Another early morning but this time to be picked up for a hot air balloon ride over the valley of the Kings. What a great time! It is very cold in the morning in the desert but heats up during the day.
I have never seen a balloon being inflated and it was fascinating to watch. You are actually warmer in the balloon because of the flames to hear the air. I highly recommend this as an activity if you visit.
Floating over the monuments we toured the day before was pretty spectacular as was seeing the sun rise and looking at the vast area of Luxor.
We used hod-hod soliman at www.hodhodsolimanballoons.com. They pick you up, take you to the location then drop you off wherever you want (or back to your hotel). Very professional with an experienced crew.
Afterwards we went straight to Luxor temple. Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned. It is on the east bank of the Nile and different from the other temples and mortuaries.
The colonnade of Amenhotep III which served as the original entrance to the Temple of Amun. The walls around it were built by King Tutankemun.
The Karnak temple complex is also on the east bank of the Nile about 2k away. It means fortified village. 30 pharoahs contributed to the building over a long period of time which is evident when you travel through it from the front to the back as the styles change along the way.
One famous aspect of Karnak is the Hypostyle Hall in the Precinct of Amun-Re. It is 50,000 sq ft or 5,000 m2 with 134 massive columns in 16 rows. It is the largest collection of columns in the world. It was created by Seti I and his son Ramses II. The columns represent a papyrus flower.
The architraves on top of these columns are estimated to weigh 70 tons and may have needed levers to lift them. This would be an extremely time-consuming process. Some believe large ramps were constructed of sand, mud, brick or stone to bring them up the ramps.
Hatshepsut had twin obelisks erected at the entrance to the temple. One still stands, as the tallest surviving ancient obelisk. Obelisks were a symbol of the sun god Ra and we’re important in religious ceremonies. Usually two were at the entrance to a temple.
As you travel around the perimeter there is an open air museum of the various artifacts that were scattered throughout and are now catalogued by years and styles.
The sacred bark shrines of Seti II. They were dedicated to Theban deities.
This was a pretty tiring day and we went back to the resort for a very late lunch and relax by the Nile. We played ping pong and then set out that night to go to the Winter palace where Agatha Christy wrote her famous book Death on the Nile and others. It is beautiful.
Stories from a shop owner
We found a tea and perfume shop where we drank hibiscus tea and talked with the owner. Mostafa found a magnet of a statue with a large erect penis. We found this hysterical and then we were told the story.
Ahmed the owner talked about Amehkim or Min. Min the Egyptian god of fertlity, virility, rain, and the desert has a great story. The image of Min is one of a human male with one arm and one leg. In the ancient legend, Min was given the order of protecting a city in Egypt when the ruler and all the men had to leave on a military campaign. The women were left alone and in need of a protector. When the ruler returned he found that all the women in the city pregnant. The god Amun punished Min for this by cutting off one leg and one arm. However, all of his progeny were strong and useful and he was elevated to the level of a god. Henceforth Min was recognised as the one armed, one legged god with the large, erect penis.
Of course this is the one temple we did not go in. We were pretty tired at this point.
And I did but some tea and perfume which are oils and long lasting.
