Speak to a specialist
0208 777 4873
0208 777 4873
Places to see: Africa
TEMPLE OF KARNAK
Located at the northern end of the town of Luxor, Karnak Temple has three main sacred areas that honour three gods: Montu, an ancient local warrior god; Amun, the chief god of Thebes; and the goddess Mut, wife of Amun. Amun, Mut and their son, Khonsu, were members of the sacred family known as the Theban Triad.
The construction of Karnak Temple began in the Middle Kingdom and was completed during the New Kingdom, some 1,600 years later. Every successive king of this era added to the temple, which covers two hectares (five acres) of land. It is a complicated site with four courtyards, ten pylons, a sacred lake and several buildings.
The construction of Karnak Temple began in the Middle Kingdom and was completed during the New Kingdom, some 1,600 years later. Every successive king of this era added to the temple, which covers two hectares (five acres) of land. It is a complicated site with four courtyards, ten pylons, a sacred lake and several buildings.
LUXOR
Luxor
A magnificent ancient township built on the site of the even more ancient city of Thebes, dating back 4,000 years. The Luxor Temple is a remarkably delicate work of architecture, originally built by Pharaoh Amenophis, and added to by various rulers over the aeons, including Alexander the Great. The Luxor Museum has a wonderful collection of ancient statuary, as well as relics from the ancient city of Thebes.
Temple of Karnak
Located at the northern end of the town of Luxor, Karnak Temple has three main sacred areas that honour three gods: Montu, an ancient local warrior god; Amun, the chief god of Thebes; and the goddess Mut, wife of Amun. Amun, Mut and their son, Khonsu, were members of the sacred family known as the Theban Triad.
The construction of Karnak Temple began in the Middle Kingdom and was completed during the New Kingdom, some 1,600 years later. Every successive king of this era added to the temple, which covers two hectares (five acres) of land. It is a complicated site with four courtyards, ten pylons, a sacred lake and several buildings.
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is famous for its royal tombs. These beautifully painted tombs have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. For over a thousand years, the kings, queens and nobles of the New Kingdom (1500-1070 BC.) were buried in this valley making it the world's most magnificent burial ground. The most famous tomb (KV No.62) belongs to the boy king Tutankhamun.
It was discovered on November 22, 1922 by the English archaeologist Howard Carter. The tombs were cut into the limestone rock in a remote wadi (a dried-up river valley) on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the present day city of Karnak. Their walls were painted and sculpted with magnificent murals depicting scenes of daily life and the land of the gods. The chambers were filled with treasures - everything from furniture to food, statues, boats and jewels, which a person may need to sustain life into eternity. The royals and their courtiers hoped to find refuge from robbers and their enemies, who had pillaged the pyramid tombs of their predecessors.
Temple of Madinat Habu
The entire Temple of Ramesses III, palace and town is enclosed within a defensive wall. Entry is through the Highgate, or Migdol, which, in appearance resembles an Asiatic fort. Just inside the Highgate, to the south, are the chapels of Amenirdis I, Shepenwepet II and Nitoket, wives of the god Amun. To the north side is the chapel of Amun. These chapels were a later addition dating to the 18th Dynasties, by Hatshepsut and Tutmoses II. Later the Ptolemaic kings of the XXV Dynasty made renovations.
Temple of Hathor in Dendara
The Temple of Hathor, goddess of Joy, is a Greco-Roman creation built between 125 BC and 60 AD. It emulates the Pharaonic pattern of hypostyle halls and vestibule preceding a darkened sanctuary. In this temple Hathor takes the human form rather than her bovine aspect.
Valley of the Queens
The Valley of the Queens is a misnomer for it also houses the tombs of high officials and royal children along with the various queens and concubines. The valley contains 80 tombs, most of which are uninscribed and simple in plan although the murals in these can rival those in the Valley of the Kings. The reopening of the tomb of Nefertari in 1995 has given the Valley of the Queens an extra fillip.
A magnificent ancient township built on the site of the even more ancient city of Thebes, dating back 4,000 years. The Luxor Temple is a remarkably delicate work of architecture, originally built by Pharaoh Amenophis, and added to by various rulers over the aeons, including Alexander the Great. The Luxor Museum has a wonderful collection of ancient statuary, as well as relics from the ancient city of Thebes.
Temple of Karnak
Located at the northern end of the town of Luxor, Karnak Temple has three main sacred areas that honour three gods: Montu, an ancient local warrior god; Amun, the chief god of Thebes; and the goddess Mut, wife of Amun. Amun, Mut and their son, Khonsu, were members of the sacred family known as the Theban Triad.
The construction of Karnak Temple began in the Middle Kingdom and was completed during the New Kingdom, some 1,600 years later. Every successive king of this era added to the temple, which covers two hectares (five acres) of land. It is a complicated site with four courtyards, ten pylons, a sacred lake and several buildings.
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is famous for its royal tombs. These beautifully painted tombs have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. For over a thousand years, the kings, queens and nobles of the New Kingdom (1500-1070 BC.) were buried in this valley making it the world's most magnificent burial ground. The most famous tomb (KV No.62) belongs to the boy king Tutankhamun.
It was discovered on November 22, 1922 by the English archaeologist Howard Carter. The tombs were cut into the limestone rock in a remote wadi (a dried-up river valley) on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the present day city of Karnak. Their walls were painted and sculpted with magnificent murals depicting scenes of daily life and the land of the gods. The chambers were filled with treasures - everything from furniture to food, statues, boats and jewels, which a person may need to sustain life into eternity. The royals and their courtiers hoped to find refuge from robbers and their enemies, who had pillaged the pyramid tombs of their predecessors.
Temple of Madinat Habu
The entire Temple of Ramesses III, palace and town is enclosed within a defensive wall. Entry is through the Highgate, or Migdol, which, in appearance resembles an Asiatic fort. Just inside the Highgate, to the south, are the chapels of Amenirdis I, Shepenwepet II and Nitoket, wives of the god Amun. To the north side is the chapel of Amun. These chapels were a later addition dating to the 18th Dynasties, by Hatshepsut and Tutmoses II. Later the Ptolemaic kings of the XXV Dynasty made renovations.
Temple of Hathor in Dendara
The Temple of Hathor, goddess of Joy, is a Greco-Roman creation built between 125 BC and 60 AD. It emulates the Pharaonic pattern of hypostyle halls and vestibule preceding a darkened sanctuary. In this temple Hathor takes the human form rather than her bovine aspect.
Valley of the Queens
The Valley of the Queens is a misnomer for it also houses the tombs of high officials and royal children along with the various queens and concubines. The valley contains 80 tombs, most of which are uninscribed and simple in plan although the murals in these can rival those in the Valley of the Kings. The reopening of the tomb of Nefertari in 1995 has given the Valley of the Queens an extra fillip.
GIZA
he Giza Plateau is the northern extension of the necropolis of Memphis, situated on the west bank of the Nile and is today part of the suburbs of modern Cairo.
The pyramids of Giza have always fascinated mankind and a great many mysteries have been built around them.
The Giza Plateau is famous for three pyramids. Khufu’s son, Khafre (Greek, Chephren) also constructed a pyramid next to his father’s monument. The third pyramid belongs to Menkaure (Greek, Mycerinus) and is the smallest of the three.
Each pyramid had its own associated structures which included satellite pyramids, mortuary temple, causeway and valley temple, though not all of these can be seen clearly today.
The pyramid complexes are surrounded by vast cemeteries of mastaba tombs, similar in size and originally laid out in street-like rows, but these have been disrupted by the intrusion of later burials. Mastaba is the name given to a large rectangular superstructure built over a deep burial shaft and comes from the Arabic word for ‘bench’. There are hundreds of mastaba tombs at Giza where the Old Kingdom elite were buried close to their pharaohs. The earliest and most extensive cemeteries are to the east and west of Khufu’s pyramid. There are also many private tombs cut into the rock-faces of quarries surrounding the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure. Many of the Old Kingdom tombs at Giza can be visited, but it is difficult to predict exactly which ones are open at any given time. Some of them have spectacular reliefs with beautifully carved hieroglyphs and engaged statues of their owners – the Old Kingdom was possibly the finest period of art in the history of Egypt.
The Giza Plateau’s other claim to fame is for the Great Sphinx, which is situated next to Khafre’s causeway and valley temple. One of the world’s greatest monuments and the first colossal royal statue of ancient Egypt, the Sphinx was known as ‘Abu Hol’ (Father of Terror) to the Arabic people. It is fashioned out of a natural limestone outcrop left over from the quarrying of stone by the builders of the Great Pyramid. The Sphinx is carved in the shape of a crouching lion with a human head, 73m long and over 20m high.
The Giza Plateau is an ongoing excavation site. There are new tombs and structures being discovered with amazing regularity and yet there must be so much still to uncover. Today the whole plateau is a vast tourist complex which could take the visitor weeks to see properly. The area is currently being re-developed to provide even more facilities, with many plans afoot to make the area more ‘tourist friendly’. The new Grand Egyptian Museum will also be built close to the pyramids. There is a Sound and Light Show each evening, presented in Arabic, English, French, Japanese and German, which uses the three pyramids as an impressive backdrop.
The pyramids of Giza have always fascinated mankind and a great many mysteries have been built around them.
The Giza Plateau is famous for three pyramids. Khufu’s son, Khafre (Greek, Chephren) also constructed a pyramid next to his father’s monument. The third pyramid belongs to Menkaure (Greek, Mycerinus) and is the smallest of the three.
Each pyramid had its own associated structures which included satellite pyramids, mortuary temple, causeway and valley temple, though not all of these can be seen clearly today.
The pyramid complexes are surrounded by vast cemeteries of mastaba tombs, similar in size and originally laid out in street-like rows, but these have been disrupted by the intrusion of later burials. Mastaba is the name given to a large rectangular superstructure built over a deep burial shaft and comes from the Arabic word for ‘bench’. There are hundreds of mastaba tombs at Giza where the Old Kingdom elite were buried close to their pharaohs. The earliest and most extensive cemeteries are to the east and west of Khufu’s pyramid. There are also many private tombs cut into the rock-faces of quarries surrounding the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure. Many of the Old Kingdom tombs at Giza can be visited, but it is difficult to predict exactly which ones are open at any given time. Some of them have spectacular reliefs with beautifully carved hieroglyphs and engaged statues of their owners – the Old Kingdom was possibly the finest period of art in the history of Egypt.
The Giza Plateau’s other claim to fame is for the Great Sphinx, which is situated next to Khafre’s causeway and valley temple. One of the world’s greatest monuments and the first colossal royal statue of ancient Egypt, the Sphinx was known as ‘Abu Hol’ (Father of Terror) to the Arabic people. It is fashioned out of a natural limestone outcrop left over from the quarrying of stone by the builders of the Great Pyramid. The Sphinx is carved in the shape of a crouching lion with a human head, 73m long and over 20m high.
The Giza Plateau is an ongoing excavation site. There are new tombs and structures being discovered with amazing regularity and yet there must be so much still to uncover. Today the whole plateau is a vast tourist complex which could take the visitor weeks to see properly. The area is currently being re-developed to provide even more facilities, with many plans afoot to make the area more ‘tourist friendly’. The new Grand Egyptian Museum will also be built close to the pyramids. There is a Sound and Light Show each evening, presented in Arabic, English, French, Japanese and German, which uses the three pyramids as an impressive backdrop.
.jpg)
VALLEY OF THE KINGS
The Valley of the Kings is famous for its royal tombs. These beautifully painted tombs have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. For over a thousand years, the kings, queens and nobles of the New Kingdom (1500-1070 BC.) were buried in this valley making it the world's most magnificent burial ground. The most famous tomb (KV No.62) belongs to the boy king Tutankhamun.
It was discovered on November 22, 1922 by the English archaeologist Howard Carter. The tombs were cut into the limestone rock in a remote wadi (a dried-up river valley) on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the present day city of Karnak. Their walls were painted and sculpted with magnificent murals depicting scenes of daily life and the land of the gods. The chambers were filled with treasures - everything from furniture to food, statues, boats and jewels, which a person may need to sustain life into eternity. The royals and their courtiers hoped to find refuge from robbers and their enemies, who had pillaged the pyramid tombs of their predecessors.
It was discovered on November 22, 1922 by the English archaeologist Howard Carter. The tombs were cut into the limestone rock in a remote wadi (a dried-up river valley) on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the present day city of Karnak. Their walls were painted and sculpted with magnificent murals depicting scenes of daily life and the land of the gods. The chambers were filled with treasures - everything from furniture to food, statues, boats and jewels, which a person may need to sustain life into eternity. The royals and their courtiers hoped to find refuge from robbers and their enemies, who had pillaged the pyramid tombs of their predecessors.
Subscribe here to our monthly newsletters
Retail Agents for ATOL for flights VAT Reg 765 9709 72 Company Registration 4291471
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Booking Form< | Powered By Yogurt Top Marketing
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Booking Form< | Powered By Yogurt Top Marketing