Newsletter July
2010
King Tut in New
York! Living near New York we recently visited
Tutankhamun and The Golden Age of The Pharaohs at
the Discovery Times Square Exposition, New York City.
226
West 44th Street (Between 7th & 8th Ave) April 23, 2010
- January 2, 2011. Its interesting but makes you
appreciate the quantity and range of sites in Egypt
itself – allow about 2 hours for the visit.
Up Up,
and Away!
OK
– so I am well known in my family for standing well away
from the edge of any building, monument due an
irrational fear of heights. So it was with some
trepidation that I agreed to take a Balloon Ride over
Luxors West Bank recently. The trip starts early
(really early!) so as to avoid the heat which balloons
apparently don’t like, with a short dawn boat ride
across the Nile.
A
few minutes later, after having watched a handful of
balloons gradually rise from the ground, and having had
a safety briefing from our impressive young Pilot, one
is gently rising above everything in the cool, calm
morning air approach 2500 feet.
The
view of the Nile, Luxor town, the mountains containing
the Valley of the Kings, the Temple Queen Hatshepsut and
then further west the commencement of The Sahara. Over
roads and houses, children going to school, locals on
donkeys you get a glimpse of Egyptian villages daily
life. All too soon we descend so gradually I barely
notice and after a few minutes at a few feet above the
ground we are gently reunited with the ground, and our
ground crew who have been making their way across a bit
of rocky land to greet us.
Remarkably I did not feel that awful fear of heights and
I would be first in the basket next time. (You can see
that I even opened my eyes and took some photographs
too!)
Egypt Magic offers a Balloon Ride option that can be
added to any stay in Luxor.
Avenue of the
Sphinxes in Luxor . On a visit to Luxor recently we
were able to witness the progress on the Avenue of the
Sphinxes in Luxor. We can report that when the work of
digging and restoration is complete it will be a
majestic and grand location.
The Avenue of
Sphinx connects the feted Temple of Luxor and the
world-famous Temples at Karnak. The Avenue is about 1.2
miles long and bordered by sphinxes on both sides. I
read that in ancient times the Avenue was even longer
with perhaps as many as 2000 shinxes, around 650 have
been unearthed recently. The Avenue of Sphinx was
erected at first by Amenhotep III . However in the 4th
century the sphinxes were re-constructed by King
Nectanebo I in the 4th century in order to replace the
desolated sphinxes of New Kingdom Era in Egyptian
history.
At present the sphinxes that line the avenue have the
body of a lion with the head of Nectanebo I who ruled
from 380-363 B.C.E. Nectanebo I replaced the former
ram-headed sphinxes with his own head.
Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the
Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said excavators
unearthed a collection of Roman buildings and workshops
of clay pots and statues as well as several reliefs. One
of the reliefs bears the cartouche of Queen Cleopatra
VII (51-30 BC). Dr. Hawass believes that this queen
likely visited this avenue during her Nile trip with
Mark Anthony and implemented restoration work that was
marked with her cartouche.
Be among the first
to see the Avenue! All Egypt Magic Itineraries include
a visit to Luxor Temple and Karnak.
Cairo Update
Things are happening
in Cairo! For sure, much of the city is hectic,
congested and to the newly arrived visitor, apparently
chaotic (making the friendly face of Amr, our airport
Tour Leader, who will likely meet you at Cairo Airport
very welcome). Yet things are developing in Cairo :
The Egyptian Museum,
those of you who have been will know that it is
absolutely overflowing with Pharonic antiquities, is
being moved from its central site of many years. A new
facility, the Grand Egyptian Museum is due to open in
2012 in Giza, appropriately enough in the area of the
Pyramids. We hope that the layout will mirror the
excellent, but much smaller, museums at Luxor and
Sakkara.
Terminal 3 – maybe you
have passed through the new Terminal 3 at the Airport?
It is one of the best in the region and in Africa;
equaling the new Cape Town Airport.
The Cairo Metro –
Cairo has Africa’s only established underground system.
Currently it has just 2 lines, a third is due to open,
but will not be fully operational until 2019. The Metro
is actually quite good, being efficient and clean, with
ladies only carriages and modeled in part on the Paris
Metro. It is also pretty confusing for visitors!
New hotels are being
built, including the newly opened 566 rooms at the
Fairmont Nile City hotel. We constantly monitor hotel
developments and for a central hotel we think the Cairo
Marriott is hard to beat. It has all the amenities
expected of a top notch hotel, excellent, modern rooms,
set on the island of Zamalek in pleasant grounds. It
was formerly a palace and its common areas remind one of
different more timeless era of old. It is worth a visit
even if you are not staying there!
For a Cairo Treat.
For that special occasion the Mena House Oberoi, set in
40 acres with jasmine scented gardens, in the shadows
of the Pyramids, is the place. The old part was
converted into a hotel in 1869 and has been
accommodating royals, world leaders and celebrities ever
since; the newer garden section is spacious and set a
short walk away.
View of the Pyramids
from Palace Section Room of the Mena House Oberoi!
Regards
Marcia
All
Photographs by Tim Roebuck 2010