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EGYPT - Land of Ancient Wonders |
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What an
exciting and interesting experience: more than a week in the
ancient cities, but also the ultra modern facilities of Egypt!
My colleague, Johann, and I had the opportunity of attending the
48th annual congress of ASATA (Association of South
African Travel Agents), which was held in Port Ghalib on the
shores of the Red Sea. But we also visited Cairo and Luxor, both
on the banks of the Nile.
Since SAA does
not offer flights to Egypt, we made use of the official carrier,
Egypt Air (with no alcohol being served on their flights). The
flying time between Johannesburg and Cairo is 8 hours. Departure
from Johannesburg is at 21:45, so that you arrive in Cairo early
in the morning, which leaves ample time to transfer to your
hotel to refresh, and then to start exploring this amazing city
of 16 million inhabitants. But the return flight is not so
passenger friendly - it departs from Cairo at 02:40! The time
zone difference between the two countries is 1 hour, with Egypt
earlier. |
Cairo is situated
just upstream from where the mighty Nile (the longest river on this
planet), running through the city, divides into its delta. Central
Cairo, mostly east of the placid river, still bears signs of its
medieval past, with a street plan little changed for centuries.
Traffic rules as we know it, do not exist in Egypt. There are no
robots and no stop streets. The drivers just honk their horns and
go! Surprisingly we saw no accidents during our stay. But it is not
uncommon to find a vehicle parked in the middle of a busy street
with one side jacked up, while the owner has gone to repair whatever
has gone wrong! Most of the hotels are situated in this area, with a
few of the luxurious ones on the banks of the river. Foreign
embassies are found on the western shore.
Since we spent only
one night in Cairo, we could only visit a select few places of
interest. The obvious first choice was the pyramids on the Giza
Plateau, on the western fringe of the city. Standing at the foot of
the Great Pyramid of Cheops, next to one of over two million of the
massive building blocks of up to 15 tons, involuntary creates a
sense of wonder at the methods that the builders must have utilized
in order to cut the blocks, to transport it to the site, and then to
construct such a monumental architectural achievement.
We were
unfortunately too late to buy tickets for entering the shafts and
chambers inside, since only a prescribed number of visitors per day
are allowed inside. The area around the pyramids, at the moment, is
not well kept. Horses, camels, cars and vendors abound. A start has
been made to fence in the whole site, which will greatly assist in
making a visit more serene and pleasant.
What undoubtedly
can be recommended, is the Sound and Light show at the pyramids in
the evenings. Floodlights of different colours light up the pyramids
and the Sphinx in front of them, while laser beams create visual
presentations of the inside of the pyramids as well as of important
moments in the history of the pharaos. This is accompanied by
musical background as well as a running commentary on the history.
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Another must
see in Cairo is the world famous Egyptian Museum, exhibiting
artifacts from every period of ancient Egyptian history. The
most interesting collection is that of the contents of
Tutankhamun’s tomb, especially the life-sized golden mask, and
the pure golden inner coffin in which the mummy was found. This
room is, by the way, the only air-conditioned one in the museum,
and therefore a haven in the sweltering temperatures elsewhere!
Unfortunately no cameras are allowed into the museum. Apart from
the museum we also visited a perfumery, where the natural oils,
which are used in the perfumes of the world, are extracted, as
well as a papyrus factory. Beautifully decorated, colourful
sheets depicting Egyptian scenes can be bought here. Something
that we soon discovered is that you should be honed in fierce
bargaining, before buying anything, especially from vendors! |
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We flew with a
charter flight from Cairo to Port Ghalib, some 650 km.
south-south-east, landing at the airport Marsa Alam, about 4 km.
from Sun International’s newest paradise, called Port Ghalib. The
marina - the second largest ever built - is the nucleus of the whole
complex. It is a fully serviced and functional port of entry into
Egypt and can accommodate 1 000 yachts of 50 m in length.
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All of the
experience gained at Sun City in South Africa was implemented in
Port Ghalib. You experience it from the moment of arrival:
attendants are ready to serve you and to attend to every wish
that you might have. The rooms are exquisitely furnished, and
throughout the whole complex works of art adorn the halls and
walls.
Although only
open to the public since November 2007, with some stages still
in a developmental phase, and some of the thousands of newly
transplanted palms trees busy sprouting new roots, it already is
a most impressive holiday destination. The three hotels, of
which the 5* The Palace is the most luxurious (The two
others are the Sahara Sands and the Sahara Oasis),
offer nearly a thousand rooms, are set amidst clear-blue
lagoons, terraces, swimming pools, outside restaurants and bars,
and with land or water based recreational activities suitable
for al ages and tastes.
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Here you can
participate in kayak or speed boat snorkeling excursions in the
clear waters of the Red Sea, amongst some of the best coral reef
diving sites in the world; you can go water skiing, fishing or
diving on your own. A boat has just arrived with glass panels
underneath that allow you glimpses of the amazing sea life on
the reefs. Otherwise you may participate in billiards, table
tennis, mini soccer, putt-putt or tennis, or just relax at one
of the poolsides, with a cold beer ready to be served at a flick
of your finger. Early in the mornings and evenings there are
camel rides to be taken, even morning or evening jeep safaris
out into the desert. At night guided star gazing trips are
offered. |
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In the evenings
different typical Egyptian live performances, like belly
dancing, are to be seen. And should you wish to be pampered,
different types of massages are available. The conference itself
was held in the Conference Centre, with three large and
well-equipped conference rooms. More of this new premier
destination can be found on its website
www.discoverportghalib.com.
From Port
Ghalib we travelled by bus to Luxor on the Nile. Visitors are
not allowed to drive personally, but must be part of a convoy
that departs from a set point at the Red Sea, about 40 min.
north from Port Ghalib. From here the Police escorted the
convoy. When driving through small villages, the side roads were
closed so that the convoy could pass without stopping. The total
trip took about 5 hours.
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The last 50 km was
all along the Nile, giving one a glimpse of the way the small
farmers work their lands - still without modern equipment. Wheat is
still reaped with a sickle, whilst donkeys are used for transport.
Most interesting is to see numerous two- or three-storied houses,
with unfinished top stories. Only the pillars are finished - waiting
for the roof to be built. The reason, we were told, is because the
building belongs to a family. As soon as one of the children
marries, the next storey will be fully built to accommodate them.
And - a room without a roof is exempt from taxes.
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The present-day
city of Luxor was, during the time of the Middle Kingdom (around
2056 BC) called Thebes, and became the capital of Egypt during
the New Kingdom (.1550 - 1069 BC). Here the Pharaos built their
great temples, as at Karnak and Luxor, all on the east bank of
the Nile, the realm of the living, where the sun rises. The
realm of the dead lies to the west, where they were buried, as
in the Valley of the Kings. Here the burial chambers were hewed
out deep into the barren hills, hoping to escape robbers
stealing the priceless possessions.
The mere size
and age of all these ancient monuments overwhelms the visitor.
We only had time to visit the temples of Karnak and Luxor, the
Valley of the Kings and the temple of Hatshepsut. I will
undoubtedly like to go back in order to visit them at leisure.
Only then will one be able to fully appreciate the grandeur of
these and other relics of a long gone civilization. And to even
try to give a full impression in such a short article can’t do
justice to them. |
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Of the two temples
the one built in Karnak is the most impressive. Karnak was a small
village on the outskirts of Thebes and an impressive religious
centre in ancient Egypt. In the centre of this vast complex lies the
Temple of Amun-Re, the king of the gods. The huge size of this
temple erected by different pharaos during a period of over 2000
years stuns the onlooker. Some of the pylons and columns reach 35
meters, weighing hundreds of tons. Unexplained to this day is for
example; how the Egyptians managed to transport a solid obelisk of
29 meters, and weighing 325 tons, for hundreds of km from where it
was hewed to the site.
The Temple of
Karnak was connected to the Temple of Luxor by a three km avenue,
lined by a double row of sphinxes with human heads and lion bodies.
Of the original 730 only 58 are still standing today. The Luxor
Temple is situated in the heart of the present day town.
Two colossal
statues of Ramesses II afford access to the complex. Bas-reliefs on
the columns of 19 meters high illustrate the Feast of Opet, held
each year in ancient times, when the image of the god Amun was
brought in procession from Karnak to Luxor where he could meet with
his queen Mutemwiya.
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The trip by car
from Luxor to the Valley of the Kings, and crossing the Nile,
takes about 20 minutes. The site itself is in the barren hills,
towering above the entrances of the sixty-two tombs discovered
here. You buy tickets for entering the tombs at the entrance. We
only managed to explore four, amongst them the burial chamber of
Tutankhamun, which was found intact by Howard Carter in 1922.
Some of the tombs are dug steep downwards into the rock. The
richly decorated corridors leading to the burial chambers are
impressive; again unfortunately no photographs may be taken.
One of the most
breathtaking sites is that of the mortuary temple of Queen
Hatshepsut. It is set against the stark backdrop of dramatic
mountain cliffs, and rises in a series of terraces to reach the
foot of the mountain. Some of the protected murals still retain
some of its original bright colours. |
What is the overall
impression of Egypt? Sometimes immense poverty, with people still
living the life as it was ages ago, but also modern progress. But
despite the poverty, we never felt unsafe. Police are to be seen
everywhere, and it seems that crime is not allowed to impact on the
friendliness of the people. Visitors are greeted with enthusiasm,
and everyone wants to assist. For South Africans it is also not so
expensive: the exchange rate when we visited was about R1-40 for 1
Egyptian Pound. And with vigorous bargaining your money can go a
long way!
- Manie Wolvaardt
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