Now in Luxor, we walked, like an Egyptian, all over Valley of the Kings, Al-Deir Al- Bahari Temple, and Valley of the Workers in one fine morning.
In the Valley of the Kings we went inside the tombs of past Ramses, III, IV, and VIII. The deep and longer their tombs, the longer they reigned. Construction of their final resting place was started when they began their rule and only ended when they died. Pharaohs who ruled only a few years barely had a room whereas those who ruled for decades had tunnels and chambers and all sorts of things.
The valley didn't look like anything special from the ground. But that is how it was designed. Nobody was supposed to figure out where all the Pharaoh's afterlife treasures were buried with their owners. But deep inside the rocks were wonderfully preserved paintings and hyrogliphics.
Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed.
Next was Al-Deir Al- Bahari Temple, or Queen Hatshepsut's- Hot Chicken Soup's (what her name sounds like)- temple. She was the only Egyptian woman to be pharaoh and she didn't come by it easily. She lied and bribed her way to the top. But that was rather common. Her husband, a Pharaoh before her, said that the gods told him his illegitimate son he had with a mistress was meant to be Pharaoh. So she went and said she was the daughter of one of the gods, making her half god. I wondered what the normal Egyptian people thought of all this silliness?
The temple
The statues of her were made to be very manly. Hatshepsut wanted to be taken seriously even though she was a woman. She even made her statues with a beard!
Last wad valley of the workers, were the laborers and designers and painters of the tombs lived. If you were one of these people, or one of the children of these people, you could never leave this valley because you knew where the treasures were buried. Bummer, eh?
Remnants of their village
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
