Egypt- Land of the Pharaohs (Day 11)

Day 11: Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple

 

Egypt- Land of the Pharaohs (Day 10)

Day 10:" The Old Egyptian Museum and Flight to Luxor

We leave Cairo this afternoon  for  Luxor, but prior to heading out of town, Sharif had a bit more to show us.  First stop- the Old Egyptian Museum (predecessor of the GEM).   The museum opened in its present location on November 15, 1902. French architect Marcel Dourgnon designed the neoclassical building after an international competition attracted 87 proposals. It was purpose-built to house Egypt’s antiquities, The building itself is now nearly 125 years old which qualifies as "practically new construction." You can still smell the fresh paint from a century ago.

However, the interior aesthetic is best described as aggressively retro. The display cases scream "ancient," and the dust on the glass is genuinely old enough to qualify for historic license plates.

We really did not have a ton of time before we had to leave for the airport, so we tried hitting the highlights. As we entered the museum, Ramses II was front and center.  He truly had an ego problem, everywhere you turn, there is another Ramses look alike. I wonder if he ever tried to build a giant arch.

Then we saw King Tut’s father, Akhenaten, whose statues look like a Salvador Dalí painting. He ruled somewhere around 1353 to 1334 BCE, and his statues feature a wildly distorted human form. Sharif points out that the facial features, pear-shaped torso, and distinct lack of male genitalia make him look remarkably female. Sharif’s running theory? Akhenaten might actually be history’s very first transsexual pharaoh.

 

Pharaoh Menkaure was the builder of the third pyramid at Giza.He wears the crown of Upper Egypt, a traditional stylized false beard, and a finely pleated  kilt. His left foot advances forward in standard Egyptian regal pose, showing very detailed anatomy.  He is flanked by Hathor, the cow goddess (central deity of love, joy, and sky, )and the Nome goddess (delivering prosperity, offerings, and eternal allegiance to the king.

Next up was the Khufu Statuette. Khufu—or Cheops, because Egypt loves giving you two names to remember just to mess with you—who built the Great Pyramid of Giza. It stood as the tallest man-made building on Earth for over 3,800 years. Yet, his entire physical legacy is a tiny, three-inch ivory sculpture. The guy built the ancient world's largest architectural wonder, but his only portrait is small enough to be a choking hazard. 

We also checked out the Narmer Palette (circa 3200–3000 BCE). It features some of the earliest hieroglyphics ever found and is technically the world's first historical document. Essentially, it’s a 5,000-year-old victory brag commemorating how King Narmer brutally conquered and unified Upper and Lower Egypt.

Life-like statues of Prince Rahotep and his wife Nofret 

 "Khafre Enthroned," is one of the masterpiece sculptures of ancient Egypt. Dating back to the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom (ca. 2520–2494 BCE), this statue represents Pharaoh Khafre (builder of the second largest pyramid at Giza and the Sphinx). 

Finally, we hit the jackpot room: the gallery of Pharaoh Psusennes I. His tomb was found completely untouched by French archaeologist Pierre Montet in 1940. Unlike King Tut, whose tomb looked like it had been through a Black Friday riot, Psusennes was completely undisturbed. We saw two wild pieces:

The Gold Mask: A stunning death mask that easily rivals Tut's. The only reason you haven't heard of it? Tut clearly had a better PR agent.

The Silver Coffin: He was buried in a solid-silver coffin. Fun fact: silver had to be imported,making it way more expensive than gold in ancient Egypt. Talk about a flex.

Twenty-two royal mummies moved to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, on April 3, 2021. But, they did leave a couple, remarkably well-preserved mummies of Yuya and his wife, Thuya, an influential New Kingdom noblewoman who lived during the 18th Dynasty (circa 1430–1375 BCE).

Thuya’s mummy is famous for its long, wavy yellowish-blond curls.  This led to speculation as to her origin, but more recently archeologist have found evidence of chemical hair dyes, including possibly henna as the source of her hair color.  I guess blonds do have more fun.

 

As the clock ticked down to our flight, Sharif realized with utter horror that we hadn't eaten in a whole two hours. To prevent immediate starvation, we made a tactical detour for the “best Shawarma in Cairo.” Our stomachs are desperately looking forward to a few days of fasting and resting while we cruise the Nile.

We made it to the airport by the skin of our teeth for the short flight to Luxor. We’re bunking down at the Hilton tonight, which is billed as the finest Luxor has to offer (it's aggressively meh). Tomorrow, we tackle the Karnak and Luxor temples—assuming our shawarma digestion goes well.