The Detouring Doctor

Capitol of Egypt, Cairo, is a city of almost 25 million people comparable to Australia’s 27 million for our whole country. This is a country 75% Muslim and 25% Coptic Christian living in peaceful coexistence.

The city is a chaotic, dusty ramshackle place. The traffic is dodgem car stuff and crossing the road is an exercise in self preservation.

Farewell Egypt. Our next adventure starts in June.

When I was here in 1982 a relatively small building off Tahrir square was the Egyptian museum. I went back a second time then to admire this amazing collection that, due to the constraint of size seemed to be piled on top of each other. Move forward to 2026 and while the old museum is still there two new museums have been built namely the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

The former while hosting some interesting exhibits is a must see for the mummy exhibit with 18 pharaohs and 2 Queens. Sadly no photography is allowed there but it is incredible.

The GEM is massive and full of amazing statues but the knockout exhibit here is the amazing Tutankhamun exhibit. There were 5300 objects retrieved from his tiny tomb in 1922 – 23. When displayed here it fills a massive display and the golden objects are indescribably beautiful! In 1982 there was no photography allowed. Superbly now that is not the case.

Ramses 11 known as Ramses the great features prominently up and down Egypt. He lived for 90 years (1303BC – 1213BC), ruling for 66 years. Amazing longevity for those times. His reign is marked by a series of military victories strengthening the Egyptian empire at the time which extended from Syria in the north to Sudan in the south. He is the first ruler on the planet to strike a peace deal (with the Hittites in 1259). He had up to 200 wives and concubines with up to 200 children. He also was responsible for an inordinate number of temples and statues.

His “signature” monument was Abu Simbel which is as large as his ego. Under threat by the rising waters of Lake Nasser it was also the subject of relocation in the mid 60s. Built in the 13th century BC it features 4 x 20 metre statues of himself. The interior is replete with carvings of himself in military poses outlining many of the battles he has won. When I was here in 1982 I was able to go behind the relocated temple wall and view the awe inspiring 20th century concrete dome which supports the temple facade. Unfortunately this was closed off in 1999.

Uniquely he built a second massive temple here dedicated to his favourite wife the beautiful Nefertari.

It’s a 7 hour round trip by car to Abu Simbel and it is close to sunset when we check into the iconic Cataract Hotel. Built in 1899, among its famous guests was Agatha Christie who wrote Death on the Nile while staying here. This is a spectacular luxury hotel and has us wishing that we were staying longer than one night here.

Aswan is a pleasant small city situated far upstream in the Nile along one of the cataracts. It is as far south as it gets for Egypt. Next stop down is Wadi Halfa in upper Sudan. Being the gateway to Africa the people here are more Nubian, dark skinned African people.

The British built what is now referred to as the Low Dam in 1902 to regulate the flow of the Nile and also provide hydroelectricity. Subsequently between 1960 and 1970 the high dam was constructed, also known as the Nasser dam. The massive Lake Nasser created behind it is one of the largest man made lakes on the planet.

The pretty little Philae temple was built 2500 years ago. Dedicated to the goddess Isis it was partially submerged by the rising waters of Lake Nasser and a UN sponsored project undertook to rescue it. In the mid 60s a retaining dam was built around it and the whole temple was dismantled and rebuilt on a neighbouring island.

Aswan has abundant supplies of good quality pink and black granite. The ancient Egyptians carved out massive lumps of rock with primitive hammers and chisels for their obelisks and statues and floated them on barges 100s of kilometres down the Nile. The unfinished obelisk in the quarry has provided a wealth of information about the way the ancient Egyptians accomplished the Herculean tasks.

A relaxing Felucca boat trip up the Nile completes the afternoon.

Horus is the “boy wonder” of the ancient Egyptian’s deity pantheon. King and Queen of the gods were Osiris and Isis respectively. One day the Osiris’ evil brother Seth in an attempt to further his position killed Osiris and chopped his body into 42 pieces scattering the pieces in each of Egypt’s provinces. His wife Isis managed to retrieve the pieces and reassemble Osiris. They then proceeded to mate and she gave birth to the Falcon god Horus.

Tasked to avenge his father Horus fought his uncle, Seth multiple times over the next 80 years before finally succeeding and condemning him to the underworld.

Horus came to represent power and the early pharaohs became the manifestation of Horus on earth. He appears with great regularity in carvings and tomb art typically bestowing his holy powers on the pharaoh.

We are on the Nile Cruise now and our first stop is Edfu to see one of the best preserved Ptolemaic temples dedicated to Horus. Built between 237BC and 57 BC its walls depict scenes from the battle between Horus and Seth.

That afternoon near sunset we stop at a bend in the Nile, Kom Ombo, where historically there have been large concentrations of crocodiles taking advantage of sluggish waters and abundant fish. Dedicated to both Horus and the crocodile god, Sobek this pretty little 2000 year old temple is famous for the mummification of crocodiles.

That night on the boat was an Egyptian dress up affair.

November 1922 and British archeologist Howard Carter is peering into the newly discovered and excavated tomb. He is quoted as saying, “I see wonderful things, strange animals, statues and gold—everywhere the glint of gold!” He has accidentally stumbled on the only royal tomb ever discovered in an intact state. The 18th dynasty boy king Tutankhamun is catapulted into fame as a 20th century cultural icon.

The Valley of the Kings, Queens and Nobles is a massive funerary complex dating back 34 centuries on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor, formerly known as Thebes. To date 63 pharaoh’s tombs have been uncovered all dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties. Excavation is ongoing and the most recent discovery was in 2005. Visiting the valley today the admission ticket allows entry into 3 tombs but some require an additional payment. It is those tombs that are more worthwhile visiting as most tourists crowd into the basic tombs and the more expensive tombs make for a more intimate experience. We visit 5 tombs in all.

Queen Hatshepsut assumed the throne when her husband Amenhotep 11 died. Initially as  Regent for her young son who would eventually become Amenhotep 111 but then in her own right. She wore mens clothing and even donned the traditional false beard to enhance her acceptance in the traditionally male only role. She has a tomb in the valley of the kings but also built a massive temple just outside the valley known as Deir al Bahari.

We are treated to the much quieter Valley of the Queens and 3 temples there.

Finally a photostop at the Colossi of Memnon. Built 34 centuries ago these 18 meter high statues are of Amenhotep 111.

On our boat we finally set sail.

The ancient Egyptians viewed the sun as a model of daily existence and life. Rising in the east they built cities and temples on the side of the east side of the north – south flowing Nile river. This was the side of the living. The west side is the side for the dead and afterlife, where the sun sets.

The temple at Karnak, in Luxor, is the second largest in the world after Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. Built between 2055 BC and 100 AD it is dedicated to Amun Ra, the sun god. It was added to by 30 different pharoahs in that time. The centrepiece is the massive hypostyle hall. It is a “forest” of 134  pillars standing 20 metres tall.

The smaller Luxor temple is connected to Karnak by a 3km road lined with sphinxes. It was built in 1400 BC and smaller than Karnak. It was dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship and is believed to be the site where many of the pharoahs of Egypt were crowned.

A “red eye” 2:30 am start for the 6 am flight from Cairo to Luxor has us arriving in Luxor around &:30 am a bit worse for wear. We are bundled into a minibus for the 1 hour drive to Dendera.

Completed around 360 BC this is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt particularly the artwork inside. It is dedicated to the goddess Hathor. Depicted as a cow, often a woman with cow ears she is the goddess of goodness, namely love, beauty, music, joy and motherhood. She is said to have breast fed Horus, the Falcon god and son of the supreme deities Isis and Osiris. She went on to marry Horus and they had two children together.

We enjoy a quiet afternoon at our Winter Palace Hotel. Built in 1886 this is one of the iconic hotels of the world and a haven of old world luxury.

Late afternoon stroll along the corniche yielded some views of the Luxor temple and a sunset over the Nile.