Egypt

The Temple of Hatshepsut is the mortuary temple for Pharoah Hatshepsut, one of the rulers of the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt and one of the most successful female pharoahs in history. The Temple of Hatshepsut is located at Deir el-Bahri, near the Valley of the Kings, across the Nile…

The Ramesseum is the mortuary temple for one of the greatest rulers the world has ever known: Pharoah Ramesses II. Also known as Ramesses the Great, Ramesses II was a 19th Dynasty pharaoh who ruled for 67 years during the 13th century B.C. The Ramesseum is part of the ancient…

Everywhere we went in Egypt, we saw hieroglyphics. I never got tired of looking at them. The richest area for seeing hieroglyphic carvings was in the necropolis of ancient Thebes, most notably the Luxor and Karnak Temple complexes, Ramesseum and at Medinet Habu. We also saw some hieroglyphic carvings in…

While we were in Luxor, we spent an afternoon visiting the Valley of the Kings, site of the tombs of the New Kingdom pharoahs from the 16th to 11th centuries BC, including the most famous one of all, that of Tutankhamun. The valley itself is quite stark and barren, with…

The Karnak Temple complex is part of the necropolis of ancient Thebes, across the Nile River from what is now Luxor, Egypt. Built over a period of 1300 years, Karnak is actually a group of ancient temples and buildings, the assemblage of which is the largest example of a single-location…

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun was built in 879 by Ahmad ibn Tulun who, though born the son of a Turkish slave, rose to become the independent governor of Egypt and whose family continued to rule until 905. The mosque bears design elements of his childhood home of Samarra. Unusual…

The classic sonnet "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley has within it two stark ironies. Can you discern them both? I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shatter'd visage…

The Great Hypostyle Hall of Columns, in the Temple of Amun at the Karnak Temple Complex in ancient Thebes (modern-day Luxor), is one of the most spectacular settings in all of Egypt. Covering an area large enough to contain all of Notre Dame Cathedral, hundreds of enormous columns tower above…

The Citadel, also referred to as the Saladin Citadel or Mohamed Ali Citadel, is one of the principal attractions of Cairo, Egypt. Originally built by Saladin in the late 1100's for protection against invading Crusaders, the Citadel is located on a spur of limestone that is now detached from its…