Day 05 - Luxor and the Temples to the Gods: Karnak, Papyrus Shop, Luxor Temple

After breakfast, our day began with a devotion on the sundeck of our river boat which was still docked in Luxor. We then headed to the Karnak Temple, the world’s largest ancient temple complex. Though its founding dates to the early 2nd millennium B.C., various pharaohs throughout history added chapels, pylons and peristyle courtyards to the complex. Karnak also contains records of tbe military exploits of the pharaohs. Shishak, for example, who figures into the biblical story in 1 Kings 14, recorded his campaign conquests city by city, which included sites such as Beth Shesn, Megiddo, and even a reference to the highlands of David.

After Karnak we had a demonstration and time to shop at the papyrus factory in downtown Luxor and ended our morning at an fragrant oils company. During lunch, our riverboat set sail, and we began our journey up river toward Aswan. Tea time was spent discussing possible candidates for the pharaoh of the Exodus.