Read Egypt Part 1

Read Egypt Part 2

​The remaining part of our Egypt tour is covered in this final blog.

​CITY OF ALEXANDRIA

​Hotel: Hilton Alexandria Corniche

It was a pleasant weather with clear blue sky on one side and deep blue water of the Mediterranean Sea on the other marking our arrival in the port city of Alexandria. The city was built by Alexander the Great along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Not only the second largest city of Egypt but this is also a city of historical importance. The best part here is the amalgamation of Roman and Egyptian architectures.

​CATACOMBS OF KOM EL SHUQAFA

​We started our trip with a visit to the Catacombs. Catacombs are underground cemeteries (necropolis) associated with the Roman Empire. Catacombs of Alexandria are 3 levels underneath the city, first level is a large funeral hall followed by a number of rock-carved rooms in the second level. The third level was inaccessible. The air inside the catacomb felt strangely eerie either due to the appearance and setting of yellow lights and some figurines inside the chambers or the very knowledge that we were in an underground burial site. Whatever be the reason, I was relieved when we finally came out in the sun.

​PILLAR OF POMPEY

​Next stop was Pompey’s Pillar, another exhibit of Roman architecture. It is one of the largest monolithic columns in Egypt and is flanked by Sphinx at either side. The structure is unique and grand.

Interesting Fact #1: Interestingly, although named Pompey’s Pillar, the pillar is in no way connected to Pompey who was a great Roman political and military leader. It is believed that the remains or ashes of Pompey were kept in a pot at the extreme top of the pillar mistakenly and hence the name.

ROMAN AMPHITHEATER

​The open-air theatre is yet another example of Roman architecture. Built in the 4th Century AD, this structure was accidentally discovered in 1960.

Other notable monuments in this city are Citadel of Qaitbay, located right on the Mediterranean Sea coast, Montazah Palace and Unknown Soldier Memorial.

CITY OF LUXOR

​Hotel: Mercure Luxor Karnak

The next stopover was Luxor, also called as Thebes by the ancient Egyptians and this city was our final destination as well.

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VALLEY OF THE KINGS

​These are the ancient burial grounds for royal families, high-priests and noblemen. One of the ancient Necropolis, there are some 63 tombs in this area built during Egypt’s New Kingdom between 1539-1075BC. It was a burial ground for famous kings Seti, Thutmose, Tutankhamun, all the way from Rameses 1 to Rameses 10 amongst others. The process of mummification also used to take place here. However we could just see the chambers only, Sacrophagi along with mummies were shifted to Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Valley of the Queens is also a nearby destination.

TEMPLE OF HATSHEPSUT

​The grand mortuary temple of Hatshepsut was ordered to be built by Queen Hatshepsut herself when she ruled Egypt in 1479BC. It is a three-storey elegant structure with huge stone columns, beautiful paintings and majestic structures of the Queen. She was one of most successful pharaohs of Egypt who ruled with a fierce passion.

​Interesting Fact #2: It is fascinating to know that Queen Hatshepsut was the only third woman to become a pharaoh in some 3000 years of Egyptian civilization. Interestingly enough, in some of the paintings she is shown dressed as a male pharaoh having a false beard, probably a symbolic thing to depict her power and fame during her reign and the fact that she ruled like a man, signifying equality and women empowerment.

Our tour also included a visit to one of alabaster stores where they showed the process of transforming alabaster into translucent beautiful vases and various other artefacts.

KARNAK TEMPLE

​A massive and glorious temple of gods, this is the temple where almost all the pharaohs left their mark during their respective reigns. The temple is dedicated to the Egyptian god, Amun-Ra, his wife Mut and son Khonsu and was an important place of worship for the ancient Egyptians. The sheer grandeur and enormity of the temple complex is enough to make one’s head spin. Karnak Temple marked an end to a trip that will always be considered a ‘Once-in-a-life’ experience.

There are many places still left unexplored in Egypt but it is really satisfying to know the fact that we covered a huge portion of world history, got an opportunity to explore one of most exotic and mysterious destinations of the world and that we got a chance to witness a country where one of the earliest civilization thrived and flourished. Undoubtedly memories of this trip will always remain fresh in my mind.