The East Bank of Luxor

Tuesday morning I took an early flight to Luxor. I had plenty of time to explore once I arrived in Luxor since my tour didn't begin until the afternoon. I had no idea where I was supposed to go so I just wandered along the East Bank of the Nile for a few hours. As the sun rose overhead I decided I should start looking for my tour so I went to the Thomas Cook office to ask for help. The cab drivers on the street insisted that all of the cruise ships were down in Esna and I should go there (in their cabs, naturally). It seems that my ship was indeed in Esna, however Nile Tours had another ship in Luxor where I was to meet my party. I went to the ship and was introduced to my tour mates over lunch. Our group included a family from Buffalo, New York, two German women, an Egyptian family that lived in Canada, an older Norwegian couple, three South Africans, an economist from Berkeley and his daughter, and an American girl living in Egypt.

Following lunch our tour guide Josef took us to the Temple of Karnak. The size of the pillars and walls was amazing; it is hard to believe that they are 3500 years old. Josef was a very knowledgeable guide, citing the size and weight of each obelisk and explaining the hieroglyphics to us. There were dozens of statues of several different pharaohs. The statues took two typical forms, one with the pharaohs' arms at his side and one foot forward (produced while the pharaoh was alive) and another with the arms crossed and the legs together (created after the pharaoh died). As we walked down the Avenue of the Sphinxes Josef told us that each Egyptian temple was built along a single axis, narrowing to the sanctuary at the end.

From the Temple of Karnak we continued on to the Temple of Luxor. We arrived on the shore of the Nile just in time to watch the sun disappear for the day. Fortunately the temple was well lit and there were few crowds to contend with. The Temple of Luxor was built primarily by Ramses II, who enjoyed a long rule and was known for his vanity. True to the reputation, the temple was filled with rows of 10 meter high statues of Ramses II. Inside the temple walls we witnessed the evolution of religion in Egypt. An early Christian church had been built during Roman persecution inside the temple and the Mosque of Abu al-Haggag was later built on top of the church. From the Temple of Luxor we were driven to Esna where we boarded our boat for the night. Entertainment was arranged in the bar after dinner, but I was unimpressed by what the tour company had prepared for us. A very unattractive, very bad belly dancer was plucking people out of the crowd at random so I retreated to my room for the evening before I embarrassed myself.

On to the West Bank...