Great Place in The World: The Sphinx of Egypt
The Sphinx. This sculpture, which depicts a lion with a human face (is believed to represent the pharaoh Khafra, at least, wears on his head the typical klaft, mantle worn by the pharaohs) is contemporaneous with the pyramids, is 70 meters long and 20 high. To build it, took a mound of limestone on the plains, who carved and filled with stone blocks. When I had a thousand year old Pharaoh Tuthmosis IV between his legs made carve a scene depicting a dream in which the Sphinx gave him the throne in return for saving her to die buried under the desert sand.
More than a thousand years later, in Roman times, a shrine was excavated within the Sphinx. And when the Sphinx and more than four thousand years after these changes came to be destructive rather than constructive: the first iconoclasts, and the Mamluks then mutilated the monuments, damaging his tearing eyes and nose. Here we see a first example, although unfortunately not the last, which shows that among the capabilities of man is not only to build wonders, but also destroy them.
The voice of the Sphinx was for millennia his profile as fascinating as mysterious .- For many, the impassive face and wise smile came to embarrass the lost wisdom of the ancient world. His intriguing structure appears to have been built with stone from the quarry exhausted almost used to the pyramids of Giza. Around 2700 BC C.
The stonemasons cut the best and most solid rocks to the Great Pyramid and then transformed these remains masons in the Great Sphinx, sculpting his large head with idealized features of Pharaoh Khafre, with full royal headdress .- Over the centuries , sand storms threatened to swallow the Sphinx, resulting in one of his most enduring legends about 1400 a. AD, when the Sphinx was buried up to his neck, a prince who was hunting stopped to rest in its shadow and fell fast asleep. In dreams he heard the voice of the Sphinx promised to become ruler of Egypt. When he awoke, the prince suggested the word ity meet in dreams. He completed the task shortly after ascending the throne as Pharaoh Thutmoses
My girlfriend and I just got back from Egypt 2 weeks ago and also wanted to recommend “Your Egypt Tours,” a tour company we found on the internet when were planning our trip to North Africa. The actual website (www.youregypttours.com) is great because it’s very easy to navigate and you find what you are looking for right away. Also, the customer service was excellent! We always received prompt responses to our inquiries.
So we were looking for a classical tour that was not only affordable but that also included the three cities we wanted to visit because we had read so much about them in our travel guide books: Cairo for sure, Luxor because of its famous open-air museums and Aswan so we could enjoy the beauty of the Nile River. We wanted a classical tour because we appreciate comfort and also don’t like to feel rushed while on vacation, which was our experience when we travelled to Jordan on an adventure tour in 2008. After considering our different options for tours, we booked one of their classical tours called “Egypt Nile Cruise 8 days/7 nights.” It was the best decision we made in planning our trip to such an amazing country. Because we had a fantastic time, we wanted to share our experiences with you all!
We arrived at Cairo airport a Thursday morning, and Muhammad, a very nice guy, was there to greet us and to help us out with our bags and also the paperwork to get into Egypt. He then drove us to our hotel which had a spectacular view of the Nile River! The following day, we met our tour guide for the entire trip. His name was Adel Abu el Naga. Adel was very friendly and polite, a nice guy! Since he is an Egyptologist, he was very knowledgeable about Egyptian history but also gave us great insight into his culture and people.
While in Cairo, we visited what we considered the most amazing ancient sites we have ever seen in our lives. I’m talking about the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx. Wow! We got to see the only remaining monument of the 7 wonders of the world! It was just breathtaking, just magnificent! After that, we went to the Egyptian museum which has an amazing collection of artifacts, especially the Tutankhamun collection. We couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if the government would invest money in remodeling the museum and display the artifacts better… Anyway, after a busy day sightseeing, Adel took us to one of his favorite local restaurants in Cairo that we loved called “Gad Restaurant.” The lamb stew is a must!!! We then headed back to the hotel to get ready for our short flight to Luxor with Adel. It was fun traveling with him since he had many stories to share about his experience as a tour guide meeting so many foreigners over the years.
When we arrived in Luxor, a driver was waiting for us and took us to our cruise ship, and we checked in with no problem. The next day, we got up early to go visit the Valley of the Kings (a must see!), and then at night we had a nice and relaxing dinner on board our cruise ship. The following days were full of excursions to more ancient historical sites such as the Temples of Horus and Sobek, which were our favorite ones because of their carved reliefs. Adel was great at narrating the history behind these temples. He knows so much about Egyptian history and is very passionate and proud of his heritage! He would be a great guide to have if you ever decide to go to Egypt.
We also went on a felucca ride on the Nile River to the Elephantine Island, which was very peaceful! One of the things that we enjoyed the most was watching the sunset from the deck of our cruise ship; it was an unforgettable experience! We spent our last day doing souvenir shopping in Aswan. Adel was so helpful and even gave great tips on improving our bargaining skills! There, you really need to know how to bargain, otherwise you can pay triple the price or more! We then headed back to Cairo to return home.
During this trip, we met so many wonderful people, including the ship crew who went out of their way to please us, excellent service! We will definitively use Your Egypt Tours when we go back to Egypt. This time, we want to explore the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. We’ve heard that it’s paradise! Thank you Your Egypt Tours, especially Adel, you truly made our trip an unforgettable one!
We wish you all good travels in 2010!