Cairo - the Triumphant City - is the glorious capital of Egypt, the cradle of civilization and the beacon of religion. It is the largest city in Africa, with more than 16 million inhabitants. Although it is a huge and chaotic metropolis, it is also a fascinating city.

 

The great pyramids of Giza were built during the 4th dynasty of Egypt. The pyramids of Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren - Cheops son), and Menkure (Mycerinus - Cheops grandson), were constructed over 4,500 years ago and represent the power and wealth of the pharaoh in the Old Kingdom. Each had a mortuary temple and causeway.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) is one of the largest structures built by man and is the last survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is estimated that 2.3 million blocks, averaging 2.5 tons a piece, were used in building the pyramid. Weight of the block ranged from 2 to 15 tons. The pyramid sits on 13.5 acres of land and has a height of 450 feet. It was 480 feet high. Over the years, it lost 30 feet off its top. The length of its sides are 756 feet. It is estimated to have taken 100,000 men over 25 years to build it.

The second largest pyramid is that of King Khephren, son of Khufu. This originally stood 473 feet high. It appears to be taller than Khufu's pyramid, because it is built on higher ground. The pyramids base is about 706 feet long. The cap of the pyramid still retains some of the original limestone casings.
 
The mystery and majesty of these magnificent structures is well known throughout the world, however pictures and words do not do justice to these massive architectural triumphs of ancient Egypt.


Memphis was the first capital of unified Egypt, founded in 3100 BC by King Narmer. Most of the monuments were robbed of their stone to build the Pyramids of Giza. Memphis was also the principal place of the cult of the god Ptah, who is accepted as a creator-god in the region.

The Alabaster Sphinx is 26 feet long, 13 feet tall, weighs around 90 tons and was sculpted from a single piece of alabaster. This monument may have stood outside of the Temple of Ptah along with the Colossus of Ramses II.

Colossal limestone statue of Ramses II
(1290 - 1224 BC) stretches more than 40 feet

Saqqara developed as the royal necropolis for the old kingdom capital of Memphis. As memphis grew, so did this city of the dead until it covered an area of four miles. Saqqara is best known for being the site of the first stone pyramid constructed in Egypt, the Step Pyramid of Djoser.

The Step Pyramid was built in the 3rd Dynasty (2649-2575 BC) for the Pharaoh Djoser by his architect, the high priest Imhotep. The great innovator Imhotep chose to use stone rather than mudbrick, and to build not just one mastaba but six, one on top of the other, with each additional layer smaller than the one beneath it. This marked a major achievement and provided a template for subsequent Egyptian art and architecture.
The base of the pyramid measures 459 feet x 386 feet wide and was originally 197 feet tall.

Ramses II had his artisans carve the temples out of a rock cliff to display his might as the Egyptian god king and to strike dread into the Nubians. The original temples stood at the bottom of the cliff. In the 1960's, Lake Nasser threathened to engulf the temples. UNESCO moved them to higher ground block by block - an amazing feat that took four years to complete .

Although Ramses II dedicated the temple to the patron deities of Egypt's great cities - Amun-Ra of Thebes, Ptah of Memphis and Ra-Horakhte of Heliopolis - he built the temple to glorify himself (as a god).

Around the legs of the statues stand smaller figures of Ramses II's wives and offspring.

Above the entrance to the temble is a carved figure of Ra-Harakhte.


Temple of Ramses II

Ramses the Great ruled for more than 60 years (1279 to 1213 BC), fathered at least 90 children, and is credited with bringing his empire prosperity and peace.

Ramses II Temple stands 65 feet tall.



The first hall is 54 feet wide and 58 feet deep and has two rows of Osiris statues of Ramses each 30 feet high. Those on the left wear the White Crown of Upper Egypt, while those on the right wear the Double Crown of Lower Egypt. Their arms are crossed over their breasts and hold the scepter and the flail.




The four deities to whom the temple is dedicated: Amon Ra (the sun god), Ptah (god of the underworld and darkness), Ramses II, and Ra-Horakhte (god of the rising sun).

The temple was originally contructed so that twice each year (Feb 22 & Oct 22) the first rays of the rising sun would pierce tha dark interior of the temple and strike the 4 dieties, bathing them in light.

Nile gods uniting Egypt


Scenes of offering and adoration

The Temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel was built by Ramses II (1279-1213 BC) to honor both Hathor as the goddess of love/music and his wife Nefertari as the deified queen. The facade, resembling a pylon, has six standing colossal statues over 33 feet high.

On each side of the entrance are two statues of Ramses and one of Nefertari dressed as Hathor, with the horns of the sacred cow, the solar disk and two plumes. The colossal statues are surrounded by smaller statues of their children.

Temple of Nefertari


This temple is much simpler than the one of Ramses II. There is only a hypostyle hall and a sanctuary. The walls of the hall are decorated with reliefs of Ramses II, of his wife Nefertari and of the Egyptian gods.


Battles of Ramses II in presence of his most loved wife, the Queen Nefertari

Ramses in front of Ra-Harakhty

The original sacred island of Philae is now beneath Lake Nasser. Between 1972 and 1980 the temples on this island were dismantled and rebuilt on the higher nearby island of Agilka, which has been renamed Philae.


The Temple was dedicated to the goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. These three characters dominate ancient Egyptian culture and their story possesses all the drama of a Shakespearian tragedy. The god Osiris is murdered and dismembered by his brother Seth. Isis searches for the fragments, collects them together and with her magic powers brings Osiris back to life. They then conceive the god Horus. Osiris becomes god of the under world and judge of the dead - who must answer to him for their deeds on Earth. Meanwhile Isis gives birth to Horus and protects the young god. Later when Horus is grown he avenges his father by defeating Seth in combat.

Isis is a very important figure in the ancient world. Not only is she is associated with funeral rites, but also as the enchantress who resurrected Osiris and gave birth to Horus. She is the giver of life, a healer and protector of kings. She was known as 'Mother of God' and was represented with a throne on her head.

Thebes, the ancient Egyptian name, is comprised of Luxor and Karnak on the east bank of the Nile, and the Valley of the Kings and the mortuary temples which are located on the west bank. Thebes was the capital of Egypt during its most glorious and powerful years (1550-1069 BC).
All that remains of Luxor's glorious past are the temples that Amenhotep III and Ramses II built and dedicated to Amon-Ra, king of the gods. The Temple to Luxor is joined to the Temple of Karnak by a long avenue of sphinxes with ram's heads which the 20th dynasty substituted for the human head.

Temple of Luxor

Two 80 foot obelisks once accompanied the Collossi but today only one remains the other stands in the Place De La Concorde in Paris.

The Great Court of Rameses II is 188 feet long and 168 feet wide. Seventy four papyrus columns, with bud capitals surround it and in the Northwest corner of the court there is a shrine to Thutmose III, while in the southern part of the court there are a number of standing colossi of Ramses II.
The Temples of Karnak were dedicated to the god Amon-Ra, and is believed to be the oldest of the four temples at Thebes. The scale of Karnak surpasses every other temple complex in the entire ancient world covering an area of 100 hectares.

Located three kilometers from the Temple of Luxor, the temples of Luxor and Karnak are joined by an avenue of sphinxes.
Many of the main roads which lead to the temples of Thebes used to be continuously lined with sphinxes. Those which flank the entrance of the First Pylon of Karnak combine the body of a lion with the head of a ram. The ram was a symbol of the god Amun. Each sphinx protects, between its forelegs, a standing statue of the king, originally Ramesses II.


Amun-Ra temple

Pinudjem, High Priest
Of Amon At Thebes & Pharaoh
of 21st Dynasty

In the midst of the desert you will find one of the most famous sites of ancient Egypt. It is the burial grounds of the great pharaohs of Thebes. It consists of hundreds of tombs where walls and ceilings are carved and painted with beautiful inscriptions, and colorful scenes depicting Ancient Egyptian religious life.
In Thebes Amenhotep III (18th Dynasty) built a mortuary temple that was guarded by two gigantic statues at the outer gates. All that remains now are the 19.5m statues of Amenhotep. Though damaged by nature and tourists throughout the ages, the statues are still impressive. The statues, of Amenhotep's mother Mutemuia and Queen Tiy, were shattered by an earthquake. The fallen remains produced a musical sound under certain weather conditions. The Egyptians thought that this music came directly from the gods. To be granted a song meant that you were very much in the favor of the gods. Visitors came from miles around to hear the music, including Emperor Hadrian, in 130 A.D. The music stopped in 199 AD when the statue was repaired.






Valley of the Kings

The Tomb of Ramesses VI is one of the most interesting tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Its decorations provide the story of the origins of the heavens, earth, the creation of the sun, light and life itself.

In this tomb, astronomical ceilings are found in each passage. The walls of the first through third corridors are painted with images from the Book of Gates and the Book of Caverns, a theme which is continued on into the vestibule. In the fourth and fifth corridors there are also passages from the Book of Amduat, and in the vestibule passages from the Book of the Dead. The walls of the burial chamber, are painted with illustrations from the Book of the Earth, while the astronomical ceiling have decorations from the Book of the Day and the Book of the Night.

The Tomb of Tausert (Tawosret) and Setnakht (Sethnakhte) is one of the most unusual tombs in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb was originally built by Tausert, a queen and wife of Sethos II who would later rule Egypt as Pharaoh.

In the final scene from the Book of Caverns (one of the Books of the Dead) the sun god Ra is a ram-headed falcon. Note the base of the pyramid above his wings. Some have speculated this symbolizes his daily passage from the underworld to the sky, bursting forth from the primal mound.



Tausert Burial Chamber
Maat and Horakhty-Ra
Tomb of Amenhotep II. One of the tomb's innovations is in the decoration of the pillars, the faces of which show the king being offered the sign of life from Osiris, Anubis and Hathor, which became a feature in the decoration of subsequent tombs. For the first time these are fully-drawn rather than stick-figures.


 

 


Photos taken by Carol Shahini