Bani Hassan Tombs and Tell El Amarna

  Sohag, Egypt
Thursday, March 13, 2008

Last night I was worried that today would not be so nice.  I had stomach problems and was worried as we were spending so much time on the bus.  Mum and I have been very careful and used the antiseptic gel regularly but many people still get ill due to the different foods.

The chilli we had for tea got me but I was fine today.

Muslim Cemetary at Bani Hassan

As we left Minya, we saw tombs which looked like bee hives spread over the desert mountains.  It is one of the largest cemetaries in Egypt.  Unbelievable to see.

The bus was running low on fuel.  They had tried 11 service stations in Minya last night but no one would sell them fuel.  We got turned away from another on the way out of Minya.  The police escort didn't help either.  Evidently fuel in Egypt is about to go up by 100% to 200% soon.  It costs about 1 pound at the moment (20 cents Aussie).  Therefore everyone has been buying up, which has caused a shortage and the petrol stations don't want to sell large amounts like a bus needs as they will make a better profit if they wait and sell after prices go up.

Getting petrol near Mallawi

It was a real circus trying to get fuel.  We stopped at one place and caused a huge traffic jam as the road was so narrow that other traffic had difficulty getting around.  The bus couldn't get close enough to the pumps so they filled jerry cans to carry in case we ran out of fuel before we could find a service station, which would supply the bus.  We eventually found one and with the police escort jumped the huge queue.  There were alot of very unhappy locals.  I can understand it as imagine if in Australia, we were queuing for petrol and the police bypassed us and let a bus of overseas tourists go first.  We wouldn't be happy either!

While we were filling up, I was the centre of attention.  All the men were staring.  They don't see white people often nor blonde hair.  I had kisses blown at me and all.

Another Typical Scene at Bani Hass

Another typical scene at Bani Hassan

The farming area around Bani Hassan was just georgeous and the ladies wore very bright clothing.  Lots of red, orange and aqua.  I got some great photo's of the girls riding donkeys laden with mint.

We climbed from the green to Bani Hassan Tomb

We went into 4 tombs at Bani Hassan.  We had to climb a long way up the mountains - at least 300 stairs. The tombs have been built into the limestone cliffs and are from 1600 BC.  The inside of the tombs are very well preserved.  One tomb in particular had very detailed pictures carved into the wall and the color was astounding.  I would have loved to have taken a photo but it is not allowed for obvious reasons.

As we got back to the bus, there was a group of children waiting.  They were looking at me quite expectantly so I gave them badges.  They seemed to know that I was handing them out. I don't know how as the last lot I handed out was miles away.  Maybe the police escort told them as he also asked for a badge after he helped explained to the kids what I was doing.

We drove very quickly through several more towns.  We had police in front and behind us and they really enjoyed using the lights and sirens to make way for us.  There were alot of unhappy towns people by the looks we received.  I don't know if it was us or the police that caused their nasty glances.

Ferry to cross Nile to Tell El Amarna

We then left the big bus and got on a ferry to go across the Nile to Tell El Amarna.  The police escort came on board too.  There were at least six policemen all fully armed with machine guns and shot guns.

We had to go up more stairs to get up to the tombs. I could hear mum thinking "Oh NO. Not more steps"!  Mum will be glad if she never sees another step ever.  Both of us have very sore legs.  At least it was a track down.

We finally got up to the tombs, which once again were built into the cliffs.  We visited 4 tombs and the main difference was the secret underground tunnels.  Tombs were sealed from the inside and then the workers (normally dwarves) escaped by tunnels which came out miles away.  These secret tunnels were then sealed and covered to avoid detection. 

Upon getting back on the ferry, there were many children selling woven baskets.  They were very pretty but we

Tell El Amarna West Bank

wouldn't be able to get back into the country.  The children were so poor.  It really tugged on the heart strings.  A few of the kids tried to stow away on the ferry.  They were caught and chased off by a man with a big stick.  All of a sudden about 6 more kids jumped out of their hiding places and raced to get off the boat.  It was very funny to see. A common game by the shrieks of laughter. You had to be there.

The good luck charms given to us by the kids

One managed to stay on the boat.  I gave him a kangaroo badge and in return he gave me a Pyramid necklace he had made out of sugar cane I think.  Mum was also given a lucky charm.  We couldn't bring back into Australia but I took photo's.

Then we commenced the long drive (3 ours) to Sohag.  We had the police escort again with their lights and sirens blaring.  The overtaking was unbelievable.  If a car was in front, the police would put on their lights and sirens and overtake even if a truck, bus or car was coming the other way.  We were expected to follow.  Several times I thought we were going to have a head on collision but there is enough room on the road for three vehicles abreast.

We didn't arrive in Sohag until 7pm.  We are staying at the El Safa Hotel, which is right on the Nile.  It is huge compared to the last one.  We went out to buy some water and supplies for tomorrow and the police guard did not want us to go out without an escort.  After much discussion with the desk clerk (which we couldn't understand) they eventually let us outside alone on the understanding that we would be straight back and not go anywhere but the supermarket.

Well time for bed.  We didn't get much sleep last night as the traffic kept us awake until all hours.