Karnak och Luxor i Egypten - och en kvinnlig farao

On our trip to Egypt in 2005, we hadn't planned much more than sunbathing and swimming. Then it turned out that the beach was confined to a small area behind a wall and the persistent vendors outside made life difficult. Instead, we booked the week full of excursions, which turned out to be very successful.

Table of contents

Our trip to Egypt

Our first joint trip abroad was to Hurghada in Egypt, where we sunbathed, swam, dealt with annoying salesmen and went on an awesome jeep safari in the desert. To make sure we were happy, however, we needed a little bit of more adventure - it was a bus journey to Karnak and the Nile, among other places, with a night in Luxor. It was two very intense days. If you like history, Egypt is a dream!

Temple of Karnak

The Temple City of Karnak is the temple complex in Egypt that was once part of the ancient capital of Thebes. It is located about 3 kilometres north of the Luxor Temple. Fascinating to visit the remains of a civilisation that started over 3000 years before Christ! Hard to imagine what these streets looked like back then ...

READ MORE: What to do in Hurghada - 17 tips for activities and excursions

Luxury temple

The temple that remains in Luxor today was built during the reign of Amenhotep III around the 14th century BC. It includes a 25 metre high obelisk, originally belonging to a couple. The second obelisk was donated to Paris in 1835, in return for the Parisians' help in excavating the temple. However, the French were unable to retrieve the obelisk themselves and had to rely on the Egyptians... The obelisk still stands today in the Place de la Concorde. Perhaps you recognise it?

Boat trip on the River Nile

At some point in your life you want to see the mythical River Nile! The Nile is about 667 kilometres long and ends at Alexandria, on the Egyptian coast towards the Mediterranean Sea. Here we made a boat trip!

READ MORE: Do you dare to travel to Egypt? - our experiences

Memnon's stands

In Kom el-Hetan are the Stodes of Memnon, two 18 metre high seated statues made of quartzite. The statues were named by Greeks who visited the site in ancient times. They believed that the statues represented the hero Memnon from the Trojan War.

Valley of the Kings

In the Valley of the Kings, the ancient Egyptians dug tombs for their kings between 1539 and 1075 BC. To date, around 60 tombs have been discovered here. The most famous is the tomb of Tutankhamun. This young man became Pharaoh at the age of 11 and died at the age of 19. His tomb is famous not because he was a particularly famous pharaoh, but because his tomb was intact (not looted!) when it was found.

READ MORE: Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt - 13 things to do

Hatshepsut - a female Pharaoh

"Think of hot chicken soup and you'll remember the name," said our guide. And I must admit that it has helped! To this day, I remember the name of the female pharaoh who ruled Egypt from 1479-1457 BC.

It was uncommon for women to be pharaohs in ancient Egypt, but according to the Popular History women had a relatively strong position. Women worked and had professions such as scribes and priests. Despite this, being a pharaoh was not common, and Hatshepsut often had himself depicted as a man.

Identified in 2007, Hatshepsut's mummy was considered the country's most significant archaeological find since the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.

Resa till Egypten - Hatshepsuts tempel — Temple of Hatshepsut

Hatshetsup tempel — A popular attraction!

18 Comments

Add yours →

Britt-Marie Lundgren says:

One is certainly impressed by this art of building, and that without any modern tools and aids.
We recognise the experience of having booked a week for relaxation and then managing to fill most of the days of the week with an extensive excursion programme. For us, this is the spirit of travelling; we can probably squeeze in an hour or so with a book on a sunbed too...

07 March 2018 - 6:12

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  We also like to see and experience things on the trip! This time we had not planned so much, but just lying on the small beach would have been boring (although it was nice to relax from time to time). Maybe different if you are into diving or something. But the excursions were very interesting!
  
  07 March 2018 - 8:18
  
Lena - good for the soul says:

What?! A female pharaoh. I've never heard of that. I've also never heard of them having such a strong position! Funny!

Very fascinating environments in the photos!

Hug Lena

07 March 2018 - 6:16

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, it's fun, you just wish it would have gone more forward sometimes, instead of the other way round ... 😉 .
  
  07 March 2018 - 13:50
  
Liniz Travel says:

I wonder if
We were on the same trip! I recognise myself in the pictures. Was t Luxor 2001 when I was in Egypt. Hugs

07 March 2018 - 7:47

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Very possible! These are common destinations if you are in the area.
  
  07 March 2018 - 13:51
  
Travelsis says:

Egypt really has history just as you write. Hot chicken soup became my favourite place when we were there. And without those words, I would never have been able to remember what it was called?/ Pernilla

07 March 2018 - 8:27

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Good to have a little help with memory sometimes 😉 .
  
  07 March 2018 - 13:51
  
Ama de casa says:

Looks very cool! I have never been to Egypt, but I have seen the obelisk in Paris 🙂.

07 March 2018 - 9:50

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  At least you've seen a bit of Egypt 😉.
  
  08 March 2018 - 7:45
  
Mr Steve says:

Here we can talk about the wings of history. Much more pleasant than swimming on a walled beach.

07 March 2018 - 10:13

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  This excursion was the main benefit of Egypt for us! Very interesting history! 🙂
  
  08 March 2018 - 7:46
  
Henny says:

Egypt is extremely fascinating. Would love to go there again melon can live on memories for so long. Fun to relive places via your blog.

07 March 2018 - 14:32

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Nice that you follow our blog Henny! 🙂
  
  08 March 2018 - 7:46
  
BP says:

Hatshepsut - hot chicken soup - hahaha:-) I think more of a hat that the female pharaoh had on her head.
Great pictures and interesting reading. Much more fun than lying on a fenced beach all day.

07 March 2018 - 14:41

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Haha, maybe you could think about the hat too... but I'll continue with the chicken soup, it has worked for many years for me 😉.
  
  08 March 2018 - 7:47
  
Maria's Memoirs says:

Egypt really has an exciting history! I have been to Sharm el Sheikh where it was mostly sun and swimming and a boat trip where we saw colourful fish through the glass bottom of the boat. Had I gone today, I would have chosen to snorkel, if I got some kind of floatation assistance to feel safer 😉 We also made a day trip (2 half nights were spent on the bus) to Cairo and Giza, where we saw pyramids, camels, sphinx and some city views etc.

07 March 2018 - 18:19

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Cairo and Giza also sound incredibly interesting!!! 🙂
  
  08 March 2018 - 7:48

Karnak and Luxor in Egypt - and a female pharaoh

Our trip to Egypt

Temple of Karnak

Luxury temple

Boat trip on the River Nile

Memnon's stands

Valley of the Kings

Hatshepsut - a female Pharaoh

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18 Comments

Britt-Marie Lundgren says:

Helena says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

Helena says:

Liniz Travel says:

Helena says:

Travelsis says:

Helena says:

Ama de casa says:

Helena says:

Mr Steve says:

Helena says:

Henny says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Maria's Memoirs says:

Helena says:

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