Ramsses the 2nd. In Memphis is one of the oldest cities in the ancient world.



The tour provided a very wonderful lunch for us at a hotel then we headed to the Memphis museum to see the statue of Ramsses 2nd.



outside the museum where the statue of Ramsses lays.



An Obolisk



Cartouch



We were told when you see a statue with the left foot in a forward position, that means that the ruler was living at the time the statue was built.  Most of the statues we have seen were built after the passing of the ruler.




One of the several temples in Memphis was dedicated to the goddess Hathor, was built in the reign of Ramsses the 2nd.




Every place we visited had Egyptian vendors trying to push there souvenirs on the tourists.  We were told that this is the only income these people have is to sell to tourists.  There was one more ship coming in when we left then they have 9 months of no tourism.  It is hard to make a living and people are very poor.  I felt bad not to help them out by buying something.  The tour guide cautioned us not to encourage it, because once you did they would never leave you along after that.



This is the Catacomps one of many in Egypt.  The idea here is you would lower the corpse down this well three stories deep.  There are openings where they would use a pulley to place the corpses on a level and then place in a catacomp (similar to honey comb that bees make) small niches where the dead were placed.  The family would hold a feast or celebration in a designated room where the body would be laid to rest.  They would eat and celebrate together.




 



Burial niches, They would lay bodies in these niches.




 


stairway to upper levels of the catacomps



Dining area for the Family of dead, Family feasts honoring the dead.



tomb statue

They have alot of animals in their tomb carvings.



tomb carvings-having to do with the Jackel (which is their god)disembowling the dead.




tomb doorway arch



SAQQAR-late afternoon



Across the court of the Pyramid complex of Djoser (Zoser)  (2667-2648 BC) ,the first king of the 3rd dynasty, standsTHE STEP PYRAMID , close to modern day Cairo. It is believed to be created by one man named Imhotep, He has been called Doctor, Sage, Architect, Astronomer and High Priest. During an excavation in 1924 a pedestal of a statue of Djoser was found.  the statue can be seen in Cairo's Museum. This complex represents the first major work of stone.





 



This is our tour guide in the blue scarf, she is explaining about the corridors and Eygptian writings on the stones and some history behing the "Djoser Complex"



Eygptian writings.




 



The Mortuary Complex of Djoser
A series of corridors and tomb chambers were dug.  Some scholars believe that this tomb was intended for a member of Djoser's family, but not for him.



Sphinx guardian of the horizon



giving the sphinzx a "knuckle sandwich"





A BIG FAT KISS!!!





The Great Sphinx is a national symbol of Egypt, both ancient and modern.  It is an antiquity whose image has stirred the imagination of poets, scholars, adventureres and tourists for centuries.  It was the first colossal piece of sculpture in ancient Egypt, it measures 57 m long d 20 m hight, it is the image of the king who unites human nature with divine and leoine power. The sphinx represents deity with the body of a lion and human head.  Arabs call it "Abu Hol-the father of terror".  The royal head on the lions body symbolizes power and might controlled by the intelligence of the pharoh.  The head dress was a particular way of folding the scarf that was exclussive to Egytian kings.  The sphinx does not have a nose there are many theories, some think that Napoleon's soldiers destroyed it, some say that an Arab historian el Makrizi in AD 1436 damaged it to show people it was just a stone statue, and not a sacred object.  In 150-137 B.C a thousand years after its construction, the desert sand covered the Sphinx.  Then Tuthmosis 1V the great-great grand father of Tutankhamen cleared the sand from the statue.  During the period of Ramesses 2nd (1300 B.C) The statue was again covered with sand.  Marcus Aurelius (160 A.D) carried out new restoration work, the sands again took over the statue except for the head.  Than a famous Arab historian Al-Makrizi who lived in the 11th century  was interested in the sphinx and said there were secret cavitys in the monument which hid a cup that had belonged to Solomon the son of David.  In 1789 scientists of Napoleonic expeditions excavated the monument.



The sphinx with the pyramids of Giza in the background.  They are much closer  in distance than anyone would imagine.

More harassment from the vendors. Day 7 Tues Nov 1st, 2011.

Every time I would pose for a picture this guy behind me riding his camel would come towards us and try to get in our picture and then ask for money because we took his picture.  I loved seeing the pyramids but the harassment was never ending. (HE IS COMING)

(HE IS HERE) it takes forever to get him to leave.

He insisted to be with us the entire time.

Now it is Bills turn,  The guy keeps approaching him to be with his camel and take a picture.  Bill kept saying no, the guy kept approaching him without even listening to him.

Then the guy says something in Arabic to his camel and the camel got closer and closer to Bill.

Closer

Closer

Then he bite him on the shoulder.  Bill said it felt like a hard hit and not a bite.  Can you believe this camel and these aggressive nomads.

It looks like the camel  was taunting us, as he looked my way  as if to say "How do you like those apples".