We cruised down the River Nile on board the Movenpick cruise for the next five days of our trip. One of the most important landscapes in Egypt is the River Nile which sustains all life in the country and also believe to be the longest river in the world.
We had most of our meals on board the cruise during our stay as there are stricter hygiene standards compared to the restaurants in the cities. We were treated to a spread of global cuisines and desserts at every meal and we never got sick of eating the buffet on board.
My favourite section...
Take your pick and eat all you can!!
The room is small like most cruises but it was cosy, comfortable and clean. The brightly lit bathroom was also a bonus for me!
The times when we were cruising along, it was just relaxing to chill on the sun deck with a cocktail or coffee to enjoy the scenery of the Nile banks. This was one of the Egyptian sunsets we caught. The energy of the sun is different in Egypt. Almost close to a perfect sunset I always envisioned.
The sun deck.
That afternoon, we disembarked and continued our tour of the ancient Egyptian temples. I was on a quest to find out the signifiance of the temples to ancient Egyptians and the stories the hieroglyphs told.
This was the Mortunary Temple of Hatshepsut dedicated to the sun God Amon-Ra and is located next to the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II. This temple is considered as a Classical architecture which is a little different from the other temples but like others it was used to honour the Gods that are relevant to the afterlife.
Restoration in process...
Anubis the God of Mummification...
A representation of the Egyptian sky...
This temple was also considered one of the more well-preserved ones as much of the relief scupltures still had traces of colour on them. Seeing them with colour is just different altogether. I wondered how they applied the colors with such precision, especially in that age when technology practically did not exist. The workmanship was close to perfection.
A short horse ride took us to the Temple of Edfu.
It was an important temple which told the story of Egypt's past and used to honour the God Horus.
The facade inscription depicts important scences and inscriptions of the sacred drama related to the age-old conflict between Horus and his brother Seth for the kingship.
Another important scene in the temple...
The God Horus is represented by the head of a falcon.
There are countless well preserved carvings in this temple.
One of my personal favourites is the scarab, which is a holy beetle. It is an amulet used in Ancient Egypt symbolizing resurrrection.
Walls and walls of inscriptions! No wall was left uncovered.
There was always the temptation to touch. My negative example. Best to keep hands off.
Cats were once considered Gods in ancient Egypt, if only they were given that same status today...
Hello Temple Cat!!
It is a good idea to get to the temples before 9am to avoid the crowds...
It was just peaceful walking in the temple premise with minimal people.
Love temple corridors like this that lead to a path unknown.
pictures shot with a Panasonic Lumix GF5
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