Today Jude went to Esna, lots of people go through Esna on their cruise boats but few people actually visit the temple. The back half of the temple is waiting to be excavated but the front is dug out. The temple is far below the level of the village and it made Jude realise how much work goes into excavating …
Jude meets some locals at the colossus
Jude was quite surprised, he thought there were two colossal statues at the temple of Amenhotep III but thanks to the work of archeologists like Dr Hourig more and more are being excavated, reassembled and re-erected. This temple must have been huge and Jude wondered is it went as far south as it does north. It was really exciting to …
Jude goes to Sakara
Jude took the sleeper train to Cairo, he just loved traveling on the upper bunk. Sakara is the oldest stone building and Jude was amazed by the details they copied in stone, doors left ajar, bundles of reeds made into columns, rolled up screens in doorways. The pyramid was built in stages which is why it is in steps, perhaps …
Jude goes back to the Ramasseum
Although Jude has been to the Rammasseum before he went back today in the afternoon this time. He has found that the shadows show him different things in the morning to the afternoon. He wanted to have a good look a the battle scenes at the back of the first pylon. Ramases was so proud of his battle at Kadesh …
Jude rides a camel
Jude thinks camel riding is great fun, he did it at the Red Sea so today he is going to do it in Luxor. He is taking a long ride to the Christian village. On the way he goes past Malkata which is the palace of Amenhotep III and Tutankhamen probably lived there. At the village there is a tiny …
Jude at Abu Simbel
Jude took a long trip to Abu Simbel this week which is why he is late posting. He went by road stopping at the sites on the way and having a look around Aswan. Then he stayed in hotel in Aswan so he could get the early morning convoy to Abu Simbel. In this temple Ramases boasts about his famous …
Jude at Deir el Medina
Today Jude went to the workman’s village at Deir el Medina. He loved seeing how the people lived. The houses are next door to each other so the children would have been in and out of each others houses. The little roads are only the width of a donkey. The workman built the tombs of the Pharaohs in the Valley …
Jude at Tod temple
Today Jude went right off the beaten track to the temple of Tod. This is just outside Luxor but you have to get the tickets in advance at Luxor temple. It is a glorious deserted site where the guardians often don’t see any tourists for days and day. It formed part of the 4 temples dedicated to Montu at Karnak, …
Jude goes to the temple of Merenptah
Today Jude went to the temple of Merenptah, he was surprised how small it was compared to the Ramasseum which was built by his father. Then he was told how long Merenptah had to wait to become Pharaoh. He was 60 and the 13th son, no wonder he only built a small temple. Some Egyptologist think he might have been …