Foto Friday – Egypt

Posted on June 16, 2017 by yalla2013

the Hanging Church, Old Cairo

Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo

Ben Ezra Synagogue, Cairo

tomb corridor, Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt

NAME THAT COUNTRY

Posted on May 17, 2017 by yalla2013

Beautiful boxes inlaid with mother of pearl are a popular souvenir from our mystery country, and just one of countless items to be browsed in the streets of Khan el Khalili Bazaar. We recommend visiting with a guide and exploring beyond the touristy areas (where many products are made in China). A guide will help navigate the maze of small streets for a more authentic experience in this historical market and make sure you get what you pay for.

Can you name that country?
See below for answers.

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the Bent Pyramid, Dahshur, Egypt

Posted on April 24, 2017 by yalla2013

the Bent Pyramid, Dahshur, Egypt

About 25 miles south of Cairo, Dahshur is a necropolis of ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom and site of some of the very first pyramids in Egypt. The so-called Bent Pyramid was the first try at a smooth-sided pyramid in the evolution from the Step Pyramid to the true pyramid form that we are familiar with. For reasons not entirely clear, construction of the Bent Pyramid began at a 52-degree angle of inclination but changed partway up to a more gradual 43-degree incline. Structural and foundation issues were most likely the reason for that. Whatever the reason, the Bent Pyramid preserves evidence of the development of architecture and engineering in ancient Egypt.

Despite the angle miscalculation, builders of the Bent Pyramid successfully encased the monument in polished limestone, a major step forward in pyramid construction and a standard element in later pyramids. More than four thousand years later, it is the only pyramid in Egypt with most of its outer limestone casing intact.

The Bent Pyramid was built for the pharaoh Sneferu, but it is doubtful he was buried there. He was reportedly not pleased with the imperfection and ordered another pyramid nearby. Now known as the Red Pyramid, it is the first known true pyramid.
Between the two pyramids, it’s more likely he was buried in the latter, but there’s no conclusive evidence either way. The chambers of both pyramids are empty, surely looted by grave robbers thousands of years ago. Sneferu was the first pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty and father of Khufu, for whom the Great Pyramid at Giza was built.

Foto Friday – Egypt

Posted on April 21, 2017 by yalla2013

worker at Abu Simbel, Egypt

Nefertari Temple at Abu Simbel, Egypt

Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo, Egypt

the Nile River at Cairo

donkey cart in the Nile Valley, Egypt

See the Pyramids Along the Nile, sort of

Posted on March 27, 2017 by yalla2013

the Giza Pyramids, Egypt

They’re not exactly along the Nile; not to be nitpicky, but if you’re looking for them, you should know. The Giza pyramids, by far the most famous of some 120 pyramids discovered to date in Egypt, are about 5 miles from the Nile and about 15 miles from the center of Cairo. The pyramids are part of the Giza Necropolis, the burial grounds of 3 4th Dynasty pharaohs, among others.

CLICK TO SEE TOURS TO THE GIZA PYRAMIDS

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NAME THAT COUNTRY

Posted on March 8, 2017 by yalla2013

This is the Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak Temple. It consists of 134 columns in an area of over 50,000 square feet. Most of the columns are 50 feet tall, but two rows of 6 columns flanking the central aisle are 80 feet tall and 30 feet in circumference. (!)
The hall was built around the 13th century BCE, an addition to the existing temple. Originally, a roof covered the hall, but it is long since open to the sky. (In architectural terms, a hypostyle indicates a space covered by a roof supported by columns.)

Can you name that country?
See below for answers.

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Mummification Museum, Luxor, Egypt

Posted on February 13, 2017 by yalla2013

a cat mummy at Luxor’s Mummification Museum

For those interested in mummies and/or ancient Egyptian religion, the Mummification Museum in Luxor is well worth a visit. Most of the mummies on display are animals (currently there is just one human mummy), which gives insight into the reverence ancient Egyptians held for animals. The museum is dedicated to the process of mummification and the belief system behind it. Exhibits are well organized and include beautiful examples of mummification tools, sarcophagi and canopic jars, which held organs removed from the embalmed body. Thirty to forty minutes is plenty of time to see everything and leave with a good understanding of ancient Egyptian mummification. The museum is right on the Nile Corniche in the center of Luxor, just north of the Luxor Temple.

Ancient Egypt’s First Family

Posted on January 23, 2017 by yalla2013

Isis and Osiris were a happy couple. They had everything going for them. (I’ll tell you now, because you’ll find out sooner or later, they were brother and sister.
I know, that’s creepy, but in the primordial world of gods and goddesses, it was perfectly normal for brothers and sisters to marry.) Isis and Osiris were the children of the sky god Geb and the earth goddess Nut; and Set and Nepthys were their brother and sister, who also grew up to marry each other.

Osiris was the oldest sibling and the golden child. He was bright and steady and destined for greatness. Set, on the other hand, was turbulent and brooding, one could never tell what was going on behind his shifty eyes. He always knew that his inscrutable presence was unsettling to those around him and he grew into a bitter and vengeful god. Nepthys was the only one who even tried to love him. A classic villain, Set was fated to cast the shadow that made Osiris shine all the brighter.

The brothers grew into their assigned roles, Osiris becoming the god-king of Egypt, Set, his skulking nemesis. Driven by defiance and a lifetime of jealousy, Set mounted a coup. He killed Osiris, cut him into pieces, scattered his body across Egypt and took the throne.

Fearing for her husband’s soul, Isis combed the deserts and waded through marshes, reassembling Osiris’ body piece by piece, so that he could pass on to the afterlife. Before letting him go, Isis used her magic to conceive a child with Osiris.

Osiris became lord of the afterlife and Isis gave birth to their son, Horus. As the son of Osiris, Horus was his natural avenger and the rightful heir to the throne. From his first breath, his life was in danger. Isis kept him hidden in a papyrus thicket, and, thanks to her devotion and special magic, he survived.

When Horus was old enough, he set out to take the throne from his evil uncle. They engaged in physical battles and also pled their cases before a panel of gods. In the end, the other gods favored Horus because his claim was righteous and he became the eternal ruler of Egypt.

This story reflects the belief that Egyptian pharaohs were living gods, the incarnation of Horus. After death, pharaohs lived on as Osiris in the afterlife. With Isis as the magical force connecting the two gods, they formed a trinity that was at the heart of ancient Egyptian religion.

Horus is most often portrayed as a falcon, or a falcon-headed man. Osiris is portrayed wearing the crown of unified Egypt, wrapped like a mummy and holding a crook and flail. Isis, the great mother, is variously portrayed with a throne on her head, nursing the infant Horus, crowned with cow horns and the sun disk, and sometimes with the head of a cow.