Ahlan wa sahlan (Welcome) to Live from Egypt Entry #4.
On the West Bank of Luxor, the Valley of the Queens, Valley of the Kings, and the Valley of the Nobles can be seen. One landmark that I truly enjoyed was the temple of the great female pharaoh, Hatshepsut. She was one of only 3 women to have ruled Egypt.
Carved into sheer limestone rock, the temple has three floors and is simply picturesque; as you see in this photo it looks like the background is "fake," but trust it is real!
It is said that Hatshepsut wore a fake beard
so she could be accepted as a pharaoh, as you can tell in the picture she certainly had something hanging from her chin.
There were many hieroglyphics throughout the temple, very intricate in detail and rich in color. We learned that the Egyptians used egg whites, flowers and oil to make their colors.
You may not be able to see, but the images are deeply embedded in the stone. Why you may ask? Because when a pharaoh "left office" for whatever reasons, it was not uncommon for the replacement, particularly when there was a problem between the outgoing and incoming leader to ruin or destroy previous structures. The deeper the image into the stone, the harder it is to deface and change.
For the Valley of the Kings, it dates back to around 16th to the 11th centuries BC as a necropolis of the Pharaonic Egypt's New Kingdom dynasties. It is believed to have been used for around 500 years, and is the resting place of the kings and other nobles of the 18th and 21st dynasties.
Unfortunately I do not have any images of the Valley of the Kings or Nobles because cameras were not permitted.
Until next time...
Salam alekum (Peace be with you)
4 comments:
Trent, great pics. I have shared with one of my colleagues, who is studying Egypt with her class for "international Night". Hopefully she will use your blogs as a way to show the kids Egypt's history,culture, etc.
Whit
Great Stuff! Thanks for sharing!
Ah...yes! She wore a false beard! =) And I HAVE TO ADD....It was not because she needed to pose as some MAN - because MANY WOMEN RULED Egypt quite successfully i.e. Merneith, Nefertiti, Cleopatra (which makes you wonder why certain societies STILL hinder the development of their women....) The false beard was worn by pharaohs to mimic the Egyptian God Osiris.
@Anonymous - That is great. I hope the blog can incite the kids to want to learn more about Egypt!
@Markesha - Thank you for reading the blog and sharing with others.
@Rita Kumari - Thank you for your input. Please note that Queen Nefetari, the favorite wife of Rameses, I believe the III also ruled. But she, like the other women you mentioned in your note were not pharoahs. Hatshepsut wore a fake beard so she could be accepted as a pharaoh, in her case her step-son wanted to rule, but she was chosen. But I agree there are women in socities that may be hindered, but sometimes that hinderance is cultural - out of "respect" for the women.
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