percent of the inhabited area of Egypt, extending about 200 kilometers from south to north and roughly 400 kilometers from east to west. While today the Nile flows through the Delta in only two principal branches, the Damietta and the Rosetta, in ancient times there were three principal channels, known as the water of Pre, the water of Ptah and the water of Amun. In classical or Graeco-Roman times, these were called the Pelusiac, the Sebennytic, and the Canopic branches. There were additionally subsidiary branches or artificially cut channels.

The most dominant features of the Delta as the sandy mounds of clay and silt that appear as islands rising 1-12 meters above the surrounding area. Since these mounds would not be submerged by the inundation, they were ideal sites for Predynastic and Early Dynastic settlements, and indeed evidence of human habitation have been found. Perhaps these mounds rising above the water table inspired the ancient belief of creation as having begun on a mound of earth that emerged from the primordial waters of Nun (Pyramid Text 600).

There were several major oases of the Western desert, which comprised about 2/3 of Egypt: the Fayoum, where during the Middle Kingdom period the capital of all Egypt was situated, and which increasingly became one of the most densely populated and agriculturally productive area in Egypt, the Bahriya, where many sarcophagi of the Graeco-Roman period have been found, the so-called Golden Mummies, Kharga and Dakhla, which were known for their excellent wines, and Siwa, whose Oracle of Amun was consulted by Alexander the Great to demonstrate that he was the true successor to the kingship of Egypt.

The Eastern Desert was exploited in Pharaonic times for its rich minerals.

The mere mention of the name of the Nile evokes for modern man images of Pyramids, great temples, fantastic tales of mummies, and wondrous treasures. But the Nile represents life itself to the people of Egypt, ancient and modern. In fact, for thousands of years, the River has made life possible for hundreds of thousands of people and animals, and has shaped the culture we today are only beginning to truly understand.

The River filled all areas of life with symbolism. In religion, for example, the creator sun-god Ra (Re) was believed to be ferried across the sky daily in a boat (compare that to the Greeks and Romans whose non-creator sun-god rode across the sky in a chariot driven by fiery horses, and Hymns to Hapy (Hapi), the deity personifying the Nile, praise his bounty and offerings were left to him, and the creation myths, as mentioned earlier, revolve around the primordial mound rising from the floodwaters surrounding it; in ritual where Nile creatures such as the hippopotamus, whose shape the goddess Tawaret took, or the crocodile, called Sobek, or Heket (Heqet), the frog, deities deemed powerful in the processes of childbirth and fertility, were revered, in writing, where floral signs such as the lotus and papyrus figured prominently, in architecture, where the very structure of temples emulated the mounds of the Nile and its waves, from the bottom to the top of capital columns and the trim on walls, and in travel, where models of boats have been found dating from the fifth millennium BCE. and

The god Hapy was earlier mentioned as being the personification of the floods and ensuing fertility. Two Hymns to the Nile, one probably composed in the Middle Kingdom, the second written later in the Ramesside period, praise Hapy and the river for its renewed life for Egypt.

"Hail to you Hapy, Sprung from earth, Come to nourish Egypt…Food provider, bounty maker, Who creates all that is good!…Conqueror of the Two Lands, He fills the stores, Makes bulge the barns, Gives bounty to the poor." (from the Middle Kingdom hymn as translated by Lichtheim)

From the earliest times, the waters of the Nile, swollen by monsoon rains in Ethiopia, flooded over the surrounding valley every year between June and September of the modern calendar. A nilometer was used to measure the height of the Nile in ancient times. It usually consisted of a series of steps against which the increasing height of the Inundation, as well as the general level of the river, could be measured. Records of the maximum height were kept. Surviving nilometers exist connected with the temples at Philae, on the Nubian Egyptian border, Edfu, Esna, Kom Ombo, and Dendera, as well as the best-known nilometer on the island of Elephantine at Aswan.



The ancient Egyptian calendar, made up of twelve months of 30 days each, was divided into three seasons, based upon the cycles of the Nile. The three seasons were: akhet, Inundation, peret, the growing season, and shemu, the drought or harvest season. During the season of the Inundation, layers of fertile soil were annually deposited on the flood-plain. Chemical analysis has shown how fertile the Nile mud is. It contains about 0.1 percent of combined nitrogen, 0.2 percent of phosphorus anhydrides and 0.6 percent of potassium.

Since most of the Egyptian people worked as farmers, when the Nile was at its highest and they could not plant, they were drafted by corvee into labor projects such as building Pyramids, repairing temples and other monuments and working on the king’s tomb.

Herodotus, the great Greek philosopher, wrote of the Nile: "the river rises of itself, waters the fields, and then sinks back again; thereupon each man sows his field and waits for the harvest." The great historian also called Egypt the gift of the Nile. This description would lead the casual reader to imagine Egypt as being a great paradise where the people simply sat and waited for the sowing and harvesting to need be done. But the ancient Egyptians knew better. Too high a flood from their river, and villages would be destroyed; too low a flood, and the land would turn to dust and bring famine. Indeed, one flood in five was either too low or too high.

The rock inscription called the Famine Stela, dated in its present form from the Ptolemaic period, recounts an incident, (whether real or fictitious is not currently known for certain), from the period of King Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty. The King writes to a governor in the south, describing himself as disheartened over the country’s seven-year famine. The King learns from a priest of Imhotep that if gifts are given to the temple of Khnum, the creator-god of the region, who it was believed had control over the Nile and its flooding, then the famine would be ended.

"I was in mourning on my throne, Those of the palace were in grief….because Hapy had failed to come in time. In a period of seven years, Grain was scant, Kernels were dried up…Every man robbed his twin…Children cried…The hearts of the old were needy…Temples were shut, Shrines covered with dust, Everyone was in distress….I consulted one of the staff of the Ibis, the Chief lector-priest of Imhotep, son of Ptah South-of-the-Wall….He departed, he returned to me quickly, He let me know the flow of Hapy…Learn the names of the gods and goddesses of the temple of Khnum: Satis, Anukis, Hapy, Shu, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Horus, Isis, Nepththys…As I slept in peace the god stood before me, I propitiated him by adoring him and praying to him. He revealed himself to me with kindly face and said: I am Khnum, your maker! My arms are around you…For I am the maker who makes, I am he who made himself, Exalted Nun, who first came forth, Hapy who hurries at will…I shall make Hapy gush for you, No year of lack or want anywhere, Plants will grow weighed by their fruit…Gone will be the hunger years…Egypt’s people wil come striding…Hearts will be happier than ever before….I made this decree on behalf of my father Khnum…In return for what you had done for me…all tenants who cultivate the fields…their harvests shall be taken to your granary…All fishermen, all hunters…I extract from them one tenth of the take of all these…One shall give the branded animals for all burnt offerings and daily sacrifices, and one shall give one-tenth of gold, ivory, ebony, ochre, carob wood, carnelian, all kinds of timber…" (as translated by Lichtheim)

Many modern travelers to Egypt today take a Nile cruise as part of their package. And why not? For to see the land as its people do, one must journey on the river. A felucca is often the water vehicle of choice.


A typical Felucca on the Nile

The Nile flowed from south to north at an average speed of about four knots during inundation season. The water level was on average about 25-33 feet deep and navigation was fast. That made a river voyage from Thebes (modern Luxor) north to Memphis (near modern Cairo) lasting approximately two weeks. During the dryer season when the water level was lower, and speed slower, the same trip would last about two months. At the great bend near Qena, the Nile would flow from west to east and then back from east to west, slowing down travel. No sailing was done at night because of the danger of running aground on one of the many sandbank and low islands.

When one cruises on the Nile, one might pass by the ancient and significant sites of Karnak itself, Luxor, on the other side of the river from Karnak, Dendera, with its grand temple to the goddess Hathor, Abydos, with its marvelous temple built by Seti I as well as being the site of Earlier Dynastic tombs, Esna, with its temple to the potter and creator-god Khnum, lord of the region who was credited as having the power over the river and its richness, Edfu, with its temple to Horus, Kom Ombo, with its double temple to Sobek and a form of Horus called Haroeris, and Aswan itself, with its mighty modern dam.

Truly, the Nile is the Heart of the ancient and modern land of Egypt.


Source: touregypt.net

Read More..

Egypt's National Football Team

The Egypt national football team (Arabic: منتخب مصر لكرة القدم‎), nicknamed The Pharaohs (Arabic: الفراعنة‎), is the national team of Egypt and is administered by the Egyptian Football Association. They are the current African Champions having won the 2008 African Nations Cup. They are also the most successful African team at Confederation level, winning the ANC six times: the inaugural African Nations Cup in Sudan 1957, and also won the tournament in United Arab Republic 1959, Egypt 1986, Burkina Faso 1998, Egypt 2006 and Ghana 2008.

Egypt were the first African country to participate in the World Cup when they played in Italy 1934, losing to Hungary 4-2. Egypt has qualified for one World Cup since then, going out in the first round in Italy 1990. They were known as the United Arab Republic national football team when Egypt and Syria joined to form the United Arab Republic from 1958 to 1961 and then until 1970, with Egypt alone making up the UAR. They have played for the Bronze Medal in the Olympic Games twice (1928 and 1964.

Honours

World Cups :
Bronze Medalist at FIFA U-20 World Cup (2001)

African Competitions :
6 Times Champion of African Cup of Nations (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008)
3 Times Champion of African Youth Championship (1981, 1991, 2003)
1 Time Champion of African Under-17 Championship (1997)
2 Times Gold Medalist at All Africa Games (Kenya 1987 / Zimbabwe 1995)

Afro-Asian Cup of Nations :
2 Time Runners-Up: 1988, 2007

Arab Competitions :
3 Times Gold Medalist at the Pan Arab Games (1953, 1965, 2007)
1 Time Champion of Arab Cup of Nations (1992)

Mediterranean Games :
1 Time Gold Medalist
1 Time Silver Medalist
1 Time Bronze Medalist

Francophone Games :
1 Time Bronze Medalist

Current squad
The following players have been called up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Rwanda on September 5, 2009.

Caps and goals as of September 5, 2009, subsequent to the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Rwanda.

No. Pos. Player
1 GK Essam El-Hadary
16 GK Mahmoud Abou El-Saoud
23 GK El-Hany Soliman
3 DF Ahmed Al-Muhammadi
4 DF Ahmed Said
6 DF Hani Said
7 DF Ahmed Fathy
14 DF Sayed Moawad
18 DF Wael Gomaa
DF Ahmed Kamal
DF Moatasem Salem
8 MF Hosny Abd Rabo
10 MF Ahmed Eid Abdel Malek
11 MF Mohamed Shawky
12 MF Mohamed Barakat
17 MF Ahmed Hassan
19 MF Mohamed Shaaban
22 MF Mohamed Aboutrika
MF Abdelaziz Tawfik
9 FW Mohamed El-Gabbas
13 FW Al-Sayed Hamdy
15 FW Ahmed Raouf
FW Ahmed Salama

Read More..

A famous Egyptian Dish---Koshary

Imagine, mixing into a single dish, pasta, rice, lentil, chick peas, onions and garlic and adding to this chili sauce. The idea sounds horrific, until one tries out an Egyptian favorite called Koshary.

“I had always heard about Koshary, and its importance to Egyptians. You can see it in movies and you would hear Egyptians in Saudi Arabia describe it as the most delicious traditional dish, so I was keen to try it the moment I came to Egypt. Now I’m an addict,” said Wael Fawaz, a Syrian medical student at Misr (Cairo) University for Science and Technology. “You can’t visit Egypt and not eat Koshary, you’ll miss a lot,” he added.
Koshary is a traditional Egyptian meal that consists of a strange combination of macaroni, spaghetti, rice, black lentils, chick peas, garlic sauce and a spicy tomato chili sauce, all topped with fried onions. It is sold from carts by street vendors, in restaurants or even made at home and each is considered a different taste experience.


The Koshary man stands in front of the large containers that hold each of the dish's ingredient. Usually, there is a line of people waiting to be served. Once you place your order, you stand in a row waiting to give the Koshary man your receipt that states the price of your dish. At the moment you give him the receipt the Koshary man grabs a bowl, and scoops a little of each ingredient into the bowl and sends it to your table. Each Koshary dish takes about five seconds to prepare (of course, after the ingredients are cooked).

His speed can be surprising to you. “I have worked here since we opened 10 years ago, and before that I sold Koshary on a street cart, so I have to be fast. My hands are accustomed to the same movements I do all day everyday, so you can say that I memorized the movements rather than think about them,” said Aziz Awad, a Koshary man in one of the restaurants downtown.

As the Koshary man scoops, he knocks his metal spoon against the sides of the bowls, making the Koshary symphony that you won’t hear elsewhere. When the Koshary man prepares an order of more than four the restaurant fills with sound as if it was a rehearsal for a concert. “The restaurants of Koshary are very noisy. One sits to eat while the Koshary man practices his drums in your ears. It's weird but I guess it’s a part of the Egyptian identity which you get used to in time,” said Fawaz.

At the table, all the dishes are aluminum except the two glass bottles that contain two different kinds of sauce, one made from vinegar and oil, the other from spicy red pepper. “The chili is a whole new dimension for the meal. You can eat Koshary and it would taste good, but for it to be this delicious you have to use chili. That creates all the taste,” said Waleed Abdullah, an office boy.

Koshary is considered a meal that is inexpensive yet fills up the stomach of an average Egyptian. “Koshary is something I love; I can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s eaten anytime, anywhere. I can eat it standing, sitting, at work or at home,” said Abdullah. “It’s a meal that is both affordable and delicious.

Source: touregypt.net

Read More..

Famous and historical places of Egypt

Esna

Isna is located about 33 miles south of Luxor. The town's Greek name was Latopolis and here fish (lates) where thought to embody the goddess Neith, who was sacred to the area. Isna was increasingly important during the 18th dynasty due to Egypt's developing relationship with the Sudan. There was a route established between Isna and Derr. Later, the city slowly declined until it received renewed interest during the 26th Dynasty. Later, under the Greeks and Romans, it became the capital of the Third Nome of Upper Egypt.

We also know of an Isna about a hundred years ago from Flaubert, who later wrote Madame Bovary, was propositioned by a 'almeh' while aboard his boat. He went with her to the house of Kuchuk Hanem, where she danced (not so virtuously) the Bee. In other words, wild times could be found here. Mohammed Ali had band almeh (meaning learned women) from Cairo, so they had gathered to make their living in Qena, Isna and Aswan.

But today, Isna is a somewhat sleepy if busy merchant and farming town, with a weaving industry, on the west bank of the Nile where the entertainment more resides in the Saturday animal market. On the covered market street, one may purchase fabric, or have the fabrics made into clothing. There are some fine old houses about with fine brickwork and mashrbiyya screens. There is also a barrage just outside of town which was built in 1906. About 4 miles southwest of town is the Deir Manaos Wa al-Shuhada (Monastery of the Three Thousand Six Hundred Martyrs), who's 10th century church is said to be one of the most beautiful in Upper Egypt. Perhaps this monastery is a lasting commemorative to Emperor Decius (249-51 AD) who degreed that all Christians would suffer death if they did not sacrifice to the pagan gods. His cartouche was the last to be carved on the walls of the Temple of Khnum in Isna.

But the main attraction is the Temple of Khnum, which lies beneath the level of the houses in a pit. Most of the ruins of around the Temple and the old city are yet to be explored as they lay under these modern dwellings. This was not the first temple here, for during the reign of Thutmose III, a temple was built here that preceded it. There are blocks from an early Christian church in the forecourt of the temple, foretelling of a time when Isna was an important Christian center. Near the Temple of Khnum on the stone quay along the corniche are carved cartouches of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.


Karnak



Karnak describes a vast conglomerate of ruined temples, chapels and other buildings of various dates. The name Karnak comes from the nearby village of el-Karnak. Whereas Luxor to the south was Ipet-rsyt, Karnak was ancient Ipet-isut, perhaps the most select of Places. Theban kings and the god Amun came to prominence at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. From that time, the temples of Karnak were built, enlarged, torn down, added to, and restored for more than 2000 years.

The ancient Egyptians considered Ipet-Isut as the place of the majestic rising of the first time, where Amun-Ra made the first mound of earth rise from Nun. At Karnak, the high priests recognized a king as the beloved son of Amun, king of all the gods. The coronation and jubilees were also held here. Staffed by more than 80,000 people under Ramesses III, the temple was also the administrative center of enormous holdings of agricultural land.




The largest and most important group in the site is the central enclosure, the Great Temple of Amun proper. The layout of the Great Temple consists of a series of pylons of various dates. The earliest are Pylons IV and V, built by Tutmosis I, and from then on the temple was enlarged by building in a westerly and southerly direction. Courts or halls run between the pylons, leading to the main sanctuary.

The temple is built along two axes, with a number of smaller temples and chapels and a sacred lake. The northern enclosure belongs to Montu, the original god of the Theban area, while the enclosure of Mut lies to the south and is connected with Amun’s precinct by an alley of ram-headed sphinxes. An avenue bordered by sphinxes linked Karnak with the Luxor temple, and canals connected the temples of Amun and Montu with the Nile.




Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten, erected several temples for his new state deity to the east of the central enclosure of Amun. The most conspicuous features of these temples were open courts surrounded by pillars and colossal statues of the king. The temples were dismantled in the post-Amarna period and the stone blocks reused in later structures, especially the pylons built by Horemheb.

Source: summittoursegypt.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read More..

The Mosque of Abu Dahab

The Mosque of Abu Dahab

by Seif Kamel
This mosque is hard to be noticed since it is located next to one of the greatest and most influential mosques of Egypt, the Azhar Mosque. However, paying attention to its design, the Mosque of Abu El Dahab is a unique model of the Ottoman architecture. Moreover, the builder of the mosque has a rather exciting story.

The builder of the mosque is the Amir Mohamed Beh Abu El Dahab, one of the leaders of Egypt during the rule of the Ottoman Empire. He played an important role in the politics of Egypt, as he was just a Mamluk at the beginning of his life for the Amir Ali Beh Al Kabir. After many governmental promotions, Mohamed Abu El Dahab received the title of” Beh” in a ceremony that took place in the Citadel. The new Beh was so happy with his title that he distributed a huge quantity of gold among the poor people of the city of Cairo. This was why he was called Abu El Dahab, or the Father of gold.


In the year 1771, Mohamed Abu El Dahab was appointed by Amir Ali Beh Al Kabir to be the leader of the Egyptian army that went to conquer Syria. He was successful in his campaign as he took control of many towns in Syria and around it. However, Mohamed Abu El Dahab was not loyal to his master, Amir Ali Beh Al Kabir, and murdered him in 1774, and became the only ruler of Egypt before his death in Aka in 1775. His body buried in the mausoleum of his mosque.

The Mosque of Abu Dahab is located in the Azhar Street, just beside the main entrance of the Azhar Mosque. It was built in 1774 AD after a year of construction. It was originally built as a Madrasa to host the increasing number of students that were coming to study in the Azhar University from all over the world.

The mosque is considered the fourth mosque to be built in Cairo according to the Ottoman style of architecture. The first one was the mosque of Suleiman Pasha in the Citadel built in the year 1528. The second one was the mosque of Sinan Pasha in Boulaq, while the third was the Mosque of the Queen Safeya in Al Dawedeya. The mosque of Abu El Dahab has many common architectural factors with the mosque Of Sinan Pasha.

The mosque is constructed as a rectangle with the length of 33 meters from the South to the North and 24 meters from the East to the West. The praying area of the mosque is surrounded with Rewaqs, the Arabic expression for the area between a set of two opposite pillars. These Rewaqs are covered with small domes with plant decorations all around them.

Above the praying area, there is the main dome of the mosque that is a semi square. The length of each side of this square is 15 meters and each has two brass windows that are covered with alabaster.

The mosque of Abu El Dahab is considered a hanging mosque as it was built above the street level. Under the mosque from the Eastern and Northern sides, there are many different stores that mainly sell books. There was a set of colored alabaster stairs in its Northern side that led to the gate of the mosque, and another set circular stairs that led to the mosque’s Eastern gate. These two sets of stairs were changed, although the doors of the mosque remained the same.

The minaret of the mosque is huge and looks much like the minaret of the mosque of Qonswa Al Ghuri. They both share the Egyptian style of architecture other than the Ottoman mosques that were famous for their thin pen shaped minarets. The minaret of the mosque of Abu El Dahab is tall consisting of three stores with five stone heads at the top.

The Mihrab of the mosque is located under the main dome of the mosque. It is a carved wall that has beautiful alabaster and mother of pearl decorations. The Mihrab of this mosque is unique, being built in the Ottoman period, as it designed in the Mamluk’s style

Next to the Mihrab, the Minbar is located, made out of fine wood that is ornamented with pieces of mother of pearl and ivory. Beside the Minbar there is a brass room that contains the tombs of the builder of the mosque, Mohamed Beh Abu El Dahab, and his daughter, Zelikha Hanem.

Unfortunately, the mosque of Abu El Dahab has been closed for years now. At the beginning I thought it is taking a course of restoration. Despite the fact that I visit the Azhar Street quite often, I never saw anyone working on the mosque. Hopefully, the Egyptian government will open the mosque soon as it is considered a wonderful example of the early Ottoman architecture in Egypt.

Source: toureegypt.net

Read More..

Temples of Abu Simble

The Temples of Abu Simble :

The Temples of Abu Simbel are amongst the most interesting Pharaonic Temples. Located close to the southern border with the Sudan, it is 280 km south of Aswan and consists of two, rock-cut Temples, which both date back to the reign of King Ramses II (1290-1223 BC). Unfortunately these unique Temples suffered from the raising water of Lake Nasser while the High Dam was being built. Other countries, with the help of UNESCO, assisted Egypt to help save them.

Source: servoegypt.com

Read More..

Cairo's Green Spaces: The Aquarium Grotto Garden

After the overwhelming first sight of the magnificent pyramids, a tour of Islamic and Coptic Cairo and other famous Egyptian sites, any visitor will surely be astonished by the lack of greenery in Cairo. Though what remains today of Cairo’s parks and gardens is a fraction of the original urban plans for the city, it is true that currently, green parks are scarce and are tucked away in different quarters and districts. However, more attention has lately been directed to the preservation of old gardens and the creation of newer ones; evidently Al-Azhar Park is one the biggest and most recent developments. However, the 70 Hectare park would have been by no means a novelty to Cairo’s green landscaped a century ago. Cairo is one of the cities that have a long history of parks and green spaces.

In fact, the city of ‘al-Qahira’ was originally founded around a bustan, which means a park, a location chosen by the Fatimid army in 969. Further on in history, the architectural style of Islamic houses ‘Manzil’ always included a courtyard, in which green spaces was an essential element. Nevertheless, these were usually enclosed areas due to conservative ideologies and the clear separation between public and private spaces. In the nineteenth century, under the reign of Muhammed Ali and his successors, open green spaces were further developed and given special attention as Cairo was being planned along the lines of European cities and models.

This was particularly true during the reign of Khedive Ismael who ruled from 1863 until he was removed in 1879 after which he lived in exile until his death in 1895. He saw in following the European models a way of transforming Cairo and Open green and public spaces were an important element of that modern look and hence, during his rule, many sophisticated and beautiful parks were developed. However, not many have survived the twentieth century due to modern developments and urban sprawl.



One of the first gardens created by Ismael Pasha was the ‘Qanater Gardens’ in 1834. Though the original park was designed on 500 hectares, only 150 remain open to the public today. The Zoological Garden –now the Giza Zoo- was also initiated by the Khedive Ismael in 1872. Originally, it was to be named the Giza Gardens, situated on a plot of 2,750 hectares, but it was finally inaugurated during the reign of his son, Khedive Tawfik in 1892 as a public Zoo.

Another famous green space that has survived is the Gardens of Gezira Palace. It is now better known as the Marriott Gardens, making up the grounds of the Marriott Hotel in Zamalek.

For many years throughout the history of Cairo, Zamalek or ‘El-Gezira’ meaning the island was a green paradise you can spot from almost anywhere along either bank of the Nile.

The island's landscapes were designed by De la Chevalerie, who had once done the landscape designs for the City of Paris.

The Gardens of Gezira were originally spread on 2,200 hectares; the Khedival -later to be the Gezira- Sporting Club in which were the race course and polo field that previously surrounded the royal residence, the Marriott Gardens and to the west of the estate lay the Fish Garden formerly named the ‘Grotto Garden’.

These were all parts which formed a huge park attached to the Gezira Estate. At first only a kiosk was built near its east shore, and after a few years it was turned into the baroque mansion or palace designed by Julius Franz Pasha, now the Marriott Hotel.

The Palace and grounds were completed in 1869 in honor of Empress Eugenie who was invited by Ismael Pasha to attend the inauguration of the Suez Canal, the occasion for which Verdi’s Aida was commissioned.

Later on, the palace grounds were divided. The building of the Gezira Sporting Club took place in late 1882 and hence was no longer part of the palace gardens.

Ismael’s Grotto Garden was completed in 1867 on nine and half acres of his private property. It was once one of Cairo's highlights as it was one of the few 19th century gardens open to the public. It was a garden of plants and home to the Khedive's exotic plants shipped from all over the world and it also housed his collection of fish and reptiles from the Nile and Africa.

In the early 1900s, Captain Stanley Flower introduced the Fish Garden; as he added aquariums in the old grottos of the garden, it became home of a rare collection of African fish.

The Fish Garden was rehabilitated and reconstruction in 2000. The Garden also known as the Gabalayia Garden or the Aquarium Grotto Garden was completely restored; damaged parts were rebuilt while retaining all original features.

The project aimed at restoring and maintaining the elegant grounds of the garden that first opened to the public nearly a century ago, in 1902.

The rehabilitation project included plans to expand an existing lake within the garden. Now it is divided into two parts, one for ducks and geese and the other for swans. The park is in particular characteristic for the grottos and tunnels which house interesting fish aquarium. The aquarium settings are fairly original and the walk through the grottos is very pleasant. The garden is now illuminated with indirect lighting so that the scenery can also be enjoyed by night.

The garden is quite close to the downtown areas; however, the fascinating thing is that once there, one feels distant from the busy streets and crowds.

The Fish Garden is very popular for students who go enjoy the afternoon there after school and on holidays with the family. It is also a famous spot for young romantic couples given the nice scenery and quite surroundings. On the other hand, students from the faculty of Arts and amateurs painters are often found there painting different objects and landscapes of the garden.

Today, the southern part of Zamalek is mainly where the greenery is most preserved. This is that three sporting clubs found there; ‘Gezira Sporting Club’, ‘Ahly Sporting Club’ and ‘Cairo Sporting Club’. That of course is in addition to the remains of the Gezira Gardens, the Marriott Gardens, the Aquarium Grotto Garden, and the remarkably beautiful Andalusia Garden, among others. On the other hand, the Opera house and the Cairo Tower also located on the Island encompass spacious green landscapes. Such beautiful green sites and landscapes of the Gezira Island offer special and unique aspects making it one of the most enjoyable quarters in Cairo.

To get there:

The garden is located by the Nile in Zamalek or Gezira Island on Gabalayia Street.
Admission fee is symbolic, 50 piasters/ 25 piasters for Cameras.
The park is open daily from 8.30am till 4 pm.

Source: touregypt.net

Read More..