The temple of Hatshepsut or Deir el Bahri has served as a trace of the major events that happened during the Hatshepsut’s reign. The Hatshepsut temple was built just next to the Mortuary Temple. The temple got damaged big time due to the rock sliding. It however was resorted during the year 1998.

Hatshepsut in English means the Foremost of noble ladies. The Hatshepsut is said to be the fifth ancient Egyptian ruler of the 18th century dynasty in Egypt. The Hatshepsut is considered to be one of the most popular and successful rulers and has a tenure longer than any other women in the entire Egyptian dynasty. Data tell us that the Hatshepsut was the only daughter of Thutmosis I. She was a Pharaoh in other words the strongest lady ruler in Egypt and that was the reason she was pictured in her mortuary temple and other monuments. It is said that the Hatshepsut ruled the place and the kingdom for twenty two years, and when she died she was buried in the Valley of Kings under the supervision of Thutmosis III.

Once her rule was over, her successors defaced all the temples and monuments and very specifically removed her name and replaced it with their own. People say that it is still a mystery, if Thutmosis III out of personal rage and anger ordered to deface her name and figure. However, archeological evidence tells us that her face was defaced almost after 20 years of her death. So it is quite a possibility that some ruler amongst the successor had a long time grudge with the Hatshepsut.

Luxor is a town cum city which is located in the southern Egypt and is called the capital of Luxor governorate. Almost thousands of tourists visit the site every year and contribute a lot to the economy of the town. It has some great historic monuments. The temple of Luxor fulfills the purpose for suitable set of rituals and festivals. The Luxor temple is considered to be the center of attraction in the entire town. A lot of festivals are celebrated in this temple. The most common one is the festival of Opet.

The temple was built by Amenhotep III and Ramesse II. The history of the temple is very interesting and exciting. It is said that during the 18th dynasty the festival were celebrated as a reconciliation of the human aspect of the ruler. During this time the festival used to last for 11 days. However, by the end f 20th century the festival celebration days went up to 27 days which is almost close to a month. More than 11,000 bread slices, close to eighty five cakes and 385 jars of beer was distributed amongst the local town people. The entire town was only into modes of fun and celebration. A procession of the images was carried out & used to be taken to the temple. Herds of crown could be seen dancing, singing and having fun while the procession was carried out. The Luxor temp is a must to see site, if you plan your tip to Egypt. One can hire a well trained guide who can help you show the temple and enrich your experience with his in depth knowledge of the history.

The Sphinx is a mythological animal shaped figure which is portrayed as a recumbent lion that has a human head. The sphinx got its name and origin from in sculpture form, from the old kingdom of Egypt, which the old Greeks used to apply their names when compared to the female monster, which again was a Greek mythological figure. The old and ancient sphinx image pictures as a sitting lioness that has a human head. Only occasionally the lion has a head of the falcon or hawk. This tradition was originally started by the Egyptians, but later was taken over by many other cultures. Then it was a very common site to see a picture of the lion body with the head of any other animal other than the lion.

It is very interesting to know that the main purpose of the sphinx was to guard the temple doors. And such sculptures could be very easily found in the royal tombs as well as religious temples. In fact the first sphinx depicted Hetepheres II of the 4th dynasty and lasted from 2723 to 2563 BC. As per records the largest and the most known sphinx can be seen the great Sphinx of Giza, which is located at the Giza plateau on the bank of river Nile. Researchers’ till date have not been able to find out the exact construction date. However, the head of the sphinx is said to be that of the greatest and the strongest ruler called the Hatshepsut.

The valley of queens is a special place in the Egypt where the wives of the Egypt rulers were buried during the ancient times. The Valleys of Queens in Arabic is called the Wadi el melikat. The older name of this place was Ta-set- Neferu which meant the place of the children of the Egypt ruler in English. During the 18th, 19th and the 20th century many young princess and prince were also buried in this place. The Egyptian rulers however were buried in the valley of Kings. Every notable family member was buried in his or her respective tombs that further were maintained by the mortuary priests. These priests would every day prayer and perform rituals for the deceased identity. The valley of Queens is very close to the Valley of the Kings.

This land was especially chosen for this purpose as it is very barren, isolated and away from the main town. The 18th dynasty kings did not choose to be buried in pyramids, however wanted to be placed in rock cut tombs. The valley together holds more than 70 tombs and many of them look stylish and decorative.

The valley of queens as well as the valley of kings is a must to visit place if you are in the town of Luxor. Every single tomb speaks a story of its own, engulfing many mysteries’ in it. The entire air about the place is different. A lot of visitors have said once you visit the valley, it seems you have formed connection with the other world.

In Kom Ombo, you will see a temple that aims to serve 2 sets of gods at the same time. The Kom Ombo Temple has a double design with 2 entrances and duplicate rooms. The south part of the double temple is offered for gods Sobek (crocodile god of fertility and creation), Hathor (goddess of love, joy and motherhood) and Knhonsu (moon god). The north part is dedicated to Panebtawy (lord of 2 lands), Tasenetnofret (Good sister) and Horus the elder (Falcon god).

The need to build a double structure for the gods is opened up because according to Egyptian mythology, Sobek is an enemy of Horus because of its alliance with the wicked god Seth. In order to appease both alliances, the people of the place built the double Kom Ombo temple. The south part is full of crocodile representations because it is offered for Sobek. The north part is full of falcon representations as a sign of reverence to Horus.

The structure is filled with duplicate architecture. There are 2 courts, 2 colonnades, 2 hypostyle halls, and 2 sanctuaries. Although some of the original items and carvings in the temple are no longer present today, you would still appreciate the unique Egyptian style in the place. Each of the courts before has each set of priests will have its own worship and prayer rituals.

The temple is a brainchild of Ptolemy VI Philometer and was continued by Ptolemy XII building the exterior and interior hypostyle walls full with representations of surgical tools. Due to natural weathering, the temple was slowly disintegrating in the 18th century but due to the efforts of De Morgan he renovated the place circa 1893.

In ancient Egypt, crocodiles were considered as gods. People offer sacrifices to the once vast population of crocodiles in the Nile River. The temple displays several crocodile mummies found near the place.

Ibn Tulun Mosque holds the record of the oldest and largest mosque in Cairo City with its original form intact. It is holds the title of 3rd largest mosque with overall area of 26, 318 square meters. This structure is a representative of the Islamic belief still preserved in Egypt today.

The mosque is constructed in a local hill named Gebel Yashkur (Hill of Thanksgiving) with local claims that Noah’s Ark rested here after the great flood instead of Mount Ararat mentioned in the Bible.

The architecture of the building is inspired by Samarran art usually connected with Abbassid production. Its original structure has an ablution fountain for washing between the inner and outer walls. It was destroyed by fire in 986 AD but restored by later management.

The mosque is enclosed with walls about 19 meters thick surmounted with unique crenellation. The top of the Tulun walls feature repetitive Abassid patterns. It has a minaret that serves as an original landmark of Cairo because of its unique structure made of brick.

Inside the mosque is the prayer hall with wooden roof with accents that were added during the Mamluk period. The whole place is full of Islamic influences with arcades that have Qur’an inscriptions running approximately 2 km. Adding to the Noah’s ark claim, the temple declare that the wall frieze planks were actual parts of the said vessel. The window grills in the place is filled with meticulous carvings of Stucco patterns.

The start of the building construction was in 876 AD under the commission of Ahmad ibn Tulun. The Islamic structure was finished in 879 AD over al-Qata’i (Tulunic Capital of Egypt) during Islamic Egypt under Abbasid dynasty. The glory of Tulunid reign in the place lasted only for about 26 years and somehow affected the once-warm affection on the façade.

Lovers of Egyptian mythology will enjoy this ancient shrine located near the Nile River. The Esna Temple or Temple of Khnum is a sacred shrine at Esna, Egypt dedicated to several gods primarily to Khnum (god of creation and the Nile River) but also to Heka (god of magic), Horus (god of victory) and Neith (god of war).

Esna Temple is built in Ancient Latapolis, about 485 mi south of Cairo. The roof of the building holds an interesting representation of ancient Egyptian astronomy. It supported by 6 sturdy columns decorated with floral patterns of which still holds faint original color.

Hieroglyphs are all over the place from the roof to the walls. You can see representations of Egyptian kings giving cryptographic praise to Khnum. There is a statue of goddess Menhyt in the courtyard. The oldest part of the building, hypostyle hall has doors that are used as entrance and exits of Egyptian priests.

The artifacts and hieroglyphs of the temple are not results of one-time constructions. Tuthmosis III erected the building during the 18th dynasty but Romans and Greeks also incorporated their art influence on the site later resulting to mixed art forms all over the structure.

The site is drowned in its own debris because of old age and natural weathering which adds to its ancient beauty. The interesting view in this temple is complimented by the Nile River where cruise boats can park. The place is accessible to the nearest market which is great for your shopping of local cuisine and goodies.

The Egyptian authorities are constantly renovating the Esna Temple to make sure that it will stand for the future generations to admire. After all, Egypt will not be as magical tourist spot if it were not for its well-preserved artifacts.

City of the Dead (Cairo) is a place that has a strange practice: the residents live with the dead. The four-mile area occupied by piles of tombs and mausoleums also holds a thriving community of live people. Known as El Arafa or “the cemetery” by its residents, City of the Dead is an example of cemetery-cum-city dwelling place. For the modern mind-set, this practice might seem bizarre. For some of its inhabitants, this is their own way of being close with their ancestors. For others, they live here because other places offer harsh accommodation rates. Most of the residents earn their living by being tomb keepers.

This place will give you a taste of Egypt’s urban poor living. Approximately 5 million Egyptians live in the City of the Dead (Cairo) with scattered population in its five main cemeteries namely, Bab el Nasr Cemetery, Northern Cemetery, Southern Cemetery, el Wazir Cemetery and Cemetery of the Great. It is not a surprise that above almost every tomb lives at least one family.

The city is great for anthropological research since the separation of mostly urban poor population from the rest of the Cairo’s residents brings lessons on the different lifestyles. An empty tomb may serve as a family’s sleeping room. A grave marker is good as table for food or desk for belongings. The mausoleum serves as shelter from rain and sun. The people hung wires from gravestone to gravestone and use them to dry the clothes.

Every tourist will consider the immersion on this place as life changing especially in the Northern Cemetery. As you walk through the city/cemetery, you will bask in silence as if you have entered another dimension of enchantment. It is also recommended that you view the rooms holding the coffins of the dead from all generations.

When it comes to the task of reflecting the magnificence of the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, Colossi of Memnon does just that. Known to the locals as es-Salamat or el-Colossat, the site holds 2 colossal stone figures of the Pharaoh.

The statues were erected in 1350 BC in the Theban necropolis along the Nile River near the city of Luxor. Both figures are in a seated pose with hands on knees and a straight gaze eastwards. One of the figures aptly called the Northern statue has a smaller figure on the side resembling the Pharaoh’s mother Mutemwia. The Southern statue has smaller figures of Tiy, Pharaoh’s wife and one of his daughters. On the sides of the sculpture are depictions of Nile gods representing Upper and Lower Egypt.

The Colossi of Memnon is carved out of quartzite sandstone from el Gabal el-Ahmar. The two statues towers a height of 75 ft (23 m) and was originally built by Pharaoh Amenhotep III to act as guards to a Theban temple when he was considered as a living god on earth. The sculptures are heavily damaged due to weathering and human meddling albeit they are still worth the tourist’s visit. Modern travelers name the figures Tammy and Shammy (slang Arabic words for right and left, respectively).

There is a running legend with the sculptures claiming that long ago, a moaning sound can be heard when the sun’s rays hit them in an early morning. The moan was thought to be the sound of King Amenhotep III calling his mother. The sound is said to have disappeared when the Romans attempted to repair the pieces.

Aside from the huge statues, the site also has remaining artifacts. There are 2 headless lion bodied sphinxes and a crocodile tailed sphinx. With the efforts to preserve the remaining artifacts, may the pieces be available to tourists of the future generations.

Perhaps one of the most well preserved statues of a Pharaoh is the Colossus of Rameses II. A 33.8 ft (10 m) statue made out of limestone was found by the Italian Giovanni Caviglia in 1820.

It is presumed that the huge statue was an unfinished work of a skilled artist for Rameses II since the Pharaoh had a fondness of making sculptures of himself more than any other Egyptian royalty. This sculpture is just one of the structures he he’d erected along the entire stretch of Nile.

The tall structure is now housed in a mini museum in Memphis. The statue is cut at its knees but it is still magnificent to view with its original colors faintly intact. The marble surface is observed to have a finely finished cut, which can be only be accomplished through the hands of a skilled artist.

A look at the statue will make you conclude of how the Egyptian art pictures the anatomical features of Egyptian kings. The shoulders are always broad and the muscle and bone structures tend to be exaggerated.

The markings found at the shoulders and chest of the statue are inscriptions of the Pharaoh’s name as a sign of the statue’s ownership. Also noticeable are epithets with message of commendation for the king to the Egyptian gods.

Tall statues like this one are made to stand as “guards” to important places. In this instance, Colossus of Rameses II is one of a pair that was presumed to stand at Ptah monumental temple.

Aside from the tall statue, the open-air museum features other artifacts like the sculpture of Bes, god of Childhood and fertility, and other ancient statues.

Colossus of Rameses II was once offered by Muhammad Ali to the British Museum. However, the museum declined because shipping the whole figure to London is expensive and extremely difficult.