Sightseeing

Pompey Pillar is one of the most famous attractions in Alexandria. It is considered the longest column in Egypt, as it is about 27 meters long. It was constructed in 292 AD by the trustee of Alexandria, Postumus.

This pillar or column is divided into 3 parts. The first part is its base that has inscriptions of names of ancient Egyptian Kings, referring to that this stone was reused. The second one is the body of the column taking a circular cylindrical shape and made of red granite from Aswan. Then the crown. Al-Maqrizi wrote about this crown that he heard the Alexandrians said that this crown allowing 22 persons to sit on it and having their food.

Different Names to This Pillar Pompey’s Pillar is a misleading name. It is believed that when the Roman General Pompey fled to Alexandria from Rome, Ptolemy XII murdered him and his head was put on the top of the column, but that is not true and this pillar has nothing to do with Pompey.

Arab called it masts pillar because they thought that it looks like the masts of the ships.

According to an inscription beside the column, the closest to the right name is Diocletian Pillar. This text refers to the trustee of Alexandria, Postumus, who built this pillar in gratitude for the Roman Emperor Diocletian as there was a famine in the city so Diocletian ordered that a portion of the wheat be sent to Rome annually be given to the Alexandrians. As well, he exempted them from paying taxes during these hard times.

Besides the pillar, there are two sphinxes and an open museum displaying what was discovered in the Serapeum, dedicated to Alexandria’s patron god, Serapis.

The Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqafa are considered the first catacombs in the whole world. It is a complex of impressively decorated tombs dating back to the Roman period. It is located in the district of Karmouz to the east of Alexandria.

The Kom el Shoqafa is its Arabic name, meaning in the English language the mound or hill of potsherds, referring to the broken dishes and plates that was found in this place. Also, the word Catacomb means a rock-cut tomb around a well.

This place is considered an open museum, as, besides tombs, there are several Roman monuments as the fountain and the bathtub.

The Catacombs of Alexandria This Catacomb was discovered by chance in 1900 when a donkey fell in the well. It is one of the most important examples referring to the fusion between ancient Egyptian art and Greco-Roman art.

The Catacomb originally belonged to a wealthy Roman family who started to use it for burial in the middle of the 2nd century AD. Later, the catacomb was expanded to be a public cemetery.

It consists of 3 floors housing rock-cut tombs in the 1st and 2nd levels, but the 3rd is completely underwater. These two levels can be accessed by a central spiral staircase to a depth of 35 meters around a well.

When you descend the catacomb, you can see a circular hall with a vaulted ceiling called the rotunda. This hall contained 5 busts (now these busts are displayed in the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria).

After that, you will move to the Triclinium hall, where the visitors of the tomb were taking some rest after descending the stairs of the tomb. This hall supports by 4 pillars and contains 3 benches, taking the shape of the letter U. It is thought that this hall was used by the visitors of the tomb for eating food.

Then there is another hall containing bones for horses. It is called Holy Horses Hall, as it is believed that these horses were used in horse racing.

Finally, there is the main shrine of this catacomb. There are 2 statues, their features combining between the ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman arts. It is thought that these statues belonging to the original owners of the catacomb.

The Tomb of Tigrane The Tomb of Tigrane is situated a few meters away from the main catacombs. It dates back to the 1st century A.D. and was discovered in 1952. It is famous for its wall paintings executed in the Hellenistic style.

You Can enjoy a virtual tour to the Catacombs via the virtual tours of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The Catacombs of Alexandria

Throughout history, Aswan was famous for its granite quarry that was used by the ancient Egyptians for constructing several buildings during the ancient Egyptian civilization, like the valley temple of king Chephren and two obelisks of Queen Hatshepsut in Karnak Complex. This quarry of granite houses a unique monument that is the unfinished obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut, dating back to the 18th dynasty, New Kingdom.  It is one of the most important tourist attractions in Aswan.

The Importance of the Unfinished Obelisk This obelisk was made from the red granite of the Aswan quarry. It is 42 meters high to be the longest in Egypt and nearly 1100 tons. The researchers believe that this obelisk was carved to be placed in Karnak Complex.

This obelisk was abandoned and not completed because of appearing cracks in its body during the cutting, as the scratches of the workers’ tools can still be seen clearly on the obelisk body and ochre-colored lines marking where they were working.

This obelisk is considered as a witness to the accuracy and ability of the ancient Egyptians in dealing with giant granite stones and how they cut and established their obelisks, as the bottom side of the obelisk is still attached to the bedrock.

As, they made very small holes directly out of bedrock all along the line of desired detachment. After that, they put the wooden pegs in these holes, then submerged them with water to expand, causing detaching the body of the obelisk.

Why did the ancient Egyptians use to build obelisks? Obelisks are tall and slender monuments. It has four straight sides, taking the pyramidal shape at the top. These four sides are full of inscriptions.

Obelisks had a great role during the 5^th dynasty, old kingdom, as it was put inside the temples of Ra, so it was known as a sacred symbol of the cult of the sun. Also, they are a symbol of the Pn-pn that is referring to the primeval hill where the creation of the world began.

The construction of the Aswan high dam was a great dream for President Gamal Abdel Nasser to ensure developing Egypt for all Egyptians. The high dam is fed by the River Nile from south.

The History of Aswan High Dam There are two dams in Aswan, Aswan Low Dam and Aswan High Dam. Aswan Low Dam was constructed in 1898 and completed in 1902. But it was not adequate to control the annual flooding, leading to President Gamal Abdel Nasser think in constructing a higher dam in 1952. The construction for the project began in 1960 after getting funding and was completed in 1968. It was officially inaugurated in 1971.

There is a huge reservoir behind the dam, called Lake Nasser. It was finished filling in 1979.  This reservoir is with a reservoir capacity of 132km³.

The construction of this dam is considered an impressive engineering feat, as it is 360 feet tall and 12,500 feet across.

The Benefits of the Dam Although the construction of the dam led to a rise in the level of the Nile River, which led to immersion of many monuments and archeological sites as Philae Temple.

Despite this, the dam provides several benefits to Egypt, as

• It provides water for around 33,600km² of irrigation land and contributes to increasing the cultivable land in Egypt.
• It controls flooding that was threatening the lives of citizens.
• It generates power, as it was responsible for producing around 50 % of the electricity production in Egypt and providing many villages with electricity for the first time.
• It helps in improving navigation across the Nile.

Philae Temple of Isis is the most prominent monument of Philae Island. Philae Island was a rocky island in the middle of the River Nile, located in Aswan.

Philae Island had a great prominence as the center for worshipping the goddess Isis, the mother of the god Horus. This island contains other monuments such as the Kiosk of Trajan, Osiris Chapel, Horus Temple, Hathor Temple, The Gateway of Tiberius, Diocletian, and Augustus Temple.

After the construction of the Aswan Dam, the monuments of Philae Island were submerged underwater for the greater part of the year, and Philae temples were accessible only between August and December. The construction of the High Dam in 1960 threatened to engulf them for good, which resulting transferring the monuments of Philae Island to Agilkia Island in the 1960s during the UNESCO Nubia Campaign, as the temple was dismantled and transferred, stone by stone, from the submerged Philea Island to Agilkia Island. This project took over 9 years to be accomplished.

Philae Temple is one of the last ancient Egyptian temples to remain active, as it continued to function until the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. On that date, the priest of Isis, Esmet-Akhom, carved the last dated hieroglyphic inscription, dating to the late 4th century AD.

The design of Philae Temple of IsisThe Temple of Isis is the most famous temple on Philae Island. It was founded in Ptolemy II’s period, then other Ptolemaic Kings contributed by adding more parts to it. This temple is built on the same style of the New Kingdom temples, with adding some other elements that appeared in the Greco-Roman period like the mamisi and the Nilometer. This temple was used during the Coptic period to be a Christian church.

It is thought that the oldest remains of Philae Temple date back to King Taharqa of the 25th Dynasty, who constructed the first shrine for the Goddess Isis.

The plan of this temple is very simple. It consists of the 1st Pylon leading to an open court, the 2nd pylon, and the Holy of Holies.

Pass through the 1^st pylon to reach the main court of the temple. While you go through the gate, you will find the French inscription (“a 7 de la République”) on the right. It refers to commemorate Napoleon’s campaign and the pursuit of the Mamelukes by General Desaix in 1799.

On the right of the main court, there are rooms for Isis priests.

The Mamisi or the House of the divine birth of Horus: You can enter the mamisi from the left side of the court or by the direct gate in the western tower of the 1st pylon. It is a symbol of the birth of Horus. There is a scene in this room depicting Isis suckling her son Horus in the marshes and scenes of the birth of the God Horus.

Then 2nd Pylon leading to inner temple area with 10 columns.

Then 3 shrines leading to a sanctuary or the Holy of Holies.

Philae Temple distinguishes with its Sound and Light Show presenting a narrated storytelling the legend of God Osiris and his wife Goddess Isis and the history of Philae Temple and how it was saved by transferring its rocks to the current place.

Hatshepsut, the most famous queen, became a Pharaoh and founded this temple on the west back in Luxor city, directly across the Nile River from Karnak Temple.

This temple is called Djeser-djeseru, meaning the Holy of Holies. Senenmut inspired the design of this temple from the structure of the temple of temple Mentuhotep II (Neb-Hept-Re) from the 11th dynasty, Middle Kingdom. This temple is dedicated to being the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

This temple consists of three levels attached with ramps. On the uppermost level, an open courtyard lies just beyond the portico. There are statues of Hatshepsut in Osiris shape lean against the pillars of these porticos.

Also, the temple contains shrines for the god Anubis, the god of the dead, and the goddess Hathor, the goddess of women, fertility, and love.

• In the northern part, there is a scene depicting Queen Hatshepsut while she hunted in the bush in front of several gods like Horus, Thoth, and Amun.
• While on the southern part, there is a scene depicting the transportation of obelisks from the quarry to their destination in Karnak Temple.

• In the northern part, there is a scene depicting the divine birth of Queen Hatshepsut, as she showed that his father is the god Amun himself to prove that she is the rightful king of Egypt.
• While on the southern part, there is a scene depicting the expedition of Queen Hatshepsut to Punt.

The rest of the temple was carved inside the mountain.

Finally, this temple is also called Deir el-Bahari Temple, due to there was a Christian monastery built there in the 7th century. Deir is an Arabic word meaning monastery.

The Valley of the Kings is the cemetery of the most famous kings in ancient Egyptian history of the new kingdom. It is located on the west bank of the Nile River in Thebes, or Luxor city now.

It is considered as one of the most important archaeological sites and historical destinations in the world, which motivated the archaeologists to do excavations there.

This valley is divided into two valleys, the east and the west. The east valley is more famous than the west one, as the west valley houses few tombs.

The valley contains 62 tombs and almost twenty unfinished tombs. King Thutmose I was the first King was buried in this valley, while King Ramses VVI was the last one. Then Kings of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties also buried here. The most famous royal tomb in this valley is the tomb of King Tutankhamun that was discovered nearly intact.

The name of Valley of the Kings is not entirely accurate, as there are members of the royal family and a few non-royal who very high-ranking as the tomb of Yuya and Tuya were buried here.

• The Amduat depicting the journey of the sun god during the 12 hours of the night.
• The Book of Caves showing the underworld divided into caves where the gods and the dead waiting for the sun god to bring them back to life.

• This site was chosen according to the ancient Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife, as they thought that the sun god (Ra) set (died) in the western horizon to be reborn and rejuvenated in the eastern one. So the ancient Egyptians considered the west as funerary associations.
• This mountain takes the shape of the pyramid, the symbol of rebirth and eternal life in ancient Egyptian beliefs.
• This valley is isolated what provides more Anti-theft protection for the corpses of kings buried in it.

There are a huge number of workers who were working in the construction of this great valley. So these workers needed a near home to live, so they built Deir El-Medina or the Village of Workers.

Karnak temple is located on the east bank of the Nile River in Thebes, or Luxor city now. It is considered a complex, not just a temple, because its walls include several temples, such as the Khonsu temple, the Opet temple, and the great temple of Amun Ra.

This complex is considered one of the most important ancient Egyptian temples in Thebes, as it was the center for worshipping the god Amun. So this temple was extremely wealthy, and its priesthood held great political power during ancient Egyptian history.

As most ancient Egyptian temples, Karnak temple was constructed on an east-west axis. As in ancient Egyptian mythology, they thought that this design looking like the sun god’s trajectory through the sky. Also, Karnak temple distinguishes with another north-south axis to link between Karnak complex and Luxor temple through the avenue of rams.

• This complex starts with an avenue of rams. In front of the 1^st pylon, there are 20 rams on each side, dating back to King Nectanebo I of the 30th dynasty.

Karnak Complex Elements The design of Karnak Complex is very complicated, as due to its religious importance, many kings from the middle kingdom to the Ptolemaic period added buildings to this complex, making it reach a size, complexity, and diversity.

• Then, the first open court, containing several elements. The column or kiosk of King Taharqa of the 25th dynasty. This is the only remained column from a colonnade that once had 10 columns. On the left, there are 3 shrines built by king Seti II for the triad of Thebes (Amun, Mut, and Khonsu). On the right, there is the Temple of King Ramses III. As well, there is the open museum court containing the white shrine of king Senusret I, the alabaster shrine of king Amenhotep I, and the red shrine of Queen Hatshepsut. These shrines were discovered into the 3rd pylon and rebuilt again.
• The second pylon of king Horemheb of the 18^th
• The Great Hypostyle Hall containing 134 columns from the sandstone. This hall was built by King Amenhotep III and completed by kings Seti I and his son Ramses II.
• Then the 3^rd pylon of king Amenhotep III, where the 3 shrines in the open museum court had found.
• The Court of Thutmose I, where was existing 2 obelisks standing in front of the 4th pylon. It is thought that this pylon was the main entrance for Karnak temple during king Thutmose I’s period. Unfortunately, one of these two obelisks is lost.
• Another court of King Thutmose I. This court housed 2 obelisks for Queen Hatshepsut. They were made of red granite. Unfortunately, the right obelisk is lost. After the death of Queen Hatshepsut, so King Thutmose III did a mysterious thing. He founded a high wall around those two obelisks. This sparked a lot of arguments among scholars, as they are wondering what the purpose of this wall is.
• The 5th pylon, which also was built by king Thutmose I, but was damaged.
• The 6^th pylon was built by king Thutmose III. It is the smallest pylon in this complex. This pylon leads to the Ancestral Room founded by King Thutmose III.
• Then the Holy of Holies of temple.
• Behind it, there is a courtyard housing remains dating back to the middle kingdom. This courtyard contains a hall called (Akh-Mnw), meaning the Feasts Hall. This hall was built by King Thutmose III. As well, there is another room called The Botanical Room, decorated with depictions of plants, animals, and birds, which King Thutmose III brought from Syria to ancient Egypt.
• Now, we will go through the north-south axis that can be accessed between the 3rd and the 4th pylons to reach the 7th pylon of king Thutmose III. In this place in 1902, the French Egyptologist Georges Legrain discovered a cache. This cache contained several bronze statues. In front of the 7th pylon, there were 2 obelisks of king Thutmose III. One of them is transferred to İstanbul, as Muhammad Ali Pasha gave it to King Louis.
• Karnak Complex distinguishes with its sacred lake, where priests purified themselves before performing temple rituals for the god Amun. Besides this lake, you will be able to notice the scarab is considered the biggest scarab in ancient Egypt. This is the scarab of the marriage of King Amenhotep III and his beloved wife Tiye.

• The 8th pylon was built by Queen Hatshepsut, completed by Thutmose III, and restored by Seti I. Then there is a court.
• The 9th and 10th pylons. They date back to king Horemheb of the 18th dynasty. Inside these pylons are the rocks of the temple of the god Aton, as king Horemheb used them to fill his pylons.
• Finally, the temple finished with the avenue of rams leading to Mut temple.

Colossi of Memnon are two massive statues on the west bank of the Nile River in Luxor city. They stood at the entrance of the mortuary temple of king Amenhotep III of the 18th dynasty, New kingdom. These statues are the only residual part of this temple.

These two twin statues depict King Amenhotep III, seating on the throne chair and wearing the Nemes, the royal headdress. The statues measure 20 meters tall. They are made of quartzite sandstone. The northern statue presents the king with a small statue for his mother (Mutemwiya), while the southern one presents him with his beloved wife (Tiye). Amenhotep, son of Hapu supervised the construction of these statues.

After an earthquake had occurred in 27 BC, the northern statue was deeply affected, as cracks appearing on it. These cracks resulted to when the winds were passing through the northern statue at dawn, making mysterious sounds and forming dew drops on the statue’s body.

The Greeks linked between these sounds and dewdrops and the crying of Memnon’s mother on her killing son (Memnon). Memnon was the king of Ethiopia, traveled to Asia to help in defending Trojan city, the beleaguered city under attack. But he was killed by Achilles. So they are famous for the Colossi of Memnon.

Later, the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus restored the northern statue that led these sounds to stop.

Luxor temple is one of the most beautiful remained monuments on the east bank of the Nile River in Thebes, or Luxor city now.

The history of construction of Luxor temple King Amenhotep III of the 18th dynasty started to build this temple, but the main building of the temple was completed by King Tutankhamun and King Horemheb. Then King Ramses II added some elements to the temple.

During Amenhotep III’s reign, the main entrance of the temple was on the northern side. After that, you will see the great colonnade consisting of seven pairs. It takes the shape of high open-flower papyrus columns. Then you will move to the courtyard of King Amenhotep III. Then the hypostyle hall, containing thirty-two columns.

The cache of Luxor temple was discovered by the archaeologist Muhammad al-Saghir on the morning of January 22, 1989.  While he was cleaning the courtyard of King Amenhotep III, he found a wonderful collection of statues for gods and kings of the New kingdom. Most of these collections are moved to be displayed at Luxor Museum.

Behind the hypostyle hall, there are four secondary rooms, the room of the Divine birth of King Amenhotep III, Alexander the Great’s shrine, and the Holy of Holies of the triad of Thebes (Amun, his wife Mut, and their son Khonsu).

The divine birth room houses depictions tell an amazing story of how the king’s true father was none other than the god Amun himself.

• He added a massive pylon decorated with inscriptions of the Kadesh Battle against the Hittites. This pylon was preceded by six colossal statues of King Ramses II and two granite obelisks. One of these two obelisks is transferred to the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

In front of this pylon, there is the avenue of sphinxes linking the Luxor Temple and Karnak Complex. This avenue was used during the Opet Festival, as Amun used it to move from Karnak Complex to Luxor Temple.

• Also, King Ramses II built another courtyard in front of the great colonnade of King Amenhotep III. In this courtyard, on the right side, you will see the shrine of Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose III.

The temple remained used in the Greco-Roman period. In the Christian period, the hypostyle hall of the temple was changed to be a Christian church.

After many years, the temple was covered and hidden by sand and streets, resulting in the construction of the Yusuf Abu al-Hajjaj mosque over the Northeast side of the temple in the courtyard of King Ramses II in 640.