Welcome to Cairo!
Khan Al Khalili...the major market that has been the hub of Cairo. Very aggressive.
From the roof of a mosque
The speakers all broadcast the call to prayer. In Jordan, these seemed to all come from the radio, but in Cairo, each mosque has their own caller and it was very cool to hear the different chanting coming from all over the city. Well, actually, it was only cool 4 out of the 5 times a day...the 4:10am call to prayer was pretty damn annoying.
Not one of the Giza Pyramids...this is the Red Pyramid, built before Giza, was the second pyramid built by Sneferu after his bungled "Bent Pyramid"...I don't have any pics of that one, but look here: http://www.guardians.net/egypt/cyberjourney/dahshur/bentpyramid/bent1.htm
This is what it looks like when you climb into the pyramid. Good for the thighs.
Giant statue of Ramses II at Memphis.
It would be amazing to see this raised up, but he's ankleless. Massive statue with beautiful detail.
Sphinx at Memphis
Step Pyramid of Djosir at Saqqara. This was the first pyramid ever built (the Bent was the first with a smooth design) in the 27th Century BC.
View of the Red Pyramid (R) and Bent Pyramid (L) from Saqqara.
Getting a little shade...glad he wore clean underwear.
THIS is the Great Pyramid at Giza. Built by Sneferu's (Bent and Red Pyrs) son, Khufu. The other two Giza pyramids were built by Khufu's sons.
I look vaguely human in this pic, so I included it...it was my second day, so I hadn't taken my turn for the worse yet.
You can't quite capture how massive and incredible the structures are...really quite breathtaking...and when you consider the work that went into them, it's no wonder no one can explain their brilliance.
Khafre's pyramid peeking around...note the original limestone casing remaining at the top. The pyramids would have been smooth...like the one on the back of the $1 bill.
This boat was found buried next to the Great Pyramid and reassembled. It's amazing that so much of the original wood survived.
THE Sphinx. People always say it's small...but it ain't. Next to a pyramid, yes, it's smaller, but it's not tiny by any stretch.
Mosque of Mohammed Ali, the founder of modern Egypt (not the boxer). The mosque is modeled after the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
Courtyard features a clocktower given to Egypt by France in exchange for the obelisk that sits in the Place De Concorde.
blurry pick, but shows how ornate the mosque was inside. Beautiful.
From the Citadel, you can see how enormous Cairo is. The layer of smog is infinitely worse than LA's...really filthy.
Mosque of Ibn Tulun
Mosque of Sultan Hassan...I tried to capture how incredible this was inside, but the pictures can do it justice. One of those instances where you have a spiritual reaction to being somewhere...like in cathedrals.
Luxor, Egypt. It was almost 130 degrees F and I walked along the Nile to reach the Karnak Temple complex. The complex is huge, having been started in the 11th Dynasty and added to by subsequent pharoahs. I spent over 2 hours wandering through here.
In later years, Christians migrated through Egypt and lived in many of the temples, often defacing the artwork. Here, we see a child's scraping in the walls.
One of the most incredible things is the amount of color that has stayed on the structures...it certainly would have been awe inspiring to see these temples in all their glory.
Due to the constant additions, one finds many different styles of architecture here, most often typified in the types of columns.
Scarab
These statues had been buried in the courtyard to preserve them from invaders.
Great job CHRISTIANS!
Luxor Temple is much smaller than the Karnak Complex, but still quite impressive.
Christian painting right over the hieroglyphics.
Whirling Dervishes
Hot Air Balloon rides are very popular in Luxor. This photo was taken the morning when I became horribly ill.
Colossi of Memnon: two 60 ft tall statues of Amenhotep III. The government are attempting to excavate some of the destroyed mortuary temple behind them.
Tombs of the Nobles.
The first noble tomb visited. The tombs were incredble...all completely looted, but still with gorgeous artwork. No pictures inside, so you'll have to go if you want to see what they look like :-)
The Ramesseum, a destroyed Ramses II temple. This Colosus of Ramses toppled over, but standing next to it, you can imagine how enormous it must have been.
This was the village where the workers lived while they worked on the tombs.
Hatshepsut Temple built into the limestone.
Howard Carter's house (taken from the car). This is down the road from the Valley of the Kings, where Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun...heard of him?
The aforementioned...I didn't go in cause it was a whole extra ticket and not supposed to be as impressive as the other tombs...the Tutankhamun story is fascinating though...how all 62 other tombs they have found were completely looted, but Carter (or rather an underaged worker in his employ) stumbled upon this untouched tomb. When one looks at how much treasure they found in here, a small tomb of a minor king, it's really quite daunting to imagine what the big tombs must have looked like before the robbers got to them.
Valley of the Kings...the tombs are cut into the rock throughout the Valley.
Medinat Habu is a beautifully preserved (comparatively speaking) temple that's often left off people's itineraries.
Note the deep carving on the hieroglyphs...since pharoahs were known for destroying work of the their predicessors, Ramses III had these carved extra deep.
The colors here were amazing.
Ramses III's toilet...
I head back to the hotel to collapse...this was probably my busiest day and the one during which I was the sickest...
Rooftops of Luxor
Luxor Temple at night from my hotel balcony.
The next day, we drove down the Nile to Aswan, stopping on the way to see this temple at Edfu...
The god Horus
Taken from the car...the coffee shop culture, it's not Starbucks, but watery Nescafe these fellows drink while playing backgammon and being misogynistic.
Taxi vans and trucks were always overloaded with people...and considering how AWFUL the driving is, I wouldn't want to be hanging out the back. Between the smog and the driving, I'd say anyone who hates LA should go to Egypt...LA looks like a paradise after that.
Temple at Kom Ombo
Egyptian calendar
Felluca on the Nile
Philae Temple, on an island in Aswan
The old Aswan Dam running across the water
Emaciated cats were everywhere...and yet I was a bit perplexed as to how this one got onto an island.
the Old Cataract Hotel...supposedly Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile here.
Sand dunes coming right up to the Nile
Aswan High Dam
Nubian houses...very cutely painted...
...with crocodiles in the living room.
Abu Simbel, Ramses II's temple was moved, block by block, when the High Dam was built to avoid it being submerged....this is a good thing because it's beautiful.
Nefertari's lil temple next door
Lake Nassar
Amman, Jordan...a sprawling city...
but without the smog layer of Cairo...
Two mating cockroaches I killed in my friends' kitchen.
Nick and Kate riding horses at Petra...a massive site full of amazing sandstone architecture. Sadly, the soft sandstone is eroding, so I recommend visiting before it melts away.
Tombs, houses, stores, etc, were all carved into the rock.
The Siq is the main roadway (a passage through the rock) leading to the main part of Petra. You may recognize the Siq and Treasury from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Treasury
Note how high the structures go...3+ levels all around a huge valley.
Greco-Roman amphitheatre...yes, they were here too
the layers of sandstone were amazing colors
This Roman temple is being excavated by Brown University
Byzantine mosaics...the animals are a bit on the fantastical side
The treasury in the midday light...truly remarkable
Then we were off to Aqaba on the Red Sea (right next to Eilat, Israel) We stayed at the Intercontinental which was worth every penny...had a really wonderful afternoon relaxing on the beach...this was the day my illness disappeared. Thank you salt water and sea air!
Private beach
Mmm, Homos on Meat, my favorite!
The day after we got back to Amman, Kate took me to the Movenpick Spa on the Dead Sea. Years ago, in Israel, I didn't get in, so I was glad I had the opportunity now. We floated, smeared Dead Sea mud on ourselves and lounged in the infiniti pools...it was lovely!
Jerash is an ancient Roman city in Jordan...the ruins are remarkably well preserved (though they could use some more interesting labeling) This is the Arch of Hadrian.
I didn't mean to take a pick of the woman, but it was fortuitous...I avoided shooting them out of respect, but now you get to see the juxtaposition of a fully covered Muslim woman among Roman ruins.
Goats racing around the Circus...
Amphitheatre
Market
Fountain
Entrance to the Temple of Artemis...Kate and Nick showing the size
baths
Back in Cairo for a day...the Nile. It's interesting...if you look at these photos quickly, it looks really nice, but closer inspection shows how filthy the buildings are and the trash floating in the Nile.
The famed Alexandria Library...largest in the world.
Pompey's Pillar...a remaining column from an old temple
Aswan streets...it was easier to take pictures here without offending people or having them try to get money off you
The Citadel at the end there was the site of the famed Alexandria Lighthouse...one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Sea is the Mediterranean.
You can see the library in the middle of the coastline...like a blue disc
This was a GREAT mosaic made from raw rocks around the edges and tiles in the middle...
On the drive back to Cairo, I got a last view of the pyramids in the distance...this pic captures a lot of Egypt. Agriculture, bulidings, antiquities...
