In addition to the three large pyramids at Giza, there are several smaller pyramids that were built for the burial of the Pharoh's wives. There is also a small cemetery of mastabas, or smaller tombs, for other relatives of the pharaohs and for important members of the royal court.
Feeling a bit adventurous, we decided to see the inside of a pyramid. We went into the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the largest and tallest pyramid in Egypt. The inside of a pyramid is mostly stone without a great deal of open space. There are steep stairways, narrow passages, and very low ceilings. In order to make footing easier for the tourists, there are wooden ramps with slats and there are hand rails along the walls of the narrow passages. Inside the pyramid it is very hot.
Getting to the king's burial chamber is a steep uphill climb and a large part of the journey is through a passage that is less than four feet tall, so we were hunched over the entire time. Eventually we reached a section where we could stand upright, but it was very narrow and the steep uphill climb continued. At the very end, there is another low passage that leads to the king's burial chamber.
The king's burial chamber is a larger room (maybe 8 square feet) with a taller ceiling. The chamber contains a granite stone sarcophagus which lacks any sort of ornate decoration.
In order to get out of the pyramid we needed to retrace our steps. Going down was in some ways more difficult because with the angle of the incline we had to bend lower to get through the passageways. Some sections were so low that Steve had to slide through on his bottom. We were very hot and tired, and our muscles ached by the time we made it back to the exit, but we were happy to have completed our quest.
There are many ways to travel through the desert and view the pyramids. We chose to get up close and personal at our own pace, so we did a great deal of walking. We did, however, get a kick out of seeing the camels and the horse drawn buggies that provided transportation for those who were so inclined. We also enjoyed having a photo opportunity, for a fee of course, with a friendly camel. It was a very touristy thing to do, but fun nonetheless.
The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue with the body of a lion and a human head which is wearing a royal headdress. The face is said to resemble the pharaoh Khafre and it is probable that the statue was carved during Khafre's reign. The sphinx, which is 240 feet long and 66 feet high, appears to have originally been painted.
The next segment of our journey would involve a river cruise on the Nile. It began with a one and a half hour chartered flight from Cairo to Abu Simbel. From the air we could see vast areas of desert and the meandering waters of the Nile River. Then, below us were the Temples of Ra-Harakhte and Hathor. An amazing sight from the air... even more amazing once we were on the ground.
The two temples at Abu Simbel, which were originally built between 1264 BC and 1244 BC, were painstakingly disassembled and moved to a new location about 200 feet higher and 650 feet further from the Nile in 1968 when the new dam raised the water level of Lake Nassar.
The Great Temple which was built by and dedicated to the pharaoh Ramesses II, has four 66-foot tall statues of Ramesses II surrounding the front entrance of the temple. At his feet a several smaller statues representing his chief wife, Nefertari, his first two sons and his first six daughters. The facade behind has a frieze of twenty-two baboons praying to the rising sun. The head and torso of the second statue were damaged in ancient times probably due to an earthquake.
Many of the reliefs on the walls of the temple depict the prowess of Ramesses II in battle, including a well known battle at Kadesh in 1274 BC.
The roof of the large central hall is adorned with vultures which symbolize the protective goddess Nekhbet. Vultures were believed to be sacred and were a symbol of purity. In addition, vultures were believed to guide deceased souls to the afterlife.
The smaller temple, which was built about 330 feet from the temple of Ramesses II, was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and to Nefertari, the main wife of Ramesses. A temple dedicated to a queen was a rare occurrence in ancient Egypt.
The 33 foot tall statues that decorate the front entrance are of Ramesses and Nefertari. It is very unusual for the statue of the queen to be the same height as the statue of the king. The columns inside the temple are decorated with the face of the goddess Hathor.
Following our visit to Abu Simbel, we boarded our chartered plane for a one-hour flight to Aswan where we would board the Sanctuary Sun Boat IV. The 1200 ton ship is about 240 feet long and has a maximum cruising speed of about 10 mph.
The ship would provide a most comfortable home base for the next 4 days while we traveled down the Nile River and explored some amazing tombs and temples.
