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My trip to Egypt

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
Hey all. just got back this early morning from Egypt. was quite intense, exhausting and fascinating. the daily schedule was diverse, with exploring the historical sites during morning and noon, wandering the bazaars in the afternoon, and chilling with a cold beer in the evening. it was quite a wonder to discover that there is a world so different to what I know across the border. I was also impressed with the respect many people show each other in Egypt. it was interesting that contrary to the news we hear about the problems the Copts face in Egypt, I saw churches next to mosques, and Copts and Muslims living side by side beyond the strife we hear about.
so without further due.. I'll start with the photos.

First day in Egypt, Giza:

The great Pyramid. constructed for the burial of King Khufu of the fourth dynasty. it took 20 years to build, with the building finished at about 2551 BCE.


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The great pyramid, and the pyramid of Khaphre (fourth dynasty Pharoah behind it.)

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Me on the way to the Sphinx =)



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The Sphinx. believed to be built around 2500 BCE by the pharoah Khafre. when I walked around the Sphinx I was literally about to cry, but my pride for the tourists around me stopped me. it was very intense. while I was there a sweet and incredebly intelligent Egyptian girl came to me saying, 'hey! you look like Ali Baba!' she then took me for a walk around the sphinx asking to pose for her while she took photos of me with my camera, all the time speaking to me in Spanish, thinking I was form Spain.

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Going down into the red pyramid at Dashur. the red pyramid is the largest of the major pyramids at Dashur necropolis. after the pyramids of Khufu and Khaphre it is the third in size in Egypt.

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At Memphis. me reading: Ramesses II Lord of the two lands. the bee signifise lower Egypt, the reed upper Egypt, the valture, is Nekhbet the patron Goddess of Upper Egypt, the Cobra, is Wadjet, the patron Goddess of lower Egypt. inside the cartouche is the name of Ramesses II in hieroglyphs.

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much more photos coming.
 
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enchanted_one1975

Resident Lycanthrope
That is breathtaking! I do hope to go some day. I don't think I could keep from crying from the things I would feel there though.
 

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
At Memphis.. Ramesses II. the same king who fought the Hittites led by King Muatalli II at the battle of Kadesh, barely making it out alive. technically the battle was a draw, but for the long run the Hittites won. traditionally some people of Judeo Christian background say that this is the Pharoah of the Exodus.

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The step pyramid of Saqqara. the first pyramid in Egypt, masterminded by the vizier and architect Imhotep. it was built for king Djoser of the third dynasty, during the 27th century BCE.

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After Cairo and its area, we traveled 13 hours by train to Aswan. here is the Philae temple. the temple was completely dismanteled and relocated by UNESCO because of the construction of the high dam of Aswan, which flooded its previous location. the Egyptians kept a strong military force in the area, as did later the Macedonians and the Romans.



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This cartouche reads: Kheper Ka Ra, or "The Soul of Re Abides",it was the throne name of Pharaoh Senusret I. he was a Pharaoh of the 12th dynasty, and ruled from 1971 BCE TO 1926 BCE. as his father Amenemhat I he continued the Egyptian aggression and expansionism against the Nubians. Senusret I established diplomacy with the Canaanites and with towns in Syria, and sent expeditions to the Libyan desert.


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Hathor, Goddess of love, motherhood, fertility.

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The face of the the dwarf god bes, some believe this god was imported by the Egyptians from the Nubians, in Egypt he was the protector of homes:

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Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
Ptolemy XII smiting his enemies:


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Minarets at the background of the Bazaar of Aswan:

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The Nile river


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More photos to come later..
 

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
Abu Simbel. two temples which originally were carved in the mountain under Pharoah Ramesses II, during the 13th century BCE to honor his memory after his passing and that of his queen Nefertari, and to commemorate (in Egyptian propaganda) the victory over the Hittites in the battle of Kadesh. this site was also relocated by UNESCO because of the building of Aswan dam.

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Horus as Ra-Horakhty, Horus of the two horizons, crowned with the sun disk and a cobra.


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"Son of Ra, Ramesses II":

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Me standing at the gate to the market at Aswan:


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Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
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During one noon, me and my friend set at a hooka caffe in the market of Aswan, we were greeted by a local named Ahmed who set with us. we told him we were from the Czech Republic, we spent a while talking and listening to him complaining about the Egyptian government cracking down on hashish smoking in the hookahs, pretty amusing scenario, we parted with him saying "Czech republic! great place!" ;)


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This is Ahmed, by his eyes you can pretty much understand what he thinks of the goverment's cracking down on the herbs =)


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Perfumes and oils at the market:

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Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
Edfu. temple from the Ptolemaic era. the best preserved temple in Egypt, is the temple of Horus at Edfu.


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"Kheper" or transformation:

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Me and the falcon of Horus:

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Hathor:

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Eye of Horus:

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More to come...
 

DallasApple

Depends Upon My Mood..
Oh my gosh Im so happy that you breathed it all in and had that ..

The pictures are awesome and your narrating made it absolutely more juicy..

My favorite is you on the camel.And how you noticed the birds in the structures..

Love

Dallas
 

blackout

Violet.
ugh. this computer won't show the pictures,
and my laptop at home just got a virus. :(

I'll be looking forward to this thread Dan,
as soon as I get my computer fixed.

~Vi~
 

whereismynotecard

Treasure Hunter
That's so cool! I wish I could go. It's a big goal of mine to go to Egypt one day and to see all of the ruins and stuff. I have a question about how you went into the Red Pyramid. How do you go about doing that? Do they just let any tourist who wants to go in there (with maybe a fee or something) or was that some sort of special arrangement?
 

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
Thanks all for the feedback!
and Hannah, the red pyramid IS opened for visitors ;)
it just takes a bit of stamina to go the way down and up, and being able to breath long enough.
 

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
Horus:

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The (red) crown of lower Egypt:


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Sekhmet, Goddess of war and also healing. she was also the 'alter ego' of the Goddess Hathor, Goddess of Love.

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Thoth, scribe of the gods, the Egyptians saw Thoth as the god who established the hieroglyphs, he was the god of religion, magic, science...

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Amun and Hathor. Amun as Amun-Ra had the most detailed theology in Egyptian religion. he was a creator deity (or 'the' creator deity). like in Hebrew religion, Amun was self created, and the most transcendental deity in Egyptian mythology.

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A farmer in his field:

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That is so cool! I want to go to Egypt someday and talk to a guy named Ahmed. It's a shame you had to say you were from the Czech Republic, I wonder if I would say I was from Texas ...

A friend of mine who studied over there used to say he was from the Czech Republic, too. :p
 

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
That is so cool! I want to go to Egypt someday and talk to a guy named Ahmed. It's a shame you had to say you were from the Czech Republic, I wonder if I would say I was from Texas ...

A friend of mine who studied over there used to say he was from the Czech Republic, too. :p
Haha yes. some people thought I was Egyptian, some actually recognized us as Israelis and had no issues with it.
 

blackout

Violet.
Oh WOW Dan!

The pics just decided to show up now.
(yes I tried again :D)

oooOOOooohhh you are so lucky lucky lucky!

:hug:

lol... and now that the pictures are opening...
I have to close up the computer.

Hopefully they open up again for me tonight.
 
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