Thursday, December 13, 2007

More Sites

And we're back to our Egypt programming....with the Temple of Hatshepsut, named after Egypt's only woman pharaoh. The limestone cliffs surrounding the three-terraced structure creates a dramatic view.

We also went to the Valley of the Kings, where King Tut (in addition to other royalty) lies. Tut's tomb was discovered in 1922 and it was only recently (within that last two months or so) that they revealed Tut's mummified body, allowing visitors to see his face and feet. And, yes, we paid the extra few bucks to sneak a peek.

Next up was Medinat Habu, where the engravings were carved noticeably deeper into the stone, compared to what we had seen up to that point.

We were growing tired, but there was more to see....we went to the Colossi of Memnon -- the only things left of an ancient temple. (Note the person between the figures, to get a sense of scale).

After going to these ancient sites, we stopped by a tourist trap, er, i mean, alabaster factory to see how vases and figurines are made.

There was also a "soper" market.

And then there was much welcomed peace and relaxation.

2 comments:

vixen said...

did your alabaster factory guide show you a rather perverse statue (after checking to make sure your nationality wouldn't be offended by it)?

did he also set one of the fake alabaster statues on fire and then calmly set it back on the shelf to be sold later on?


those places crack me up.

julia said...

the fire trick is the best. they hold a lighter to anything and everything to prove its material stability/authenticity.