Egypt 2012

We visited Egypt in a year of political unrest, which resulted in a sharp decline in tourism. Even at the most popular tourist sites, we never had to wait in line and our view was rarely blocked by other people. Furthermore, we went with a private tour guide from Egypt Fun Tours, who took good care of transportation and hotels, and provided competent explanations of the sites we visited. Within two weeks, we travelled to Alexandria, Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, made a Nile cruise and a safari into the western desert. Along the way, we have seen pretty much all the highlights of Egypt, like the pyramids of Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the temple of Ramses II in Abu Simbel, the Luxor and Karnak temples, the valley of kings and so much more. Egypt can be strenuous sometimes, but the cultural sights and the beautiness of the desert are absolutely worth the effort.

Index pages:

Number of images: 300

Cairo Nile Cruise (cont.)

Belly dancer

Fun with the belly dancer

Abu Simbel

Eskaleh

Room in the Eskaleh

Parking lot near the temples

Temples of Abu Simbel

Temple of Ramses II

Ramses II

Panel

Portrait with Ankh at the entrance of the Ramses II temple

Great hypostyle hall and sanctuary of the Ramses II temple

Ramses II statues inside the Ramses II temple

Temple of Queen Nefertari, dedicated to Hathor

Queen Nefertari

Relief inside the Temple of Queen Nefertari

Temple of Queen Nefertari

Temple of Ramses II

Aswan

View on the city and Elephantine Island

Info panel on top of the Aswan High Dam

Panoramic view from the Aswan High Dam

Unfinished obelisk

Panoramic view on Aswan from the unfinished obelisk

Philae Temple of Isis

Agilkia Island

First pylon

Second pylon

Reliefs of Hathor and Ra on the second pylon

Window in the outer temple courtyard

Depiction of King Ptolemy

Relief

Isis with the crown of Amun, face replaced with a christian cross

Christian altar

Kiosk of Trajan

Column of the Kiosk of Trajan

Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor

Jamila

Footbridge to the Jamila

Stack of cruise ships

Portrait at the upper deck of the Jamila

Cruise ship on the Nile

Dahabiyya

Nile shore scenery

Farmers on donkeys

Sunset at Edfu

Esna Lock

Belly dancer

Whirling Dervish

Temple of Kom Ombo

Twin entrances

View into the outer hypostyle hall

Ptolemy XII with Haroeris, Isis, Raettawy and Thoth

Pharao, Isis and Nephthys

Pharao, Hathor and Horus

Portrait in front of temple reliefs

Rear side of the temple

Edfu Temple of Horus

Horse-drawn carriage

Carriage ride through the city

Portrait on carriage

Pylon

Entry to the outer hypostyle hall

Falcon statue

Outer hypostyle hall

Hathor and Pharao

Pharao

Relief

Ceremonial barque

Hot-Air Balloons over Luxor

Balloons over the nile

Balloon

Hot-air balloon over the west bank

Balloons near the ridge of the Valley of Kings

Valley of the Kings

Panoramic view on the Valley of Kings

View on the entrances to the tombs of Ramses VI, Tutankhamun and Ramses II

Sarcophagus of Merenpath

Temple of Hatshepsut

Panoramic view from the ridge to the Nile valley and Luxor

Top view on the temple

Top view on the terraces and great court

Side view on the temple

Front view on the temple

View on the first and second colonnade

Hatshepsut statues on the upper terrace

Hatshepsut statue

Upper terrace

Sanctuary of Amun

Hatshepsut relief

Relief on the Punt colonade

Colossi of Memnon

Statues

Portrait with statue

Right statue

Luxor Temple

City square south-east of the temple