Category: Our Continuing Journey

For the past week, the S.S. Sphinx has been our home while we explored a dozen or more ancient temples and learned a lot about the history of Egypt and life along the Nile River.   However, it was time to say goodbye to this lovely ship and wonderful crew as we fly back to Cairo this morning.  In Cairo there is still several places to visit including the ultimate Egypt symbol – The Pyramids of Giza.  A special thanks to the UniWorld Crew and particularly Sameh Elsayed the Hotel Manager.  Sameh, and his crew on the ship made it comfortable and very enjoyable for everyone.  While we have travelled with UniWorld on 8 previous trips, our time on the S.S. Sphinx was very special.  This could have been related to the wonders we saw each day, but the ship and crew certainly had a big impact too.  

Assem Omar, our Egyptologist, travelled with us back to Cairo to be able to accompany us to the remaining wonders of our trip.  After landing at the airport, even before we got to The Four Seasons Hotel, we were off for another adventure.  This time to visit the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

The Grand Egyptian Museum is an archaeological museum about 1.2 miles from the Giza pyramid complex. The Museum will host over 100,000 artifacts from ancient Egyptian civilizations, and will ultimately include the complete Tutankhamun collection, and many pieces will be on display for the first time.  With 872,000 sq ft of floor space, it will be the world’s largest archeological museum.   One of the stated reasons for building such a fantastic museum was to show the world that Egypt has the ability to take care of its history in the hope that those items held in non-Egyptian museums might be returned home.

Originally scheduled to open in 2012, but due to a multitude of problems, it has only partially opened this past October 2024. The Grand Hall, Grand Staircase, commercial area, 12 public galleries and the exterior gardens are open for tours, while the Tutankhamun gallery and Solar Boat Museum are not yet open to the public.  Most of Tutankhamum tomb material is still at the Egyptian Museum opened in 1901, which we visited earlier when we first arrived in Cairo.

The building’s north and south walls line up directly with the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Menkaure. The front of the museum includes a large plaza filled with date palms and a façade made of translucent alabaster stone. Inside the main entrance is a large atrium, where large statues are exhibited.

In January 2018, an 82-ton 3,200-year-old statue of Ramses II was installed in the entrance to the Museum.  It was the first artifact to be installed and had to be installed during construction due to its size.

The Grand Egyptian exhibits cover about one-third of the total museum’s 50-hectare grounds displaying over 13,000 artifacts in 12 galleries arranged by time period (c.3100BCE~400CE) and theme (Society/Kingship/Beliefs) from the museum’s total collection of 50,000 objects.

Minmose succeeded his father Hori as High Priest of Onuris, a god of war and hunting whose cult center was at Thinis near Abydos. 

Kneeling Statue of Queen Hatshepsut

Kneeling royal statues had been produced since the Old Kingdom, but Hatshepsut’s sculptors were the first to make them in over life-sized forms.  Large statues offering nu pots to the state god Amun-Re lined the processional path in her mortuary cult temple.

Once we got inside, Assem directed us up the grand stair and highlighted various objects on display.  Many of the items were similar to those we had seen in other locations or at least the gods they represented were familiar.  

In the gallery area, we wandered through various exhibits and marveled at all the items on display.

The overall museum is quite amazing.  At the end there is a view of the Pyramids bringing the entire adventure into perspective.  

The overall museum is quite amazing.  At the end there is a view of the Pyramids bringing the entire adventure into perspective. 

Just across the street from where we docked is one more Valley of the Vultures to navigate to get to our next temple.  Fortunately, it wasn’t a long valley and they merchants weren’t quite awake yet as we walked through.  One we popped out the end, there were a couple of quite interesting things to see. 

Iron Man – he irons fabric using a very heavy-duty iron and moves it around using his foot! Not something I would want to do for sure.  

I’m not sure why using your foot to move the iron around is a ‘thing’ but apparently it is and he is busy pressing fabric all day long.  Next to Iron Man is a tailor using a very old sewing machine making and altering clothes for people and generally working non-stop at his machine.  Both of these guys have been working in their shops for many years and have become local legends.

Once through the tourist-oriented market we came upon the Esna Temple.  The temple, which has only been partially excavated, is about 200 meters from the river and some 30 below street level.  Over the years, the flooding Nile River had silted over the entire site.  excavation continues in the area but it is a slow process given there are more modern structures built above where portions of the temple complex are located.

The remains of the Temple of Esna contains a hall of columns with 24 pillars beautifully decorated with lotus floral capitals and palm capitals. The walls are covered with 4 rows of reliefs, showing Ptolemaic and Roman Emperors dressed in Pharaoh costumes, offering sacrifices to the god Khnum. There are chambers on both sides of the temple entrance that were used by the priests and keepers of the temple as storerooms.

This temple by far had the most color of any that we had seen. It was really amazing to see all the artwork on the walls, ceilings and columns.

During portions of the restoration, the painstaking cleaning of the ceiling revealed the second-century CE. artwork lying beneath   Among the many images the joint team uncovered was a full set of 12 zodiac symbols.   

The colors and depictions throughout the temple were fantastic.  It is clear there is lots more to discover at this temple.

Have you ever wondered why there are two knockers on some doors. A big one and a small one? Seems if your a man, you use the big one and if your a woman you use the small one. That way the right person can come and open the door. Just one more piece of information our guide gave to us while on our tour.

Back on board, we were entertained with a whirling dervish, or Tanoura, presentation.  Our Whirling Dervish did a sustained ‘dance’ for the better part of 10 minutes!  The Tanoura is a folkloric dance which was developed from the Sufi dance. The word Tanoura means skirt in English and the dancer wears a large circular multicolored skirt.

The dance tells a story that connects the relationship of land and the sky, man and God. The performer spins around and appears to enter a trance like state. He does this then stops without showing any signs of dizziness.

When the Tanoura dancer moves he is like the sun and the dancers around him are like the planets. The dancer removed several different skirts throughout the performance.

The skirts symbolize the succession of the four seasons and their anti-clockwise movement is exactly like the movement around the “Kaaba” (the holy Shrine in Mecca) When the dancer raises his right arm up and points his left arm down, this represents the joining of earth and heaven together.

Amazing for sure.  Hopefully, a bit of the movie I took will give you some idea of what was happening. 

Lots happening today – a tour of the island of Philae, a quick visit to the Aswan Dam, and a demonstration on how papyrus is still made by hand.

The island of Philae is famous for its temples and its enchantingly beautiful setting on the banks of the River Nile.

Known too as the Pearl of the Nile, it has been a destination of many travelers for centuries. The island is home to several other monuments, most prominent of which is the Great Temple of Isis, who is the main deity of the island. The earliest structures date to the Ptolemaic Period (about 305-30 BCE) and others to the Roman Period (30 BC-306 CE). Due to the construction of the Aswan Dam, the island would be submerged and a major effort was made to relocate the temple and all the surrounding structures to a new location.  Agilkia Island – a short distance away, proved to be a good spot and work was done to relocate the entire complex.

As it is an island, a short boat trip was required to get there.  As with other excursions, it was an early departure and we were some of the very first visitors of the day, to the site.  Of course, immediately upon landing on the island there was the now very common site of  souvenirs available for sale.  I really want to find out who is the lead guy for all of this stuff – as it’s the same items at every location; so someone must be responsible for organizing all of these vendors given that it’s the same stuff everywhere!

This elegant structure, which lies east of the Great Temple of Isis, is the most iconic of the Philae monuments. It is a rectangular structure consisting of fourteen columns connected by screen walls and architraves. It is thought to have been built early in the reign of Augustus (30 BCE-CE 14), the first Roman emperor.

Trajan’s Kiosk, also known as Pharaoh’s Bed by the locals, is a hypaethral temple (having a roofless central space) temple located on the Island.  The unfinished monument is attributed to Trajan, Roman emperor from 98 to 117 CE, due to his depiction as pharaoh seen on some of the interior reliefs. However, the majority of the structure dates to an earlier time, possibly to the reign of Augustus.

Within the Trajan’s structure are carvings depicting a variety of  Egyptian musical instruments.

Assum took a selfie with our group at the Temple.

Back to the coach and off to the Aswan Dam.  The Aswan Dam, or Aswan High Dam, is one of the world’s largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan between 1960 and 1970. When it was completed, it was the tallest earthen dam in the world.  The dam also generates enormous amounts of electric power — more than 10 billion kilowatt-hours every year.

That’s enough electricity to power one million color televisions for 20 years!  While the dam now controls the Nile River, there are a number of unforeseen consequences; most importantly that the annual flooding would deposit silt and enriched the soil all along the river bank which is no longer happening. As a result, there is an increased use of chemicals to support farming.  

Additionally, a number of historic sites were raised to higher ground while others were left in place as funds were not available to relocate them. New York Metropolitan Museum has one of the relocated temples (Temple of Dendur).

Papyrus was first manufactured in Egypt as far back as the third millennium BCE. The earliest archaeological evidence of papyrus was excavated in 2012 and 2013 at Wadi al-Jarf, an ancient Egyptian harbor located on the Red Sea coast. These documents, the Diary of Merer, date from c. 2560–2550 BCE (end of the reign of Khufu). The papyrus rolls describe the last years of building the Great Pyramid of Giza.  Our stop today was at the Al Sondos Papyrus shop.  This place has been around for the last 20 plus years and makes papyrus in the traditional way and has a number of artists who create paintings on the material.  

While we were there, we had a demonstration of how the papyrus was made and got to view a lot of different works of art on the walls.  

We ended up purchasing two – one each for our granddaughters.  Each depicts their zodiac sign and has their name written in hieroglyphs.  Very special indeed.

Each was hand lettered with our granddaughters name! Can you figure out their names from the chart below?

Back on the ship, I wandered into the lounge and discovered a lovely collection of hand-crafted items.  

These items were all done by the Cooperative Women Productive Association.  The Cooperative is a success story that has transformed the lives of its members, who had been finding it hard to obtain employment. They are focused on creating their own enterprise.  In Egypt, there is no welfare system so people have to work to make a living.  For women who are disabled, or handicapped, or who have lost their job, or are widows they have limited opportunities. 

 Started in 2018, the Cooperative Women Productive Association has been able to improve the lives of its members and offer new options to lots of women.  These hand-crafted items were representative of the kinds of items they make and are offered for sale on the ship.  Of course, donations were also accepted.  

It had been a full day with lots to experience and enjoy.  

Bright and early, we boarded our couch for the ride to the airport for a very quick flight to Abu Simbel to visit the temples by the Egyptian king Ramses II (reigned 1279–13 BCE).

In ancient times the area was at the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt, facing Nubia. The four colossal statues of Ramses in front of the main temple are spectacular examples of ancient Egyptian art. By means of a complex engineering feat in the 1960s, the temples were salvaged from the rising waters of the Nile River caused by erection of the Aswan High Dam.  It seems almost unbelievable that these massive structures could be moved to high ground, but it is fantastic that this was accomplished.

Carved out of a sandstone cliff on the west bank of the Nile, the temples were unknown to the outside world until their rediscovery in 1813.  The 66-foot seated figures of Ramses are set against the recessed face of the cliff, two on either side of the entrance to the main temple. Carved around their feet are small figures representing Ramses’ children, his queen, Nefertari, and his mother, Muttuy.  Graffiti inscribed on the southern pair by Greek mercenaries serving Egypt in the 6th century BCE have provided important evidence of the early history of the Greek alphabet.

The temple itself, dedicated to the sun gods Amon-Re and Re-Horakhte, consists of three consecutive halls extending 185 feet into the cliff, decorated with more Osiride statues (An Osiride statue is a standing statue of a pharaoh in the form of a mummy, with its back leaning against a wall or a column) of the king and with painted scenes of his purported victory at the Battle of Kadesh.

Amun Ra, Ra Horakhty, Ptah, and a deified version of Ramesses II in the innermost chamber

On two days of the year (about February 22 and October 22), the first rays of the morning sun penetrate the whole length of the temple and illuminate the shrine in its innermost sanctuary. During the relocation, every attempt was made to position the opening so the light would continue to enter the temple – and they were successful!

All of these engravings tell stories. I wish I could have recorded all the descriptions we were given by our Egyptologist so I could share them with you.

Just to the north of the main temple is a smaller one, dedicated to Nefertari for the worship of the goddess Hathor and adorned with 35-foot statues of the king and queen.  The temple is known for its elaborate decoration, detailed depictions of ancient gods, mystifying hieroglyphs, and stunning astronomical ceiling paintings. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Hathor, who was worshipped as the goddess of love, fertility and music.

In the mid-20th century, when the reservoir that was created by the construction of the nearby Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge Abu Simbel, UNESCO and the Egyptian government sponsored a project to save the site. Between 1963 and 1968 a workforce and an international team of engineers and scientists, supported by funds from more than 50 countries, dug away the top of the cliff and completely disassembled both temples, reconstructing them on high ground more than 200 feet above their previous site. In all, some 16,000 blocks were moved. Two “mountains” were constructed over the temples to represent the original appearance of the temple which was carved into the mountain rather than built up from the ground.

Back to the airport and return flight to board our ship.  Truly a memorable day and one I’m pleased we did not miss this special place.

Back on the ship we had an evening of entertainment. The Nubian civilization flourished in the region between Aswan and Khartoum, developing a unique cultural identity encompassing language, traditions, beliefs, customs, and folklore. Following the construction of the Aswan High Dam, necessitating relocation, the Nubian people have preserved their distinctive musical and dance traditions. A troupe of Nubian performers presented an evening’s entertainment aboard the cruise vessel.

Everyone got into the act and had a wonderful time aboard the S.S. Sphinx in the bar lounge.

OK, another day another temple.  This time the Temple of Kom Ombo.  This one is a bit unusual as it is a double temple having been constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BCE with some additions to it made later during the Roman period.

The building is unique because its ‘double’ design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two gods. The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with Hathor and Khonsu.  Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris (“Horus the Elder”), along “with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister, a special form of Hathor or Tefnet/Tefnut) and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands)”. The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis.

S.S.Sphinx had docked quite close to the temple so we had a walking tour to get to it.  Much of the temple has been destroyed by the Nile, earthquakes, and later builders who used its stones for other projects. Some of the reliefs inside were defaced by Copts Christians who once used the temple as a church. All the temple’s buildings in the southern part of the plateau were cleared of debris and restored by Jacques de Morgan in 1893.

One of the very common building techniques was to connect blocks of stone with a ‘staple’ a piece of wood which would keep the two stones from moving apart.  We saw this in virtually every site.  At this one, interestingly enough, one of these ‘staples’ has been preserved.

Every temple is adorned with texts and reliefs and generally refer to cultic liturgies which were similar to those from that time period.  In this temple, there is a very interesting one which depicts Surgical Instruments.  This unique scene was most likely carved between the reigns of Roman Emperors Antoninus Pius and Macrinus (138 – 218 CE).  

The depicted medical and surgical instruments include scalpels, saws, hooks, forceps, scales, a sponge, and various vessels.

Temples were generally accessible only to the priesthood and to allow regular people to pray to its main god(s), a temple could have what’s called a chapel of the hearing ear.  

Located in the center of the back wall of the temple is a niche which once contained a figure of Maat, the goddess of order and justice and two ears flank the niche, reflecting the chapel’s purpose to allow the gods to perceive the prayers of the pious.  The priest would be able to hear the prayers and would then be able to respond directly which usually required a tribute to be made to the temple.

Crocodile god Sobek on the far right.

As mentioned above, the temple was partially dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek.  There was a small chapel, dedicated to Sobek alone, just a short distance northwest of the main temple.  Next to this temple, there is a rock-cut pit lined with quarried stone blocks and some scholars have suggested that this is a cistern, but others believe it was a sacred chamber in which a living crocodile, earthly incarnation of Sobek himself, was kept.  Regardless, the bit was connected to the Nile and it was possible for a crocodile to navigate along the connection and end up in the ‘pool’.  These crocodiles were considered ‘sacred’ and when they died were mummified. 

 A few of the three hundred crocodile mummies discovered in the vicinity are displayed in the Crocodile Museum (connected to the site). Janeen informed our Egyptologist, Assem, this was not Our first mummified crocodile, as one hangs in Strasbourg, Au Crocodile Restaurant, brought back to France by one of Napoleon’s generals. 

After we finished our tour, back on the ship, we had a lovely lunch and for afternoon tea we went to the Cataract Hotel.  Built in 1899 to house European travelers to the area, guests have included a number of notable people over the years included Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill, Howard Carter, Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, François Mitterrand, Princess Diana and Agatha Christie to name just a few.  

Agatha Christie spent several months in the Hotel writing her novel Death on the Nile and the hotel was used in the 1978 film of the novel.  Our afternoon tea was enjoyable as we watched the sun set in the west across the Nile with Felucca sails gathering the afternoon breeze.