"Life is not meant to be in one place"- A travel quote
Valley of the Kings
Valley of the kings is a long narrow valley just west of the river Nile. It was the part of ancient city of Thebes and was the burial site of almost all the kings [Pharaohs] of the New Kingdom in the period 1539BC-1075BC. Presently the number of known tombs is 62, which show variety in both plan and decoration.
The site of the valley of the Kings was selected keeping in view its safety from robbers. All the tombs of the kings were dug deep into the mountain. The tomb usually consisted of the stone sarcophagus, containing the mummified body of the king along with furniture and treasures. The belief was that these goods would be carried on into the afterlife.
The walls and the roofs of many tombs were embellished with paintings and carvings, showing the dead king in the presence of deities, especially the gods of the underworld. Some of the paintings and carvings are so preserved that they appear to be absolutely fresh. Astronomical figures are depicted in the roofs of many tombs.
Virtually all the tombs in the valley were cleared out long ago, either by robbers or by the following rulers. Only the tomb of the Tutankhamun [reigned 1333-1323BC] escaped the reach of robbers. The tomb was found in the year 1922 and the excavators were dazzled by the treasures alongside the sarcophagus of the King. The world famous treasures were exhumed and now reside in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Colossi of Memnon
The colossi of Memnon are two massive statues of King Amenhotep III, each made from a single block of quartzite sandstone which are sitting there since 1350 BC in the necropolis of Thebes to the west of river Nile, near the valley of Kings. These statues are the only remains of a huge temple of King Amenhotep III, which once existed and these statues stood at its main entry gate.
In 27 BC an earthquake broke the northern statue, following which the lower part of the statue sometimes produced a whistling sound at dawn, within one to two hours of sunrise. Thereafter this led to the statue being called as Singing Memnon. However during a later period a Roman king got the crack in the statue filled with a cementing substance and thence the singing stopped.
Colossi of Memnon
Temple of Hatshepsut
Located near the valley of Kings, beneath the sheer cliffs of Deir el-Bahri stands a majestic mortuary temple of an extraordinary person, namely the Pharaoh Hatshepsut, she being the only second confirmed female Pharoah in the entire history of ancient Egypt, who wielded extraordinary power for a female.
She was the eldest daughter of Pharoah Thuthmose I. She became the regent after the death of her husband and ruled for more than two decades. She dressed up like any other male Pharoah, wearing the royal headgear and even carried the royal beard.
The temple has been restored and consists of three layered terraces reaching 97 feet. The colonnades and courts at three levels are approached by long ramp and the approach to ramp was once lined with sphinxes on both sides.
Statues of Hatshepsut and goddess Osiris adorned this temple. Dedicated to gods Amun, Osiris, Hathor and to deified Hatshepsut. Her reign was followed by Pharoah Thutmoses III, who in later part of his rule damaged the statues of Hatshepsut and even removed her name from the list of Pharoahs, possibly because he did not like a female to be glorified in a male bastion.
This temple was the site of a terrorist attack in 1997, in which 60 people including tourists were killed.
Awesome information
ReplyDeleteAmazing knowledge sharing, too good
ReplyDeleteI was elusive to such details. Thank you for this narrative. Did u come across lucky charm called scarab there? In Luxor, I came across a mammoth Scarab on a pillar. Belief is that if you circumscribe it once your wish comes true. I snapped at my guide that But I have many wishes to come true. Smart guide he was! He said, lady, put your bag aside and start going round the Scarab, he would come and collect me in the evening!
ReplyDeleteNo I did not come across scarab but your guide was really smart.
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