Exploring Ancient Egypt

In May of 2022, my family and I took a trip to Egypt. This was my first trip to the continent of Africa. This was also our first time taking a trip where a company booked and planned our whole trip for us. We booked our trip through the company “Friendly Planet”. There were about 12 people in our tour group with us. This number fluctuated a bit throughout the trip as some people joined us a day late, and some left early.

Here is our itinerary for the entire trip: 

Day 1: Arrive in Cairo, panoramic tour of the city in the evening

Day 2: (Cairo/Giza) – The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, El-Din Citadel, Khan El Khalili Bazaar, & Bab Al Futah Gate

Day 3: (Cairo/Giza) – The Great Pyramids of Giza & The Sphinx, Papyrus Institute, Old Cairo, 45 minute flight to Luxor & boarding the Nile cruise

Day 4: (Luxor) – Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple

Day 5: (Luxor) – Valley of the Kings, Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple/Hatshepsut’s Temple, & Colossi of Memnon

Day 6: (Esna, Edfu, & Kom Ombo) – The Temple of Horus & The Temple of Kom Ombo

Day 7: (Aswan) – Aswan Dam, Philae Temple, Unfinished Obelisk, & felucca boat ride

Day 8: (Aswan & Abu Simbel) – flight to Abu Simbel, Abu Simbel Temple , flight back to Aswan, Old Cataract Hotel high tea, & flight to Cairo

Day 9: (Cairo, Memphis, & Saqqara) – Memphis, Step Pyramid of Djoser, & carpet store

Day 10: Leave Cairo, fly home

We flew from Anchorage (Alaska), to Seattle (Washington), to JFK (New York), to Cairo (Egypt). We flew Alaska Airlines in the U.S., then Egypt Air internationally (this part was part of our tour package with Friendly Planet). The flights were 3.5 hours, then 5 hours, then 10 hours. We ended up having a 10 hour layover in New York, so we stayed at the Trans World Airlines (TWA) Hotel right next to the airport, in order to get a little sleep. It took us a total of 37 hours from the time we left our house to the time we landed in Cairo.

On our return trip home, we had a 14 hour layover in New York. This time we stayed at the JFK Airport Hilton hotel. It was farther away from the airport and took about 15 minutes to get to. In total it took us over 40 hours to get home.

For all of the trip we had at least one tour guide. Usually we would visit a place, he would give us a tour, and then we would be given free reign to wander and look at things that interested us.

Cairo / Giza

Let me just preface with this, the city of Cairo and the city of Giza are almost one and the same. Giza is on the west side of the nile and Cairo is on the east side. The hotel we stayed in was actually in Giza, the Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino.

While in Cairo/Giza, we saw Zamlek Island, the American and English Embassies, an old opera house that is now a parking garage, and the city of the dead (a sectioned off part of the city where people are buried). We learned that some of the buildings in Cairo are 200 years old.

Cairo/Giza is mainly filled with tall concrete building made of bricks, but unlike Kathmandu in that the buildings & homes are neutral colors. It definitely looked like a third world city. There were buildings half collapsed or taken down and just left there. The government does have many on-going projects to make their country more hospitable and pleasant for tourists to visit. However many projects are half finished, so there are just piles of ruble everywhere.

One place we ate dinner was in Alazhar Park at Studio Misr. We were able to try several local dishes, which was really fun and delicious.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The museum is a huge pink colored building that was built in 1901. The museum has around 120,000 different artifacts. It is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East and contains the largest collection of pharaonic antiquities in the world. We were in the museum for a few hours and still weren’t able to see everything. Some of the highlights from this museum included but were not limited to:

-Narmer’s (1st Pharaoh of Egypt) palette

-Dozens upon dozens of sarcophaguses and statues.

-An exhibit with Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus, deathmask, and other trinkets that were found in his tomb. (Only place in our trip where photography was not allowed.)

I had so much fun at the museum! I was a little saddened by the lack of security and safekeeping of some of these items though. Some items have a piece of plastic in front of them, but others like walls or stone slabs with hieroglyphics on them have nothing. Allowing everyone and anyone to just touch them, or even some tourists to lean on them 🙁

El-Din Citadel &  Khan El Khalili Bazaar

That afternoon, we visited the El-Din Citadel. Which consists of a mosque built inside of a Citadel. We were able to walk in and around the mosque, but we had to take our shoes off while inside.

Once we were done at the mosque we headed to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar. We had a lot of fun wandering around and seeing all the different things people were selling. We also walked down Al-Mu’izz street, which is a type of open air museum that has different monuments from different centuries. A few other mosques we saw on our walk were the Al Hussein Mosque and the Al Hakim Mosque.

Bab Al Futah

The Bab Al Futah Gate of northern Cairo was built in 1087 A.D. and is still standing today. Next to the gate a small tomb can be found. Our guide told us this story about the man who was buried there.

There once was a man who was good at breaking up fights/getting people to agree. His name translated into English meant “good manners”. One day when the man failed to help get two people to agree about something he decided to leave the city. But once he got to the gate, he died, so he was buried in a tomb by the gate. Now whenever someone is rude the people use the joke that “good manners” never left the city.

The Great Pyramids of Giza & The Sphinx

As you probably know, there are three Great Pyramids, the Pyramid of Khufu/Cheops-the largest, the Pyramid of Chephren/Khafre-the second largest, and the Pyramid of Menkaure/Mykerinus-the smallest. Just south of of the Pyramid of Menkaure there are 3 small pyramids, these were most likely used as tombs for Menkaure’s queens.

We were able to walk around the pyramids, but we also bought a special ticket that allowed us to walk inside of the largest pyramid, Khufu. If you think it was hot in the sun outside the pyramid, just wait until you get inside. It was super hot and stuffy. While there weren’t any drawings or hieroglyphics on the walls on the inside of the pyramid, it was still a neat experience. You had to crouch as you walked through the tunnel and climbed the ramps. The entire trip in and out of the pyramid probably took us just under 30 minutes.

The whole experience of seeing the pyramids was completely surreal! Next our guide took us to a spot where we could get a panoramic view of the Great Pyramids. Once we were done taking photos we drove over to see the Sphinx. We took lots of photos, then went to lunch at a restaurant called “Abou Shakra”. The restaurant has been around since 1947 and provides a spectacular view of the Sphinx and The Great Pyramids from the second story of the building.

Papyrus Institute

While at this papyrus institute , we purchased some beautifully decorated papyrus. The best place to buy papyrus is at a papyrus institute. If you buy it off the street, chances are good that it will be fake papyrus made of banana leaves. One way you can tell if it is real or not is to hold it up to the light. If the fibers go in one direction, it is fake, but if they go in separate directions, it is likely real. The papyrus institute we went to was “Mondy Papyrus Institute” near the Great Pyramids in Giza. The papyrus I bought ended coming out to around $28.

The papyrus is made by soaking the insides of the plant for 7 days. Then you press the fibers for 7 days and then roll them out to create a sheet.

Old Cairo

Later that afternoon we visited Old Cairo. While there we visited three different churches. The first was Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church a.k.a. “The Hanging Church”. The church dates back to the third century and is one of the oldest in Egypt. The next church we visited St. Sergius and St. Bacchus Church, also called Abu Serga and “The Cavern Church”, this was also a Coptic Orthodox Church. What was really neat about this one was that the cave beneath it is where The Holy Family took shelter on their flight into Egypt and spent time in this area for several months. We were able to go down under the church and see the cave. The last place of worship we saw was the Ben Ezra Synagogue , unfortunately we couldn’t go inside due to the fact that they were doing renovations.

Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple

Karnak Temple is one of the largest temple complexes in the world, (second only to Angkor Wat in Cambodia). This temple was under construction for around 2000 years, from the Middle Kingdom (c. 2034-1650 BC) to the Roman Age (30 BC-306 AD). Different rulers through the age would add on statues, obelisks, and chapels. This complex is about 247 acres in size. The temple was mainly built for the god Amun, but other gods worshipped there were Montu, a god of war; Mut, the wife of Amun; and Khonsu their son.

One of the neat things we got to see was the Avenue of Sphinxes that goes from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple. The excavation of this road which is 1.7 mi (2.7 km) long, was finished in 2011.

The Luxor temple was not dedicated to a specific god, but has chapels for several gods near the back. This temple was constructed during the years 1392 B.C.-1213 B.C., starting with Pharaoh Amenhotep III and ending with Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

Valley of the Kings

This was by far one of my favorite places that we got to see on this trip. We were given two tickets by our guide. One let you into the Tomb of King Tutankamun and the other let you into 3 of any of the tombs open to the public. There were about 17 different tombs on that list.

We ended up going into Rameses IX (KV6), Rameses III (KV11), and Rameses I (KV16). While some of the tombs had more visible hieroglyphics than others, all of the tombs were really neat. Surprisingly it was actually quite hot and humid inside the tombs. Standing outside in the 110 degree weather was a relief after walking through the tombs.

Inside Tutankamun’s tomb, his mummy is kept in a sealed box. Seeing that was really amazing.

The landscape of the Valley of the Kings was very different looking. We had been driving through oasis type landscape, but when we drove up into the valley it became a very dry, tan, colored set of hills.

Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple/Hatshepsut’s Temple & Colossi of Memnon

Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple was built around the 15th century B.C. We had a lot of fun exploring the temple and seeing the different shrines throughout it. It was really incredible to be able to walk up the huge sloping staircase towards the imposing temple, though it was a bit windy.

At Hatshepsut’s Temple there is a small Myrrh tree stump with a gate around it. The story is that the tree was brought back from one of the many expeditions she sent out. The tree is even pictured on the walls of the temple inside. While there isn’t much proof to back up this story, if it is true, the Myrrh tree stump would be around 3,500 years old!

On the way back from Hatshepsut’s Temple, we stopped to see the Colossi of Memnon. The Colossi of Memnon, two huge stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, are most of what remains of the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III.

The Temple of Horus & The Temple of Kom Ombo

The Temple of Horus was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom. It was built/worked on from 237 B.C.-57 B.C. The temple was almost completely buried under sand when excavation began in the 1800s. The temple has a huge front wall with gigantic hieroglyphics inscribed upon it.

Like The Temple of Horus, The Temple of Kom Ombo was built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The building time of the temple was stretched from 180 B.C.-47 B.C. This temple is a bit odd due to the symmetry along its main axis. One portion dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, the other to Hathor the goddess of fertility, and the northern part to the falcon god Horus.

At The Temple of Kom Ombo, there is a whole museum dedicated to mummified crocodiles. Visiting this temple was a different experience than the previous ones we had visited, as we toured this one at sunset. The temple was all lit up once the sun set. We even saw a couple bats while looking down the well.

Aswan Dam

The Aswan Dam was built in order to control the flooding of the Nile. The lake behind it, Lake Nasser is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. We were lucky enough to be able to drive up on top of the dam and look around. The lake really is enormous. This is a newer dam that was built to replace the much older one.

Philae Temple & The Unfinished Obelisk

In order to get to Philae Temple one must take a boat, for it is on an island. The temple is composed of many small temples. It was originally built on a different island, but rising waters from the building of the Aswan Dam slowly started to submerge the temple. People decided that it was worth preserving, so the temples were cut apart, moved to a different island, and bolted back together. The previous island it was on is now completely submerged. One of the interesting things about this temple is that after it was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, greek inscriptions were carved over some of the hieroglyphics, a sort of ancient graffiti.

In a different part of the city, we took a short walk up to the Unfinished Obelisk. Three sides of the obelisk had been carved out of the surrounding granite, however when the workers tried to continue the work, the obelisk cracked. The Unfinished Obelisk is 137.0 ft (41.75 m) long, probably would weigh about 1,090 tonnes if it had been finished. If this obelisk had been erected, it would have been the tallest in Ancient Egypt.

Felucca boat ride

A felucca is a type of traditional Egyptian sailboat. We had the chance to be able to take a short ride on one in the Nile river. It was a pleasant sailboat ride on the Nile for about an hour. On our trip two young boys came up to our boat on a paddle board singing for money. It was interesting to see a new form of hitting up tourists for money.

Abu Simbel

We woke up very early one morning in order to catch a flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel. Once in Abu Simbel, we took transportation to Abu Simbel Temple. This Temple was built in the 13th century B.C. under the command of Pharaoh Ramesses II. I found it interesting that in the late 60s in order to flood the area for the new dam, the temple complex had to be moved. The temple which was originally built into the side of a cliff had to be moved almost 200 feet up and a fake cliff/hill was created for it. The most eye catching part of the temple complex are the huge seated figures of Ramesses II on the front.

After that, we flew back to Aswan and made it back in time to have lunch on our boat on the Nile.

Old Cataract Hotel high tea

The Old Cataract Hotel now known as Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan Hotel was opened in 1899. We sat outside in the very hot sun (110F) and were served hot tea and different sweets and sandwiches. While we didn’t stay at the hotel, we were able to do a bit of exploring around it. The hotel is mainly famous for being the place that Agatha Christie stayed one winter while writing her murder mystery book “Death on the Nile”. In my opinion the theme of the hotel is haunted mansion meets the Middle East. I loved it!

Memphis

Memphis was a small outdoor museum of archaeological finds from the surrounding area. This was the ancient capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom. For such an important ancient city, there is very little to see. Much more excavation work still needs to be done in this area.

Djoser Step Pyramid & carpet store

The two things that Saqqara is famous for is its hand-tied carpets and Djoser’s Step Pyramid.

The Step Pyramid is believed to be the oldest pyramid in the world. It is called a step pyramid due to its six ginormous “steps”. It was built in 2630 B.C. under the command of Pharaoh Djoser as a place of burial for him The construction of The Great Pyramid in Giza didn’t start for about another 70 years, approximately.

Saqqara is the only place in Egypt known for its carpets. Each carpet is hand-tied, and takes months to make just one. We were able to visit a carpet “school” where we watched adults and kids making carpets. Their hands moved so fast it was almost impossible to see what they were doing. The craftsmen slowed down so we could see how they tied the thread on and cut the ends, pretty amazing.

Nile cruise

I really enjoyed cruising on the Nile. While it was pretty hot during the day, it was nice and cool in the evening and it was fun to sit on the top of the boat and watch the scenery go by. We did not move every night and some days we cruised for part of the daytime. When we were sailing during the day we sometimes went swimming on the top deck, or had afternoon tea that the ship provided.

In the evening there was generally some type of entertainment. One night it was a belly dancer & a whirling dervish, another was a Nubian dance, and yet another was a “Galabia party” which just ended up being a dance party with insanely loud music (our room was above the lounge).

Several times while we were sailing on the Nile, a couple of men would tie their rowboat to our ship. They would throw items up on the top deck to see if anyone would like to purchase the items. You would have to negotiate a price from the top of the boat with the men. Then you would throw down the unwanted items with the cash in one of the bags. My dad ended up buying a tablecloth and napkins this way and when he threw down the money in one of the bags with the extra tablecloth the man caught the tablecloth in the bag but somehow not the bag with the money. The fumbled bag ended up in the Nile and the men immediately untied their boat and went after it. We appreciated their work ethic and tenacity.

Overall, I really enjoyed this trip and had a lot of fun!