Day 04 - Luxor and the Tombs of the Pharaohs: Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Temple, Medinet Habu

Another beautiful day in Egypt began with a devotional study on the Nile. We looked at the phrase, “Out of Egypt I called my son,” from Matthew 2:15 and Hosea 11:1. Afterwards, our first stop was the Valley of the Kings where the great pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried. This is an extraordinary experience as you enter palacial corridors with breathtaking Egyptian artwork, hieroglyphs, and paintings leading to crypts where the pharaohs once lay. Several from our group also saw the famous tomb of King Tut.

Leaving the valley, we passed by the house where Howard Carter spent years living while excavating in the Valley of the Kings until he discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. We then headed to the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the most famous and enigmatic of the lady pharaohs of Egypt.  

After lunch, we visited the mortuary temple of Rameses III called Medinet Habu. The walls of the temple are fully inscribed with exploits of this pharaoh. We discussed the battle of the Sea Peoples and the fall of the ancient Mediterranean world at the end of the late Bronze Age. Jerrell also led us in reflections on Nekhbet, the vulture goddess of Egypt and the Lord’s care and provision for His people. He also related the striking stance of Rameses to lessons in Moses leadership.

We also stopped at the Colossi of Memnon, the remnants of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, before boarding our river boat for the evening. Tea time on board was spent discussing Egyptian loan words in the Exodus story. All in all it was another 5-star day.