Day 03 - Luxor, Capital of the New Kingdom: Bricks, Ramesseum, Alabaster Shop, Deir el Medina, Carriage Ride

After breakfast and an early morning devotional study of Genesis 15 on the shore of the Nile, we boarded our bus for a family-owned brick making factory where they are still making bricks the same way they have for thousands of years. Getting our hands in the muck ourselves, we experienced a bit of the work of the ancient Israelites, who built the storage cities of the pharaoh brick by brick.

We then headed to the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Rameses the Great (13th c. B.C.). We toured the temple and heard about Rameses’ exploits in the Battle of Qadesh against the Hittites, which was historically a stalemate, but for which Rameses claimed the victory. We saw a new excavation at the site and discussed the Exodus story while standing in the storage facilities of the temple.

We then headed to the Alabaster Shop where we had a demonstration on the ancient art of forming vessels of alabaster stone. After spending time shopping, we arrived at the Nour el Qanar Restaurant at the home of a traditional, Egyptian, Nile-Valley family, where we feasted on roast duck and Egyptian vegetable dishes as well as fresh bread.

The afternoon was spent at the Deir el Madina workers’ village. This was the ancient site of the residences of the workers who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the royal burial site during the New Kingdom period. We visited some painted tombs and saw the “Weighing of the Heart” relief at the Hathor Temple there, which led us into some great biblical discussions.

In the early evening we headed back to town and took a carriage ride through the city for a sunset tour of the Luxor Temple. It was a day full of fantastic experiences, great learning, and inspiring discussions.