Valley of the Queens in Egypt

Valley of the Queens in Egypt

Valley of the Queens in Egypt

Valley of the Queens
Nefertari	There are between 75 and 80 tombs in the Valley of the Queens, or Biban al-Harim.  These belong to Queens of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties.  These include The Tomb of Khaemwese (Tomb 44): Scenes in Khaemwese's tomb show him being presented to the guardians of the gates to the afterlife along with his father.  He is making an offering in the scene, and is dressed in a robe, wearing a necklace and the sidelocks of youth. The Tomb of Queent Titi (Tomb 52): She is probably the queen of a 20th Dynasty.  She is depicted with the sidelocks common to the Egyptian young of the period and in the presence
of the gods Thoth, Atum, Isis and Nephthys.  In the next chamber the queen is shown making offerings to Hator the cow, and in the last chamber the gods Neith, Osiris, Selquit, Nephthys and Thoth. The Tomb of Amenhikhopeshef (Tomb 55): Amenhikhopeshef was a son of Ramses III and scenses show him with his father and the gods Thoth, Ptah and others. He was probably about nine years old when he died.  Scenes show him being presented to various gods, including Anubis, the Jackal-headed god of the dead, by his father, Ramses III. A premature baby was also found in to tomb. This belonged to this mother, who aborted upon learning of Amenhikhopeshef's death.  The Tomb of Nefertari (Tomb 66): One of five wives of Ramses II, Nefertari was his favorite and the tomb here has been is said to be one of the most beautiful in Egypt.  The tomb is completely painted with scenes though out.  In most of these, Nefertari, known as 'the most beautiful of them', is accompanied by gods.  She is usually wearing a golden crown with two feathers extended from the back of a vulture and clothed in a white, gossamer  gown. Be sure not to miss the side room where one scene depicts the queen worshipping the mummified body of Osiris.  Near the stairs to the burial chamber is another wonderful scene with Nefertarti offering milk to the goddess Hathor.

Best places to visit in Egypt

Best places to visit in Egypt

Best places to visit in Egypt

When you visit Egypt, there are so many sites that you will want to visit, the length of your trip will never seem long enough! We often meet people during our tours , that have been to Egypt more than 15 times, and they keep returning to see something new! They ask about this newly discovered site, or some new tomb that has been recently uncovered, or even places that they have heard other people talk about! Here in Egypt, you will always find new sites to visit and enjoy.

The adventure that is Egypt never ends! That is why it is a shame if you come to Egypt, especially for the first time, and miss the grandiose sites, such as the Pyramids of Giza, Abu Simbel or the west bank of Luxor, to name but a few. There are so many travellers who fly direct to Upper Egypt to see Luxor and Aswan, hoping that they will be stumble across the Pyramids as well, and then they realize that they have to travel 720Km to Cairo, where the Pyramids actually are, and end up paying $400 extra to travel and see one site, which is most probably about half of what they paid for their entire trip!

So my advice for you, dear traveller, is to plan well for your trip before you come. Advance planning is the best way to save time, money and effort, and of course to ensure that you get to see the sites that you have been dreaming about for some time.

Try, as much as possible, to visit as many of the places that your trip will allow! There is nothing worse than going home and wishing you had visited somewhere you didn't! We both know that you don't get the opportunity to visit Egypt everyday!

Areas To be Avoided:

AREAS RARELY SEEN AND SAFETY

When travelling through Egypt, you should avoid certain areas, particularly sites located in the centre of the Nile Valley! About 20 years ago there was rising tensions at these sites, Islamic fundamentalists had targeted tourists in order to destroy the tourist industry and the economy. This was part of a larger plan to bring down the government, seize power themselves, and install the political ideas of their own vision, a vision which no more resembles the rules of the Qur’an than the Inquisition resembled the Christianity of Christ.

Some certain incidents occurred during the '80s and the ‘90s; a handful of events took place again targeting the tourist industry. Without for a moment trying to deny the reality of these events, the situation has been blown out of all proportion by the world's press, while the situation in other countries with flourishing tourist industries is far worse, their incidents rarely make headlines. But in Egypt, if anything happens, it becomes front-page news! In the mid
'90s, a widespread, and harsh, government crackdown campaign was implemented to try to stop any threats to tourism and visitors.

This can also be witnessed by the events of late January/early February 2011. Following Tunisia’s lead, the youth of Egypt started to protest, peacefully, for a radical change in the country. They were simply fed up with the corruption of the government; the permanent implementation of the emergency laws; the evil manners in which the police could arrest people (often leading to disappearances and/or deaths); and the high unemployment rate, especially amongst university graduates. These peaceful protests were invaded by paid thugs of the government, trying to suppress the protests whilst allowing the government to look good to the rest of the world, which the world’s press took great delight in covering. Once the protests achieved their aim, with President Mubarak resigning his position on 11/02/2011, life returned to “normal” in the country and the media stopped reporting ... unless an incident was to come alive when it was headline news all over again. Nothing good was ever reported to the people of the world and if too much time had passed since something newsworthy occurred, the media would simply show reruns of earlier events. Obviously this had a bad affect on Egypt’s tourism as potential visitors were scared away all the time, when in reality Egypt was safe to visit. Yet in Bahrain, where protests were dealt with a lot more severely, the talks about reinstating a Formula One Grand Prix were underway even when the country was not at peace!

A trip to Egypt still entails far less danger than a trip to anywhere else in the world. During the realm of the violence in the mid '90s, there were certain areas appointed as not good for tourists. These areas are located in the centre of the Nile Valley, particularly Minya, Asyut and Sohag. Unfortunately these places happen to have some of the most beautiful monuments in Egypt, like the beautiful tombs at Beni Hassan in Minya, the marvellous monasteries of Asyut and the Temple of Abydos in Sohag, not to forget Akhenaten’s ancient city of Akhetaten at El- Amarna, near Minya. In time, all of these sites will be fully re-opened for tourists.

If you still think that you would like to visit these places as an individual traveller, you can! However, be prepared for a police escort with you, as the local police will not let you travel alone in these areas! We suggest that the safest, cheapest and most informative way to visit these sites is through a reputable travel agent.

Listed below, you will find the names, and information, about many of the sites you really shouldn't miss.

Top 10 Places to Visit in Egypt

Top 10 Places to Visit in Egypt

Top 10 Places to Visit in Egypt

There's no other place in the world that holds more mystery than the country of Egypt. The smell of the mysticism of the ancient Egyptians still lingers over the place. This ancient atmosphere seems to fill its every nook and cranny with secrets yet untold.
1.) Pyramids of Giza

And perhaps there is nothing more mysterious, and more worthy of seeing in Egypt than the esteemed Great Pyramids of Giza. These are the pyramids of Khufu, Kafhre, and Menkaura. These perfectly shaped structures leaves everyone in awe and in wonder about how exactly they were made, considering that the ancient Egyptians had no advanced technology to work with.

2.) Sphinx

And of course, if you're going to go to the Great Pyramids, then you might as well go to the Sphinx. This is one of the most mysterious structures in Egypt. Even now, archaeologists are still arguing about its origin and its purpose, making it the subject of the famous phrase, "the Riddle of the Sphinx."

3.) Abu Simbel

These two temples were built by Pharaoh Ramesses II to commemorate himself and his wife, Nefertari. It's a breathtaking place, and its temples are hailed as one of the most beautiful in Egypt. What's even more interesting about the Abu Simbel is the amount of effort put into relocating and preserving it.

4.) Cairo

And of course, if you really want to immerse yourself in Egyptian culture, it would be best for you to go to the capital city, Cairo. The place is teeming with bazaars and restaurants where you can buy your taste of Egyptian culture. It's surely not a place to miss.

5.) Temples of Karnak

What better way to experience ancient Egypt than to visit the very place where they worshipped their gods. The Temples of Karnak is the biggest site for Egyptian worship. It has a monument to just about every god in the Theban religion.

6.) The Nile River

And of course, you can't miss out on the famous Nile River. It is, after all, what nourished Egypt and turned it into the place of wonder that it is. In fact, what's great about visiting the Nile is that you can take a Felucca and sail down the legendary river, taking in the sights of the city and the sunset.

7.) Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings or Biban El Moluk is the place where Egypt's most esteemed pharaohs were buried. This place is teeming with mummies and undiscovered treasures. In fact, this is the place where archaeologists found one of the most famous mummies of all time - Tutankhamun.

8.) Egyptian Museum

Of course, since it would be unwise to leave the Egyptian treasures in the tombs they were found in, the archeologists put them in the Egyptian museum where they would be put under high security. If you want to learn about Egypt, this is the best place to start. There's no other place with a higher concentration of Egyptian artifacts, and you can even follow the tour so that you can be oriented with the history of each of the artifacts.

9.) Siwa Oasis

Egypt isn't all about temples and pyramids, there's a place where you can just let loose and have fun - the Siwa Oasis. Here, you can take a swim in the cool waters to ward off the desert heat. It is rumored that Alexander stopped here during his great conquest.

10.) Necropolis of Sakkarah

And indeed, you can't miss something as intriguing as a 'Necropolis' or, if translated, a City of the Dead. Here, you will find the less popular pyramids of Egypt, the step pyramids. However, though they are less popular than the great pyramids, they're still suffused with great history and culture.