Eyes heavy with sleep, I followed a group of people to a waiting bus where our guide outlined our plan for the day. We were driving directly to Karnak to avoid the hordes of tourists who were surely still drinking their first cup of morning coffee. I was quite unprepared for what I was about to see.
Who was Amun for whom the great temples of Karnak and Luxor were built? In the Ban region where the veneration of Amun thrives, the locals refer to him as “The Unknowable Lord” because he represented the hidden life force of the universe. Amun rose in stature to king of the gods when he was later associated with Re, the sun god, for which he was accorded the name Amun-Re.
When Amun-Re’s cult statue traveled in procession between Karnak and Luxor during the religious festivals, it passed through an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, two miles long, that connected both temples. The ram is an animal sacred to Amun.
Entering Luxor temple, it is immediately apparent that something is missing. Two colossal seated statues of Ramses II flank either side of the main entrance and a single pink granite obelisk where there used to be two. Muhammad Ali, an Ottoman Viceroy, gave one of the obelisks as a gift to French king, Louis Philippe II, and it is now on Place de la Concorde in Paris, leaving Luxor temple yearning to restore its balance.
Egyptian history is closely intertwined with myths relating to its deities creating an interesting mix of fact and fiction. The story of Isis and Osiris, legendary rulers of Egypt, is one of great trials. But nothing could stand in the way of the determined Isis. She brought her husband back to life after he was murdered by his own brother and revived him long enough to conceive their son, Horus, who has the head of a falcon.
The best preserved temple in Egypt is in Edfu. Built during the reign of the Ptolemy dynasty, it was the cult center for Horus. In succeeding years, the Romans cultivated the worship of Horus. To entice the local people to come to the temple, they embellished the buildings with reliefs on a grand scale and massive pillars crowned by unique capitals, enough to awe the visitor. In the most holy of holies, reserved only for the king and the high priest, there is a shrine of syenite stone which once held the golden statue of the falcon god.
On an island south of Aswan, Philae temple rests amidst peaceful surroundings. It is perhaps the most beautiful of all the sanctuaries and was dedicated to Isis. In 1977, it was moved from a nearby island to its present site to save it from being submerged in the waters of the Nile after the Aswan High Dam was built. There are boats from the docks at Shellal Station that ferry passengers to to the island. Isis would have been happy here.
On a high dune overlooking the Nile, the walls of Kom Ombo are picture books of ancient Egyptian history. One of the most interesting set of reliefs is related to childbirth. There are graphic representations of medical instruments including a pair of scissors. Imagine that this was carved around the 2nd century BC. There is also a relief of Cleopatra VII who is the last pharoah of Egypt and the most famous, thanks in part to Hollywood.
Speaking of women monarchs, Egypt had its share of female sovereigns. Queen Hatshepsut lasted about 25 years. Her temple in Deir el Bahari, below the Ban Cliffs, is a testament to the power she wielded. Her successor tried to eradicate her memory by erasing her name from official records, defacing her cartouches from temple walls and destroying her statues. Fortunately, a bust portraying her as a male ruler with the characteristic false beard and other statues were recovered from temple grounds and are now on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Nefertari, the second wife of Ramses II, exercised great influence on her husband. She is often seen with him in tomb paintings, temple reliefs and sculptures. In Abu Simbel, near the Sudanese border, Ramses built two massive rock temples, one for Nefertari, next to his own grandiose monument.
Drifting up the Nile from Luxor to Aswan, introduced me to many things I had hitherto seen only in pictures and read about in books. I suffered from sensory overload trying to absorb all the things I saw, remembering facts and figures from the lectures, tasting falafel and drinking hibiscus tea, meeting new people and making new friends, shopping in the souks, sailing in a felucca, and speaking the few words I knew in Arabic. I discovered there’s more to Egypt than meets the eye.
Tour information: trafalgartours.com
Safety: The Egyptian government goes out of its way to protect its visitors. Most monuments are heavily guarded and our tour buses traveled, on occasion, with a convoy. Take the necessary precautions as you would when you travel anywhere in the world. I found the Egyptian people, especially the children, to be warm and friendly and this is what I’ll remember fondly whenever I think of Egypt.
Upcoming Exhibit: The new De Young Museum in San Francisco will present for its opening exhibition, Daughter of Re: Hatshepsut, King of Egypt. It will run from October 15, 2005 to February 5, 2006. Log on to thinker.org for more information.
*This article was published in the Manila Buletin USA issue May 26-June 1, 2005.
*****
Images by TravelswithCharie
Comments