São Paulo – Getting to know Cairo is already worth the trip to North Africa, but Egypt has much more to offer. Go to Luxor, in High Egypt, seeking the monuments left by the great pharaohs of the New Kingdom. Next, five more attractions that make the country into one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Luxor Temple
The ancient Thebas was the capital of Pharaonic Egypt in its heyday. There reigned Hatshepsut, the woman pharaoh; Thuthmose III, her stepson and the greatest conqueror in Ancient Egypt; Amenhotep III, who ruled for a very long time and built the beautiful Luxor Temple and the Colossi of Memnon; Tutankhamun, the boy pharaoh; Ramses II the Great, who left his marks across all of Egypt; among others.
The Luxor Temple, dating back to the 14th century BC, was built on the Eastern bank of the Nile, where the centre of the city is now located, right in front of the boulevard that follows the course of the famous river. Dedicated to the so-called Theban Triad – the gods Amon, Mut and Khonshu -, the site is particularly beautiful when visited by dusk, when the lights that shine on columns and statues are turned on.
A few oddities: throughout the centuries, new adornments, halls and monuments were added to the temple by its successive monarchs. In the innermost area, for instance, look for the chapel with carvings depicting Alexander, the Great, dressed as a pharaoh. At the entrance, there are two large statues of Ramses II and an obelisk. Originally, two obelisks adorned the front of the complex, but one was donated to France in the 19th century and can now be seen at the Place de La Concorde, in Paris.
Karnak
The Luxor Temple is small when compared with the (almost) neighbouring Karnak, a complex erected over the course of several reigns and also dedicated to the Theban Triad. Karnak is more than a temple: it is a true complex of veneration to the power of the pharaohs and their gods.
A highlight is the Great Hypostyle Hall, a huge room decorated with a bona fide forest of massive columns sculpted after the shape of the papyrus plant. There are a total of 134, emulating the primordial swamp of Egyptian mythology. It is also possible to see a few of the colourful paintings at the top of the columns and beams. Originally, everything was painted.
Another attraction is the large sculpture of a beetle placed on a pedestal outside the temple, near the Sacred Lake. Locals claim that circling the statue brings good luck.
Also in Luxor, on the other side of the Nile, on the Western bank, are the funerary temples of the pharaohs and the Valley of Kings, where several monarchs were buried. Just like the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, the ancient Egyptians believed that the Eastern bank of the Nile was the kingdom of the living, and the Western bank, the kingdom of the dead.
Madinat Habu
A much better preserved sample of paintings from that time may be seen in Madinat Habu, where the funerary temple of Ramses III is located. At the back of the temple, notice that the columns have been severed at ground level. The site was once used by primitive Christians. Look for the small altar and the cross dug in the stone.
Deir Al-Bahri
One of the most impressive funerary complexes in the area is Deir Al-Bahri, the temple of Hatshepsut, the woman pharaoh. It is comprised of three terraces built to make it seem like they have been carved onto the mountain in the back. Even though it was erected 3,500 years ago, its style seems much more modern. The naked stone reflects the merciless Egyptian sun, leading it to be considered one of the hottest places on Earth. Tours of Luxor must be taken early in the morning or in the late afternoon.
Valley of Kings
On the other side of the mountain is the Valley of Kings. When Tebas became the capital of Egypt, the pharaohs were no longer buried in pyramids, but rather in tombs excavated in the stone and richly decorated. Those entering the valley, however, soon notice that the peak of the mount in the back is shaped like a pyramid. Hence, it is believed, the choice of the site.
There, many of the great pharaohs have been buried, but the mummies were later taken elsewhere by priests seeking to spare the royal remains from looting. The most famous exception is the tomb of Tutankhamun, which was found near-intact in the early 20th century. The tomb itself is quite simple, when compared to the others, but the mummy of the young king and the outermost part of his sarcophagus are there.
Many are the tombs and there is also the Valley of Queens, so choose wisely and visit those that bear the better looking and best preserved paintings. In some, they appear to have been done just the other day. Notice the big different between the reliefs of Saqqara, near Cairo, which depict day-to-day scenes and hieroglyphic texts. Here, the scenes of kings next to gods prevail.
Back in the world of the living, stop along the way to check out the two Colossuses of Memnon, huge statues of the pharaoh Amenhotep III which are all that is left of their funerary temple.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
