Dendera Temple Complex – Hathor Temple

Dendera Temple Complex or Hathor Temple, the magnificent temple, is the best-preserved temple in Egypt. It lies on the west bank of the Nile River in Qena city, north of Luxor.

The history of Dendera Temple Dendera city houses a necropolis containing mastabas dating back to the Early Dynastic Period.

The remains of Dendera Temple dates back to the first dynasty, but the current one is back to the Greco-Roman period during the era of the Ptolemy Auletes.

This temple was dedicated to worshipping the goddess Hathour, the goddess of love, music, and maternity.

Let’s have a tour in Dendera Temple It was established on 40,000 square meters. You will enter from the gateway established during the Roman Emperor Domitian. Then you will move to the great hall decorated with columns holding the face of goddess Hathour. Finally, you will see the Holy of Holies, where the triad (the god Horus, the goddess Hathour, and their son Ihy), and astonished with its magnificent ceiling, decorated with stars.

Dendera Temple - Egypt Vacation Tours
Dendera Temple 

Here, you will find stairs leading to the roof, where several festivals occurred as the celebration of the New Year.

In Hathor Temple, you will be fascinated with its well-preserved inscriptions.

Dendera Temple Inscriptions - Egypt Vacation Tours
Dendera Temple Inscriptions

Also, it is famous with the zodiac of Dendera. It includes the twelve figures as the ram, the bull, the heavenly twins, the crab, the lion, the virgin, the scales, the scorpion, the archer, the goat, the watering pots, and fishes with glittering tails. A sketch was made of it during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. In 1820 it was removed from the temple ceiling by French colonizers and replaced with a fake. The real one is now in the Louvre.

Dendera Zodiac- Egypt Vacation Tours
Dendera Zodiac

Additionally, the relief of the light Dendera. It is one of the ancient Egyptian secrets. Do you believe that the ancient Egyptians knew the lightbulb?

Dendera light - Egypt Vacation Tours
Dendera light

Egyptian Monuments illuminate the World

The Egyptian monuments illuminate for the world. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Egyptian government launched the initiative that is the illumination of the Egyptian sightseeing as the great pyramid of Cheops in Giza plateau and Cairo Tower to send a message for the whole world. This message contains (Stay Home – Stay Save). This message aims to urge people to stay at their homes to reduce the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 and protect themselves from it.

Also, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities did not forget to thank doctors and nurses in this message to express their appreciation to them. The message was (Thank you to those keeping safe) what referring that they are working hard for day and night in hospitals to treat patients and sacrifice their lives for us.

It is a pleasure for Our team to join in this initiative (Egyptian monuments illuminate for the world) by providing several articles about Egypt’s historical sites and sightseeing. We hope to be safe.

Additionally, we are launching another initiative under the slogan (Experience Egypt from Home. Stay Home. Stay Safe). In this initiative, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities collaborated with scientific and archaeological institutes to create virtual reality tours for several attractions in Egypt.

1 – The Tomb of Menna

2 – The tomb of Queen Meresankh III

3 – The Red Monastery

4 – the Mosque, Madrassa (School) and Khanqa of Sultan Barquq

5 – Ben Ezra Synagogue

6 – Beni Hasan Necropolis

7 – The Catacombs of Alexandria

8 – The tomb of Ramses VI

9 – The Coptic Museum

10 – The Zoological Museum 

Dakhla Oasis – The Western Desert

Dakhla Oasis in the Western Desert is one of the seven Egyptian oases. It is located in the New Valley Governorate, between Farafra and Kharga Oases. It is famous for housing beautiful verdant gardens of dates and olives.

The history of Dakhla Oasis 1 – Dakhla Oasis has a great history. Some specialists think that during Prehistory, nomadic hunter-gatherers began to settle almost permanently in the Dakhleh oasis in the period of the Holocene.

2 – It did not have a great position during the Pharaonic period.

3 – During the Roman period, there is a monastery is called Deir el-Hagar or Monastery of Stone in the English language. This monastery was established by the Roman Emperor Nero and was dedicated to the Theban triad (Amun-Ra – Mut-Khonsu).

Deir el-Hagar - Egypt Vacation Tours

4 – During the 12th century, the Qasr ad-Dachla was built. It is a fortified Islamic town housing Ottoman and Mamluk buildings founded by mud brick.

Qasr ad-Dachla - Egypt Vacation Tours

Abydos Temple – Temple of Seti I

Abydos Temple lies in Sohag Governorate, north of Luxor. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt.

The history of Abydos City Abydos was one of the oldest cities of the ancient Egyptian civilization. It had a great position, as the ancient Egyptians thought that the god Osiris (the god of the dead and the underworld) was buried there. So it became a destination for pilgrims and kings of the 1st and 2nd dynasties who decided to found their tombs and temples in this holy city as king Narmer, the first king of a unified Egypt.

Let’s take a tour of Abydos Temple, or Temple of King Seti I. Firstly, you should know that this temple was constructed by King Seti I and completed by his son, the great King Ramesses II. You will note that the design of this temple takes the shape of an “L” letter.

The façade takes the shape of a square-columned façade with 12 massive pillars. This façade leads to 7 chambers dedicated to 7 ancient Egyptian gods, who are Ptah, Ra Hor Akhty, Amun-Re, Osiris, Isis, Horus, and king Seti I as a god.

Abydos Temple - Egypt Vacation Tours 1
Abydos Temple

This temple distinguishes with its inscriptions, which depicted king Seti I and king Ramesses II giving offerings to many gods.

Abydos Temple Inscriptions - Egypt Vacation Tours 1

But what distinguishes this temple is that it contains the Abydos King List, the complete list of ancient Egyptian kings. This list is from the 19th dynasty. It is a chronological list showing 76 cartouches of the most dynastic pharaohs of Egypt from Menes until Seti I.

Abydos King List- Egypt Vacation Tours
Abydos King List

Also, there is a mysterious relief showing a Helicopter. Do you think the ancient Egyptian knew Helicopters? Our experts will till you during your tour.

Helicopters - Egypt Vacation Tours
Helicopters

Beni Hassan in Al Minya Governorate

Beni Hassan Necropolis is an important historical site in Al Minya Governorate. It is located on the east bank of the Nile River.

The importance of Beni Hassan Necropolis in Al Minya Governorate The golden history of Beni Hassan began during the middle kingdom in ancient Egyptian civilization, as local rulers and military ‎leaders built their tombs there. It houses approx. 39 carved tombs in a limestone hill. These tombs reflect the power of the high officials at that time.

To know more about these tombs: These tombs are distinguished by their decorations presenting the daily life of ancient Egyptians, especially sports as wrestling, violent warfare, and military training.

Let’s tour these tombs: 1 – Kheity tomb: Kheity was a governor of the Nome during the 11th dynasty, the first intermediate period. The scenes in this tomb show the daily life activities, such as hunting in the deserts and soldiers playing some sports. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities launched a virtual reality tour for the Kheity tomb.

2 – Baqete III tomb: Baqete III was the father of Kheity. He was the governor of the nome during the 6th dynasty, the old kingdom. The scenes in this tomb depict the same theme of other tombs in Beni Hassan Necropolis, but the different depiction is showing Baqete III in battles taking place in the 6th ‎dynasty.

3 – Khnumhotep tomb: Khnumhotep was a governor during king Amenemhat III period in the 12th dynasty, middle kingdom. Like other tombs, this tomb has depictions of daily life activities and military training during the Middle Kingdom. Besides, it includes the biography of Khnumhotep. It is written in 222 columns.

Tell El-Amarna in Al Minya Governorate

Tell El-Amarna lies in Al Minya Governorate on the east bank of the Nile River. It is also called Akhetaten. It was the capital of ancient Egypt during king Akhenaten or Amenhotep IV period in the eighteenth dynasty.

The history of Tell El-Amarna city After king Amenhotep IV become the ruler in the 18th dynasty, he believed in the god Aten (the solar disk). But the god Amun was the main god of Egypt in that time.

  • He changed his name to be Akhenaten, meaning effective for the god Aten.
  • He transferred the ancient Egyptian capital from Thebes to a new place, where no god was worshiped before to establish his new town, Akhetaten, meaning the horizon of Aten.

When king Akhenaten constructed Akhetaten, he surrounded it with official boundary stelae to determine the borders of the city.

After king Akhenaten, this city had been deserted, and the priests of Amun reopened temples and returned the cults as old age.

  • He announced the god Aten, the main god of ancient Egypt, eliminated other gods, and closed temples. Aten took the shape of the solar disk with human hands holding (Ankh) sign referring that Aten god giving life to humans.

The origin of the name Tell El-Amarna The name Amarna comes from the Beni Amran tribe living in the area, which founded a few settlements.

This site should be distinguished from Tell Amarna in Syria, a Halaf period archaeological tells.

Let’s go on a tour in Tell El-Amarna Tell Al-Amarna city contains several attractions back to the Amarna period as the royal palaces and tombs and tombs of high officials as Hoya, Ahmos, Meriri, and Maho. All of these sightseeing depict a new type of art called Amarna art.

Hurghada and its New Museum

Now you will be to get a different experience in Hurghada city. Enjoy this article about Hurghada and its New Museum provided by Our team to know about this unique experience.

Hurghada is considered one of the most famous beach resort town in Egypt. It stretches some 40 km along the Red Sea coast.

Hurghada - Egypt Vacation Tours 1

In Hurghada resort, you will be able to entertain the beach tourism with windsurfing, waterskiing, snorkeling, and diving to see colored fishes and coral reefs. Additionally, you will enjoy walking through its famous markets as El Dahar area and El Sakala to see Bazaars, Cafes, Hurghada Marina, and Hurghada port.

Hurghada - Egypt Vacation Tours
Hurghada - Egypt Vacation Tours 2

But with the opening of Hurghada Museum, a new type of tourism is added to Hurghada. It is cultural tourism.

Hurghada and its New Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours 1
Hurghada Museum

Let us take you on a tour in this museum The concept of Hurghada museum is presenting the beauty and luxury in Egypt throughout history through exhibiting approximately 2000 pieces selected from museums and storehouses in Cairo.

One of the masterpieces in this museum is the statue of Queen Meret Amun the daughter of king Ramesses II, displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, besides the portrait of Princess Fatma, daughter of Khedive Ismail.

Princess Meritamun - Egypt Vacation Tours
Princess Merit Amun
  • Furniture and cosmetics used by ancient Egyptians as jewelry, creams, perfumes, hair accessories, and clothes.
  • Musical instruments and scenes from dance and musical performances.
  • Sports by exhibiting the scenes of hunting and fishing in the Nile River.

Manial Palace Museum in Al Rawda

Have you ever visited a royal palace? Do you want to do that and see designs from various cultures and countries? Manial Palace Museum in Al Rawda Island allows you to do this easily.

The history of Manial Palace Museum It belongs to Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfiq, a member of Muhammad Ali Pasha’s family. He decided to establish this palace to be his rule seat because he became the crown prince many times.

Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik - Egypt Vacation Tours
Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik 

Let’s go on a tour in Manial Palace Museum It is good to be mentioned that Prince Mohamed Ali put the design of this palace by himself and this is documented on the slab placed on the gate.

After entering from the main gate, you will find the reception building, containing two floors, and has different rooms decorated with different styles like the Levantine hall and the Moroccan hall. Prince Mohamed Ali dedicated it to receiving his guests in ceremonies. 

the reception building - Egypt Vacation Tours (2)
The Reception Building

After that, you will see the mosque. He was very keen on containing a mosque in this complex.

The Mosque - Egypt Vacation Tours
The Mosque 

Then go to the residential building, where bedrooms, dining room, and office room.

The Residential Building - Egypt Vacation Tours
The Residential Building 

Are you ready to be impressed? Now you will enter the throne hall, where Prince Mohamed Ali dreamed to rule Egypt. It distinguishes with the decorations on the ceiling presenting the sun disk with its golden rays.

The Throne Hall - Egypt Vacation Tours
The Throne Hall

This building consists of two floors. On the second floor, there are three rooms. The first one is the Abison room. It is called with its name because its walls are covered with Abison fabric.

After that, the summer salon where they are used to stay in the summer season because of the Iranian faience covering the walls providing cool the atmosphere.

Then the winter salon where they are used to stay in the winter season because its walls are covered with wood for warming the climate.

The winter room - Egypt Vacation Tours
The winter room 

At the end of your tour, you will visit the hunting museum, displaying mummified animals, birds, and reptiles hunted by Khedive Tawfiq and Prince Yusef Kamal.

Ancient Egyptian Agriculture

Agriculture is a vital aspect in any community, and in the ancient Egyptian community, it was the main source of life and economy.  The ancient Egyptian community knew that agriculture in predynastic times enabled them to transform an expanse of semiarid land into rich fields. The ancient Egyptians are credited with being pioneers in practicing agriculture on a large scale.

The ancient Egyptian kings wanted to develop agriculture, so they built dams and dug canals.

The seasons of agriculture in ancient Egypt: The ancient Egyptians divided their year according to the seasons of agriculture:

1 – Flood Season: The ancient Egyptians called this season Akht. The annual flood of the Nile River was one of the main factors that helped the ancient Egyptians succeed in agriculture. It leads to creating fertile soil, allowing for the planting of crops. They worshiped it as a god, called it with (Hapi), and gave it offerings.

2 – Sowing Season: The ancient Egyptians called this season Beret. After the receding of the flood, the ancient Egyptian farmers started to sow the seeds in the fertile soil left by the flood.

3 – Harvest Season: The ancient Egyptians called this season Shomu. After the growing of the crops, the ancient Egyptian farmers started to collect them in huge celebrations.

The main crops in ancient Egyptian civilization: The ancient Egyptians were used to grow Wheat, barley, flax, and papyrus.

Abdeen Palace Museum

Abdeen Palace Museum is one of the most sumptuous palaces in Egypt. It was the seat of the ruler. It dates back to Muhammad Ali Pasha’s family.

Khedive Ismail established Abdeen Palace in 1863 on an area of 25 feddans and used it as the headquarters of the ruling instead of the Citadel of Saladin. The construction continued for 10 years, and the palace was officially inaugurated in 1874.

Abdeen Palace was originally built on land belonging to (Abdeen Bey), an Ottoman Turkish nobleman. So the palace was named later Abdeen Palace.

Abdeen Palace Museum consists of a ground floor for ruling, the first floor for residence, a garden, and annexes for the palace service. Also, the arms museum and the medals and decorations museums were built by king Fuad I and his son King Farouk in 1928.

The palace was restored and completely developed, regaining its historical splendor. The upgrading included both the arms museum and the medals and decorations museum.

Three museums are added later. These museums are the Historical Documents Museum, the Silver Museum, and the Presidential Gifts Museum.