Thebes: Then and Now
Trip Start
Mar 21, 2005
1
310
354
Trip End
Ongoing
Luxor,
Nile River Valley,
Egypt
Friday, April 25, 2008
That was how I arrived in Luxor, ancient Thebes, where temples and tombs awaited. But in this modern lifetime, I was a century or two too late to uncover some of the archaeological excitement and a few millenia too late to be a part of the Egyptian mummification experience.
The River Nile to the west was the key to Egypt and all of its life, now, in the past, and into the future
Across the Ages at Karnak
. Without the Nile, Egypt would not exist as Egypt, with 80 million people along a small band of green, with one of the oldest civilizations on the planet.Stayıng in Luxor for four days at the Nefertiti Hotel, I saw many of the archaeological sites at a leisurely and detailed pace.
One of my interests along these lines was deciphering some of the hieroglyphics. A couple of interesting ones were:
Life, a cross with a loop at the end. The kings and gods are depicted holding these glyphs of life, the ankh. Later, this symbol would be transformed into the Coptic Christian version of the holy cross.
Regeneration and renewal, as symbolized by the sun but more curiously as a dung beetle or scarab. Like the sun, the scarab beetle appears and disappears, performing a "death" of sorts yet always there as the adult scarabs lay eggs in the dung, where the larvae feed then emerge as new adults. This is the first time I've seen an insect elevated to the level of a god and one whose hieroglyphic can be found within the sacred-lassoed cartouche--the signature-- of the pharoahs. Other hieroglyphics showed that Egypt paid attention to the animals of the land and waters. Gods with animal heads--jackals, ibis, and the scarab beetle--also show that Egyptians were closely attuned to nature.
Karnak Temple, where I stayed for many hours on a simmering afternoon, almost defied time, with statues and obelisks composed of hard rose-colored Aswan granite
Colossi at Medinet Habu
. Some looked as though carved yesterday, wıth their smooth faces or sharp hieroglyphics, but they were really over three thousand years old, preserved for years because of their hardness and the protection of sand dunes, which buried many of these treasures. Entering through the imposing pylons, you could slowly see that much of the temple was dedicated to Amun, the invisible god associated with creation and air, as in the breath of life. Though invisible, he still appeared dozens of times in the Great Hypostyle Hall, the oldest in the world and still the largest, with thick-stone flowering-papyrus columns covered with bas-relief stories of the kings and Amun and gods and wars and metaphors of life. Karnak was overwhelming.
On another couple of days, I visited the Theban Necropolis, where the kings, queens, and nobles were entombed. First, I entered the Theban Desert and visited the Valley of the Kings (see next entry) by bicycle to pay respect to the Ramses and King Tut. The desert contrasted with the lush Nile and was considered the place of the dead, both literally and figuratively, spiritually and physically. Next, I met with Omran to tour the Valley of the Queens and the Ramses temples.
While walking around Luxor, I met Omran, who lived on the west bank of the Nile. He invited me for tea and we talked. Of course, in Luxor, with its thousands of tourists, many people do this to get you into their shop or somebody else's shop or drugs or "women or boys". Because of the many scams reported in Luxor, my guard was reluctantly raised (and who likes to raise their guard?), but at the same time I kept it low enough to let people in
Door to the Inner Sanctum, Hatshepsut Temple
. Omran said that he didn't want any money, "friends."I crossed the Nile by public ferry, met Omran, and drank a small chai at some of the makeshift riverside tables and chairs. Soon we were in the Valley of the Queens. He was in the army and told me about his life as we walked around the monuments. His obligatory army service was almost over, so he was relieved, as the service was difficult and did not pay as much as the building work he now does on the side.
This was Omran's first time in the monuments--the tombs and the Ramses temples--and the guards gave him a difficult time, as terrorism took its toll on tourists here a few years back, with a few dozen killed on the terrace at Hatshepsut Temple. The guards were therefore wary of any local Egyptians visiting their own monuments. We marveled at the colorful tomb walls, with their human-sized reliefs of gods of the underworld and elsewhere.
At the Ramesseum, a few local girls were selling dolls. "Did you make that?" "Yes! My mommy helped me," she replied with a smile, sharing a small piece of fresh sugar cane with me, with the sugar cane fields in the background.
After, we went to Omran's house for lunch, where I met his mother and sisters and other relatives who lived nearby and walked around his small village, where he was related in one way or another to many of the people on the streets. The lunch was simple yet served with kindness and Omran showed me pictures of him in the army and his family. He showed me the place where he would build his house, when he married, inshallah, if God wills it.
Turn the page and see more about the Valley of the Kings and King Tut...
