Day 04 - The Quest for Eternity: Medinet Habu, Hatshepsut's Temple, Valley of the Kings,

Our fourth day in Egypt began with an early start to Medinet Habu, the mortuary temple for Ramses III. Before you start wondering how many temples we will see and how they must look all alike, you must remember that each temple is unique. This one for example is the only one has a temple to Ramses III, along with his palace next-door. On the right-hand side are the ruins of an early Christian village. All throughout the temple are various depictions of the Pharaoh smiting his enemies, some of whom were the Philistines. One relief even shows a pile of human hands, which was the practice of the time for counting victims of defeat. Throughout the temple are many depictions of the name of Ramses III, carved so deeply you can reach your fist inside, reinforcing their desire to be remembered and immortalized. 

On the other side of the mountain from Medinet Habu is Deir el Bahri, the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, a female pharaohs who ruled Egypt around 1300 BC. Hatshepsut lost her husband, and her infant son was too young to rule, so she ruled as Pharaoh, dressed in men’s clothing and a false beard. Her rule more than 21 years was one of prosperity, building projects, trade expeditions, and overall well-being for the country. 

Our last stop of the day was the famous Valley of the Kings on the West Bank of the Nile. After the period of the Pyramids, burial practices changed. In order to avoid looting in to preserve their ancestors, people began burying royalty in tombs in this valley. We had the opportunity to visit several tombs including Ramses V and VI, King Tut, Merenptah, Ramses the III and Seti II. The interior paintings (painted with a form of tempera paint made from mineral powder, flour and eggs) were incredibly detailed and breathtakingly beautiful, even after thousands of years!

We then headed back to our cruise boat for a late lunch and sailed further south. This weather is fantastic - 80 degrees and sunny! There is so much to love about Egypt!

* the videos depict the tomb of Seti II and view of our cruise boat on the Nile River