Egypt Pre-Paid Sim Cards for Travelers

Use should consider using pre-paid sim cards while on holiday in Egypt. This is the most affordable option to stay connected with your family back home. A pre-paid SIM card for Egypt will provide you up to 80% of savings on your airtime usage of you mobile phone. When you buy a pre-paid SIM card for Egypt, you would be getting a local number and your outgoing calls will be charged at local rate. Further, all your incoming calls will be free, no matter where it generates from, and you would not be paying any roaming charges.

Pre-paid SIM Card For Egypt

By John Dulaney

When you visit Egypt, you would have your mobile phone with you. During the time you went abroad in the days when mobile telephony did not exist, you had to use the telephone in your hotel rooms to talk to your associates, friends and to your family back home. It came out to be expensive. With the advent of mobile phones, you availed the roaming facility to take your phone with you when-ever you went outside the United States. This roaming feature, provided by your service provider back home, enabled you to be in touch with the world and also allowed you to be available to the people who wanted to get in touch with you. You had made and received calls, for which you had paid dearly. Every call that you made was charged in consideration that you are on roaming and you had paid for your incoming calls too, at roaming charges. The bill that you had received at the end of the month was way out of your budget that you had set. The bill amount was possibly more than the bill you had paid for using the telephone in your hotel room. You would like to economise.

A pre-paid SIM card for Egypt will provide you up to 80% of savings on your airtime usage of you mobile phone. When you buy a pre-paid SIM card for Egypt, you would be getting a local number and your outgoing calls will be charged at local rate. Further, all your incoming calls will be free, no matter where it generates from, and you would not be paying any roaming charges. More-over, since you pre-pay for your calls, you know exactly how much you are spending on your mobile calls. The pre-paid SIM card for Egypt gives you a certain talk time credit, and you can start making calls right away. You can buy recharge coupons from practically any shop in the Egyptian cities to replenish your talk time credit. These coupons are available in many different denominations and you can choose the value of the talk time credit that you would want. In this way, by pre-paying for your calls, you are aware of what you are spending for your phone calls. This helps you to maintain the budget that you have set for the purpose. More-over, you do not receive any of those ‘end of the month’ bills and you do not have to enter into any contract what-so-ever.

A Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card is a smart card, which is the intelligent module in your mobile phone, enabling you to make and receive calls, including sending and receiving SMS. The SIM card is of a size little smaller than a postage stamp and it goes in a slot at the back of your mobile phone, as you open the back cover. The SIM card holds unique information regarding your calling plan, your SIM card number, the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) of your mobile phone and other security details. As you switch on your phone, the information is transmitted to the nearest network tower available in the city in Egypt that you are visiting. This information is checked and after security verification, the network logs you in. You are now ready to use your phone and start sending SMS and make and receive calls. The SIM card also holds your address book, where you store the name and the respective phone numbers of the people who you call frequently. The phone calls that you receive and make are also logged by the SIM card, including the incoming calls that you fail to answer. These are logged by their numbers, along with the respective date and time.

When you buy a pre-paid SIM card for Egypt, you will need a GSM mobile phone to use it. If you possess a GSM phone, it is unlikely that it will work in Egypt. The mobile networks in North America, Canada and few other neighbouring countries, operate on a different GSM frequency band as compared to the rest of the world. The networks in Egypt operate on 900MHz while North America, Canada and few other countries in that region operate on 850MHz and 1900MHz frequency bands. The difference in this operating frequency bands makes your GSM phone incompatible for use in Egypt. Under the circumstances, if you are a frequent traveller visiting different countries abroad, it is desirable that you consider buying a mobile phone, compatible with the frequency bands of the countries that you visit. If you are not much of a frequent traveller, it is economical for you to consider renting such a GSM phone, which may be used with your pre-paid SIM card for Egypt.

Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) is the second generation (2G) of mobile telephony and replaces the first generation (1G) old analog system. It is the first open structured digital mobile communication technology, developed in Europe and is being used in over 214 countries. GSM has over 80% of subscribers out of the total mobile users in the world. It operates on 4 sets of frequency bands, distributed to the different regions of the world, with a few regions having some common set of frequencies. GSM operates on 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands, with the networks in North America, Canada and few other neighbouring counties including the countries in the Americas operating on 850MHz and 1900MHz frequency bands. As far as the rest of the countries in the world, majority of the countries use different bandwidths, and this makes your GSM mobile phone incompatible with the networks of those countries.

It is very important for you to know that the GSM phone that you are taking along with you on your visit to Egypt, needs to be SIM unlocked. This would necessarily mean that the GSM phone must be able to work with any SIM card, including the pre-paid SIM card for Egypt. If your phone is SIM locked, it would not work with any other SIM card other than the one which it is meant for. To site an example, when you sign a contract with a service provider, you might have noticed a clause stipulated in the terms of the contract, which said that you must use the services of the provider for a definite period of time, which is typically one year. After you have signed the contract, you would receive a mobile phone, free of cost to you, and the SIM card. This phone is SIM locked and would work only with the SIM provided. This has been done to ensure that you use only the SIM provided by your service provider till the end of the contract. Upon completion of the contract period the service provider assists you in unlocking your phone, when you can use any SIM card of your choice. Therefore, whether you take your GSM phone, buy or rent one, it is essential that you ensure that the phone is not SIM locked.

A pre-paid SIM card for Egypt is affordable and a great saving as well. You pay for your calls as the locals do and all your incoming calls are free. You do not pay for any roaming charges. Being pre-paid you can keep a tab on the money that you are spending to make calls from your GSM phone. You do not enter into any service contracts what-so-ever and you do not receive any bill at the end of the month.

Cell phone use overseas. In 99% of the world the local cellular service standard is called GSM. We use this in the states as well. When combined with a SIM CARD (which usually goes under the battery of the phone) the phone is able to communicate and the SIM CARD also holds the telephone number and memory for pre-paid credit. Rates can be extremely low using this system. For example in 99% of all SIM CARDS incoming calls are free and calls to the states can cost a trifle. Such as, from the UK to the USA 7 cents/minute, from Israel 22 cents, from Australia 27 cents. Yes, USA Dollar cents! There are today even prepaid service providers in the USA offering rates of 10 cents per minute to call anywhere in the US to any type of phone. No contracts, no credit card checks, no bills. Pre-paid always means no minimums no contracts, no obligations. You only pay for the calls made. You'll need an unlocked GSM tri-band or quadband UNLOCKED phone. You can buy factory unlocked phones and sim cards for more than 170 of the 193 countries on earth from http://www.planetomni.com Tel. # 800-514-2984

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Dulaney

Nile Cruise Information and Tips

If you choose to go on a Nile cruise, make sure that the cruise is taken as “all inclusive”, i.e. accommodation, tours and transportation! This option is the best way for you to see all the possible Temples on route. Today there are more than 220 Nile cruisers on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, including 4 star, standard 5 star, deluxe and imperial Ultra deluxe.

There are 3 types of itineraries for Nile cruises:

Three Nights Cruise

Usually departs from Aswan to Luxor.

The cruise includes the following visits:

Aswan: The High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and the Temple of Philae
Kom Ombo: Visit the Temple of Kom Ombo
Edfu: visit the Temple of Edfu
Esna: visit the Esna Temple
Luxor: visit the west bank in Luxor to see, the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

*This is a short cruise, good for those who want to get just the cruise experience in glance and still enjoy the temples in between.

2) Four Nights Cruise

Usually departs from Luxor to Aswan.

The cruise includes the following visits:

Luxor: visit the west bank to see, the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Then visit the east bank to see, the Temple of Luxor and the Temple of Karnak.
Esna: visit the Esna Temple
Edfu: visit the Temple of Edfu
Kom Ombo: visit the Temple of Kom Ombo
Aswan: visit the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and the Temple of Philae
Felucca boat outing to visit the Botanical Island, a trip to a Nubian village (optional)
Visit to Elephantine Island and the Tombs of the Nobles (optional)

*This is a Medium range type cruise, good for those who want more of the cruise experience. while adding one extra night for more leisure time Good for those who would like to extend their stay to see Abu Simbel

3) Seven Nights Cruise

Either Luxor to Aswan or Aswan to Luxor.

This scheme basically includes all the visits mentioned above, but divided over 7 nights, which gives you in total more free nights to relax. It is very good choice for those who seek full relaxation.

Nile Cruise Itinerary Options



What You Should Know While On A Nile Cruise

Food on board:

Accommodation aboard the cruise boats is based on full board basis. (All meals are included ) Such meals and are in an open buffet style, some days there are many varieties, depending of type and quality of the cruise boat; these meals are served with a fixed timetable.

Tea and coffee are available, while on the move, called tea time served every day around 5:00 pm.

Other drinks are offered in the bar area.

Nightlife:

Every day there is a full entertainment programme, which differs from one boat to the other. On most cruise trips the first day is usually a cocktail party, run by the boat, where they offer free drinks and introduce the senior staff on board. This party is also known as “the manager’s party”, where the manager introduces his crew to passengers onboard; you must wear smart causal during this gathering

Another night there is a “Galabia party”, where you will be encouraged to get Egyptian outfits and wear the local Galabia. During To buy a Galabia will cost you around 50-70 LE, but if you do not wish to buy one, you can hire one from the bazaar shop located onboard.

If you choose to buy your Galabia from outside the boat There are many bazaars outside the Temples that you will be visit during your cruise. Don’t forget to haggle hard!

Another night will have a Nubian show, where you will see Nubian dancers and singers in their local outfit.

The last evening’s entertainment is usually has: a belly dancing show, a juggler’s show (whirling dervishes) with local singers and bands.

Your dress onboard:

During the daytime, while during tours, you can wear whatever you really like,(Shorts are ok) though due to the extreme heat it is recommended you wear lightweight clothes.

While relaxing on board, and in doors you may wear shorts and swimming costumes, if you wish. Breakfast and lunch can be taken dressed like this, but for dinner, please wear smarter clothes! But beware of too much exposure to the sun! Apply plenty of high factor sun block!

How to pay your Extras:

All extras such as consumed beverages, laundry, and telephones bills, should be settled and paid at the last day of your cruise when you check out. Payment can be made with credit cards, traveller’s cheque, or cash. Make sure you have enough cash, just in case your card transaction didn't go through.

Please note: Many Nile cruise boats do not accept personal cheques or money orders ! many other don't accept travellers checks as well

Tipping:

Don’t forget to leave tips for the cruise staff, not less than $ 5-8 USD PER PERSON PER DAY!

For 3 nights cruise it should be 15-25 USD per person ( in total)
For 4 nights cruise it should be 20-35 USD per person ( in total)
For 7 nights cruise it should be 35-55 USD per person ( in total)
This tipping should be given to the boat reception, simply put your tip in an envelope and hand it over to boat reception. This money later will be distributed evenly among the crew onboard. This way each person will get his fair share.

Please Note: this does not include tipping to your Tourist Guide, this should be separate, and it is entirely up to you to decide the amount of tip that you will give to him/her.Know that these are only guidelines, gratuities are personal matter and tipping is entirely at the discretion of the individuals.

More information can be obtained at:
http://www.ask-aladdin.com/cruisetips.htm

Valley of the Queens in Luxor Egypt

The Valley of the Queens, also known as Biban el-Harim, Biban el-Sultanat, and Wadi el-Melikat, is a place in Egypt where wives of Pharaohs were buried in ancient times. In ancient times, it was known as Ta-Set-Neferu, meaning - 'the place of the Children of the Pharaoh', because along with the Queens of the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties (1550­1070 BCE) many princes and princesses were also buried with various members of the nobility. The tombs of these individuals were maintained by mortuary priests whom performed daily rituals and provided offerings and prayers for the deceased nobility.

The valley is located near the better known Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile across from Thebes (modern Luxor). This barren area in the western hills was chosen due to its relative isolation and proximity to the capital.

The kings of the 18th dynasty, instead of the traditional building of pyramids as burial chambers (perhaps because of their vulnerability to tomb robbers), now chose to be buried in rock-cut tombs.

This necropolis is said to hold more than seventy tombs, many of which are stylish and lavishly decorated. An example of this is the resting place carved out of the rock for Queen Nefertari (1290-1224 BCE) of the 19th Dynasty. The polychrome reliefs in her tomb are still in tact.

The ancient Egyptians gave it the name Set Neferu, meaning "seat of beauty". From 1903-1906 an Italian expedition discovered about eighty tombs, some of which belonged to children of royalty. Many were severely damaged having been burned and or reduced to being used as stables for donkeys and camels. One of the most well-known tombs is that of Nefertari, the best-loved of Ramesses II's numerous wives. In her honor he built a beautiful temple at Abu Simbel.

Nefertari (Nefertari Merytmut) c. (1300-1250 BC) was the Great Royal Wife (or principal wife) of Ramesses the Great. She is one of the best known Egyptian queens, next to Cleopatra, Nefertiti and Hatshepsut. Her lavishly decorated tomb, QV66, is the largest and most spectacular in the Valley of the Queens.

Map of the West Bank at Luxor Egypt



Tomb no. 30 - Nebiri (probably), Head of the Stable, Dynasty XVIII
Tomb no. 31 - A Queen
Tomb no. 33 - Princess Tanezem(t) Dynasty XX (?)
Tomb no. 36 - Princess, no name
Tomb no. 38 - Queen Sitre' wife of Ramesses I
Tomb no. 40 - A Queen, cartouche blank
Tomb no. 42 - Prince Para'hirwenemef, Charioteer of the stable of the Great House, son of Ramesses III
Tomb no. 43 - Prince Set-hirkhopshef, King's son, Hereditary prince of the royal children of his Majesty, Charioteer of the Great Stable. Son of Ramesses III.
Tomb no.44 - Prince Kha'emweset, Sem- priest of Ptah. Son of Ramesses III.
Tomb no. 46 - Imhotep (probably) Vizier. Tuthmosis I.
Tomb no.47 - Princess 'Ahmosi Daughter of Sekenenre'-Ta'a and Sit-dhout:
Tomb no.51 - Queen Esi II mother of Ramesses VI, daughter of Hubalznet:
Tomb no. 52- Queen Tyti Ramesside
Tomb no. 53 - Prince Ramesses son of Ramesses III
Tomb no. 55 - Prince Amen(hir)khopshef Royal Scribe, Overseer of Horses, son of Ramesses III
Tomb no. 60 - Queen Nebttaui daughter of Ramesses II
Tomb no. 66 - Queen Nefertari Wife of Ramesses II
Tomb no.68 - Queen Merytamun daughter of Ramesses II
Tomb no.71 - Queen Bent'anta daughter of Ramesses II
Tomb no.73 - A Princess, no name. Dynasty XX
Tomb no.74 - Queen Tentopet Great King's mother and King's wife
Tomb no.75 - A Queen, no name

Unnumbered Tombs and Pits
Queen Mut. . . perhaps Tuy (Mut-tuy), wife of Seti I, mother of Ramesses II. West of Tomb 66.
'Ahmosi King's son, son of Nebsu and Ian
A hundred metres east of Tomb 47 in a small valley. Dynasty XVII
Princess Neferhet King's daughter, New Kingdom. Probably south-east of Tomb 75

Tombs in Branch valley, south-west of the Valley of the Queens
Remains of canopic-jars, including one with text of a queen, Dyn XXV or XXVI (from excavation in 1895).
Tomb of Princess - from time of Amenhotep III. Position unknown.

Source: http://www.crystalinks.com/valleyqueens.html

Valley of the Kings in Luxor Egypt

The Valley of the Kings was the royal cemetery for 62 Pharaohs , and is located on the west bank at Luxor.

The only entrance to this place was a long narrow winding path. This was a secret place, where sentries were placed at the entrance of the Valley, as well as along the top of the hills, in the hopes of discouraging tomb robbers, who had in the past plundered all royal tombs, including the treasures of the Pyramids!

Some thefts were probably carefully planned, but others were spur of the moment, as when an earlier tomb was accidentally discovered while cutting a new one and workmen took advantage of the opportunity. This may have happened when KV 46 was found during the cutting of KV 4 or KV 3 nearby. The tombs in the Valley range from a simple pit (e.g. KV 54), to a tomb with over 121 chambers and corridors (KV 5).

John Gardiner Wilkinson first established the present numbering system, in 1827, as part of his preparation of a map of Thebes. Wilkinson painted the numbers 1 through 21 at the entrances of the tombs that were then visible. The numbers were assigned geographically, from the entrance to the Valley southward. Since Wilkinson's day, tomb numbers have been assigned in chronological order of discovery, KV 62 (Tutankhamen) being the most recent. Wilkinson's is not the only system of tomb designation that has been used in the Valley though. Several explorers assigned numbers, letters or descriptive labels to the tombs, as the accompanying chart indicates, but Wilkinson's is the only system that is still in use. There are two main wings to the Valley of the Kings, west and east! You will find that eastern side has the majority of the tombs, the western part having very few, but including the tombs of Amenhotep III and Ay.

A list of the KV's discovered (so far!)

KV 01 Ramses VII
KV 02 Ramses IV
KV 03 Cache of Ramses III
KV 04 Ramses XI
KV 05 Sons of Ramses II
KV 06 Ramses IX
KV 07 Ramses II
KV 08 Merenptah
KV 09 Ramses V / VI
KV 10 Amenmeses
KV 11 Ramses III
KV 12 Unknown
KV 13 Bay
KV 14 Tausert / Setnakht
KV 15 Seti II
KV 16 Ramses I
KV 17 Seti I
KV 18 Ramses X
KV 19 Mentuherkhepshef
KV 20 Hatshepsut
KV 21 Two Queens
KV 22 Amenhetep III
KV 23 Ay
KV 24 Unknown
KV 25 Akhenaten (?)
KV 26 Unknown
KV 27 Unknown
KV 28 Unknown
KV 29 Unknown
KV 30 Unknown
KV 31 Unknown
KV 32 Unknown
KV 33 Cache of Tuthmosis III
KV 34 Tuthmosis III
KV 35 Amenhetep II
KV 36 Maiherperi
KV 37 Cache of Tuthmosis III
KV 38 Tuthmosis I
KV 39 Unknown
KV 40 Unknown
KV 41 Unknown
KV 42 Hatshepsut-Meryetre
KV 43 Tuthmosis IV
KV 44 Anen (?)
KV 45 Userhet
KV 46 Yuya and Thuya
KV 47 Siptah
KV 48 Amenemopet
KV 49 Maya (?)
KV 50 Animals
KV 51 Animals
KV 52 Animals
KV 53 Unknown
KV 54 Cache of Tutankhamen
KV 55 Tiye, Akhenaten or Other
KV 56 Unknown
KV 57 Horemheb
KV 58 Cache of Ay
KV 59 Unknown
KV 60 Two Women (Setri In?)
KV 61 Unknown
KV 62 Tutankhamen
KV 63 New Tomb - Unknown

Source: http://www.ask-aladdin.com/valley.htm

Location Map of the Royal Cemetries in the King of Valleys



Things to Note When Visiting the Valley of Kings, Luxor

1) Your entrance ticket to the valley costs 55 LE (The ticket office is located at the entrance to the valley, at the end of the car park) and gives you access to three tombs of your choice.

2) Cameras are allowed into the valley area but you are not allowed to use them inside the tombs, you can only take pictures on the outside of the tombs.

3) Video cameras are not allowed into the valley at all! You will have to check-in your video camera at the entrance.

4) Guides / lecturers are not allowed into the tombs. Your guide will give you a full description of the tomb from the outside and will also recommend which tombs to visit.

5) If you wish to go inside the tomb of King Tutankhamen (KV62), you will need a separate ticket (70LE) which you can buy at the ticket office.

6) Please don't touch the walls of the tombs you are visiting.

Travel Tips for Egypt

The best travel tips tend to come from the foreigners who actually live in the country. They know the in-s and out-s of the land and one had best pay them heed, if an enjoyable vacation is what you are after!

Here is a list of travel tips from an American student studying in Egypt.

Her blog is at http://aliainegypt.muslimpad.com. Visit it, especially if you are interested in reading about life as a foreign student in Egypt.

Travel Tips for Egypt

1. Don’t wear big fancy handbags that attract attention/ that are easy to grab.

2. Don’t take your wallet with you every where. Only take as much money as you think you’ll need and a little extra in case of emergency. Always leave your Bank cards and passport at home (unless in case of necessity)

3. Don’t bring a fancy mobile phone/cellphone with you - come with a simple unlocked quad-band phone that will serve it’s purpose and not attract attention

4. Don’t wear gold on the street

5. When walking on the street, walk as far away from the cars as you can and stay closer to the buildings.

6. Be aware of your surroundings, keep a hand on your bag and make sure it’s always closed tight and close to you.

7. Walk with confidence, don’t look vulnerable. Avoid speaking other languages loudly (apart from Arabic). Don’t tell people you’re lost or that you don’t speak Arabic. It’s better if they just assume you’re a rude snob who doesn’t want to talk to them vs. them figuring out you’re a foreigner. It is crucial to familiarize yourself with some local words…which is why I highly recommend buying the Lonely Planet’s Egyptian Phrase-book before coming.

8. Don’t give money to any random beggar. This may surprise you but trust me, some of them will stalk you or send their family members to follow you home and harass you for more money (this has happened to me and many people I know) - So since you will be unable to distinguish the good from the bad, just avoid it altogether. There are other safer ways to give charity (such as to the Egyptian National Food Bank, Masjids, Islamic Relief.)

9. Don’t DRESS like you’re in your home country. Come on, you’re in Egypt. Do you really want to wear clothes that say “Hi, I just arrived from America and I’m loaded with dollars. Come mug me.”

10. Don’t pull out your camera everywhere you go and look like a tourist.

As for food and drink, this is what she had to say:

Lesson #1: Don’t drink the water

It makes you very, very sick. I stuck to Aquafina bottled water (you can buy it by the carton, 12 bottles for 16-20 LE) until I was able to stomach other brands..even Egyptian mineral water takes time getting used to. When people ask me if it’s worth them coming to Egypt to study for a month I usually tell them no. That’s because from my experience and the reviews of those around me, everyone usually ends up sick their first month here and you need to give yourself some time to adjust. It’s not likely you’ll be well enough to study intensely for such a short period of time if you’re sick the whole way through.

Lesson #2: Do not eat at small Egyptian joints on the side of the road

I had the worst case of food poisoning ever from one of those places. It felt like someone was carving up my insides with a knife and it took me a full 6 days before I was recovered. If you happen to be near Serag mall however, there is a small Ta’miyyah (Egyptian Falafel) joint next to the Juice Bar across the road. That’s safe to eat at, I’ve had Ta’miyyah sandwiches there many times and have never been ill, alhamdulillah

Lesson #3: Keep track of your food spendings

If you’re like most foreign students, you’ll go crazy with all the halal fast food places in your first month(s) but soon enough you’ll realize that it’s far to expensive and unhealthy to carry on like that for the remainder of your stay. When you go shopping, remember that things like fruits and vegetables are cheaper to buy from the side of the road (just soak and scrub them at home and you’ll be fine insha’Allah) whereas everything else can be found at the grocery stores like Mahmal, Spinney’s, Awlad Ragab (Ragab Sons), and Metro Mart

Karnak Temple Egypt

Karnak temple is the biggest temple in Egypt owing its monumental size to 1300 years of construction. It was started by XII dynasty's Sesostris I. After that every pharaoh down to the Ptolemic period tried to stamp his authority by outdoing the previous one in his (or her) contribution. Karnak actually encloses three separate temples, the biggest being the temple of Amun, the biggest God of the new kingdom.

The temple used to be connected to its counterpart, the Luxor temple, via an avenue of sphinxes most of which except a few yards outside each temple are destroyed by now.

Karnak - The Center of Ancient Thebes
By Rob J Pettifer

One of the most important historical and cultural areas of Egypt is Luxor, with its high concentration of ancient sites. Luxor is located in Upper (southern) Egypt and is easily accessible by train from Cairo. Standing upon the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, there are many fantastic things to see in the Luxor area, such as the Temple of Hatshepshut, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, the Colossi of Memnon, and plenty of others. The Luxor area is absolutely a required part of anyone's Egypt experience. But one site in particular stands out from the bunch, and that is the Karnak Temple compound, located inside Luxor city.

This is the temple of Ipet-Isut (as it was once known by the ancient Egyptians), which was the central focus of the ancient capital city of Thebes. Starting from 1900 BCE when the Temple of Amun was built inside the Karnak complex, Thebes became the capital of ancient Egypt for about 1500 years. This was not only a place of worship of the Theban holy trinity of Amun-Re, Mut and Khonsu, but also the offical residence of the Pharaohs, and the administrative centre of the kingdom.

Karnak's status as not only a temple compound but also as the city center and major hub is what makes it so overwhelmingly massive. In person, its size is quite overwhelming. One of the halls, the Great Hypostyle Hall, is comprised of 134 massive pillars, with each one measuring from 15 meters (50 ft) to 21 meters (69 feet) tall. The pillars are so thick that six people are needed in order to reach all the way around its outside edge. If you can envision the statues of the pharaohs that were once situated in this hall amongst the pillars, then you can easily imagine the scale of Karnak's glory.

It is easy for travellers to reach Karnak, since it is just a short walk from the town center. The opening time is six o' clock in the morning, when the complex is beautifull lit up by the light of dawn. During the evening a different type of illumination can be seen, as Karnak Temple puts on a sound-and-light show, which has been known to hypnotise visitors with its stunning effects set upon such a mystical backdrop.

Learn more about Egypt and get Egypt Physical Map Images at Free Printable Maps.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_J_Pettifer

Karnak Temple - Egypt

Karnak Temple - Sekhmet



Karnak Temple Map

Temple of Luxor

Temple of Luxor Archaeology Information

The Temple at Luxor, Thebes, though founded on an older sanctuary and, like most temples, altered and repaired subsequently, is substantially the work of Amenophis III, apart from a great forecourt, with pylons, added by Rameses II. It was dedicated to the Theban triad, Amun, Mut and Khons. The illustration shows remains of the forecourt, with papyrus-bud capitals and a seated colossus of Rameses, connected by twin colonnades, 53 m (174 ft) long, to a lesser court by Amenophis in the distance. The twin colonnades of bell-capital columns, 12.8 m (42 ft) high, were the only part ever built of a grand hypostyle hall projected by Amenophis, or by the last king of his dynasty, Horemheb. Amenophis III also built a mortuary temple on the west bank at Thebes, but little survives except the twin seated statues of himself, originally 20.8 m (68 ft) high, famous from ancient time as the Colossi of Memnon.

—Sir Banister Fletcher. A History of Architecture. p53.

Temple of Luxor Pictures Gallery

Pharoah Watching Over the Temple Luxor

Sphinx at Temple of Luxor

Sitting Ramesses II Colossus inside Luxor Temple

The central corridor of the temple

Closeup of illuminated red granite obelisk