Latitude/Longitude: 24° 24'
00" N/033° 01' 00" E
Although the name is not as familiar as Karnak or Giza,
the magnificent temples here are some of the most
recognized images in Egypt. As famous for their
relocation ahead of the construction of the new Aswan
dam as for the temples themselves, these structures are
located on the western bank of what is now Lake Nassar,
180 miles south of Aswan in what was once known as Nubia.
The two temples were built by Ramesses II (the Great);
the larger features four massive statues of Ramesses
seated on thrones, carved into the walls of the temple.
The smaller temple was built in honor of Ramesses’ wife
Nefertari, and was dedicated to Hathor, goddess of love,
music, and beauty. It also features figures carved into
the stone of the temple itself. Beginning in 1964 in a
feat of archaeological engineering, these temples were
cut into blocks and reassembled at a new location
further away from the rising waters of the Nile.
Back To Up
Alternative Names: Fashn;
Fashn; El Fashn;
Latitude/Longitude: 28° 49'
22" N/030° 53' 52" E
A small agricultural village in the governate of Beni
Suef, in Upper Egypt.
Alternative Names: Nikhâb,
Ancient Town of; Nekheb; Nekhab, Ancient Town of; Satma
Kob; Kobba; Kobb; Koba; El-Kâb; Eileithyiaspolis;
Eileithyaspolis; Ancient Town of Nikhab Eiteithyiaspolis
Latitude/Longitude: 25° 07'
10" N/032° 47' 50" E
This region refers to two ancient sites on either side
of the Nile, Nekheb on the east and Nekhen on the west.
Both cities served as religious centers as early as the
pre-Dynastic periods, but also flourished during the
Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Nekheb was dedicated to the
vulture goddess, Nekhbet, patron goddess of Upper Egypt.
Nekhen served for sometime as the capital of Upper Egypt
and was dedicated to the falcon god Horus; however, the
city was later supplanted in importance by Edfu. In
addition to numerous tombs, excavated areas also yielded
two complete and one partial human-faced masks, used
during the Fourth Dynasty.
Alternative Names: Karnak; El
Kharnâk; El Karnak
Latitude/Longitude: 25° 43'
00" N/ 032° 39' 00" E
Second only to the Pyramids at Al Jīzah in popularity
with tourists, Karnak refers to the huge temple complex
on the east side of the Nile, in Upper Egypt. Often
referred to as one temple, Al Karnak is actually a
series of temples, built and enlarged over a period of
at least 1300 years, beginning in the 16th century BCE
and contributed to by approximately 30 pharaohs,
extending into Ptolemaic times. The complex is dedicated
to Amon-Re, the King of the Gods. The complex also
includes red granite obelisks, pylons, or great gates to
the complex, and an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, each
holding a small figure of Amon-Re between its paws.
Alternative Names: Aswân;
Aswân; Syeue; Syene; Syena; Es-Suan; Assuan; Assouan
Latitude/Longitude: 24° 05'
15" N /032° 53' 56" E
Located at the first cataract on the Nile, modern Aswan
is a small town on the east bank which faces the desert
on the west bank. It is in what was called Nubia, and is
the southernmost town of consequence in Egypt. It is a
favorite tourist destination because of its proximity to
numerous sites of interest. The island of Elephantine
has evidence of civilizations existing before the
dynasties of ancient Egypt, and apparently housed a
Jewish community as well. The Temple of Isis and Kiosk
of Trajan on Philae Island, like the structures at Abu
Simbel, were deconstructed and rebuilt on New Philae (Agilkia)
Island during the 1960’s. The region is also the site of
enormous granite quarries, which provided much of the
building materials used in ancient temples and statuary.
Back To Up
Alternative Names: Tentyra;
Denderah; Dandara
Latitude/Longitude: 26° 10'
09" N/ 032° 39' 19" E
Located in Northern Upper Egypt, this city was an
important administrative capital from the end of the Old
Kingdom to the end of the Middle Kingdom, and according
to legend, was the site of a battle between the god
Horus and the evil god Seth. Although some of the finds
there were very old, including catacombs of sacred
animals, the majority its archaeological remains date
from the Roman era. Certainly the most impressive
structure is the temple of Hathor, originally built much
earlier but reworked and dedicated to the reign of
Tiberius Caesar (14-37 CE). It features columns bearing
the face of Hathor, as well as inscriptions of Cleopatra
and her son Caesareon; numerous astrological and
astronomical charts are engraved in the walls and
ceilings as well. When Napoleon visited the area he
found an entire Arab village living inside the temple;
evidence of their fires can still be seen on some of the
ceilings.
Back To Up
Alternative Names: Deir el
Baḥari, Ḥôḍ el
Latitude/Longitude: 25° 20'
00" N/ 032° 34' 00" E
This location, situated in a natural rock amphitheater
on the Western bank of the Nile, directly across from
Karnak, and marking the entrance to the Valley of Kings,
is most known for the beautiful temple of Queen
Hatshepsut, a pharaoh of the New Kingdom. However,
remains of two other temples can be found there, as well
as a number of private tombs. A shaft tomb was found to
contain forty royal mummies from the 11th Dynasty, which
had apparently been reinterred there by 21st Dynasty
priests. The mummies of priests were also found there.
But Queen Hatshepsut’s temple is by far the most
important aspect of the site, and the temple’s beauty
has been compared to the Parthenon. Its reliefs and
paintings have been carefully restored.
Back To Up
Alternative Names: Idfū Bahri;
Idfu Bahari; Edfu; Edfou; Apollonopolis Magna
Latitude/Longitude: 24° 58'
00" N/ 032° 52' 00" E
Located in Upper Egypt on the west bank of the Nile,
Idfū is home to an almost perfectly preserved temple
dedicated to the gods Horus, his wife Hathor, and their
son Harsomtus, built during the Ptolemaic era. Almost
completely buried in sand until excavated in 1860, it
has yielded inscriptions, many still revealing their
color. A stunning statue of Horus as the falcon stands
guard at the temple, which contained numerous rooms,
some used for the mixing of magical ointments. Not only
is this the best preserved temple in Egypt, it is also
the second largest, after the temple at Karnak.
Back To Up
Alternative Names: Latopolis;
Latopolia; Latónpolis; Esneh; Esna; Asnā
Latitude/Longitude: 25° 17'
35" N/ 032° 33' 10" E
Although a door jamb of the Temple of Khnum is from the
18th Dynasty, the rest of the temple located here dates
from the age of the Ptolemies and the Romans. The site
was called Latopolis by the Greeks, in honor of the Nile
Perch, and many graves attest to the veneration of the
fish. The Temple, however, is dedicated to the ram
headed god, a creator deity. Today, the city has a large
Coptic community.
Back To Up
Alternative Names: Al Uqşur;
Luqsor; Luksor; Louksor; El Uqsor; El Qusur; El Kusur;
El Aqsur; El-Aksur
Latitude/Longitude: 25° 41'
00" N/ 032° 39' 00" E
Luxor is actually not one location, but three: under the
name of “Luxor” you will find the city itself, on the
east side of the Nile, the archaeological complex of
Karnak only a short distance north of Luxor, and Thebes,
which is on the west side of the Nile directly across
from Luxor. Even the modern city of Luxor has a
pharaonic look to it, as much of its building was
completed during the period of Howard Carter’s
excavation of King Tut’s tomb. In addition to the
Mummification Museum, the city has another museum of
local finds. Luxor is the base for trips out to the
Valley of Queens, Thebes, and numerous other temples and
tombs. This area has been a major tourist attraction
since ancient times, and may indeed be referred to as
the world’s largest open air museum.
Back To Up
Latitude/Longitude: 20° 00'
00" N/ 032° 00' 00" E
A region in the southernmost portion of modern Egypt.
Today the region is partially in Egypt while the rest is
in Sudan.
Back To Up
Alternative Names: Fīlah,
Jazīrat
Latitude/Longitude: 24° 01'
00" N/ 032° 53' 00" E
Called “The Pearl of Egypt,” Philae was an island in the
area of Aswan, in the southern portion of Upper Egypt,
and it was the location of the Temple of Isis and the
Kiosk of Trajan as well as a few other temples. After
the construction of the Old Aswan Dam, the island was
partially submerged during certain times of the year,
and algae discolored the stone as well as eroded some of
the reliefs. The situation became more serious after the
new Aswan High Dam was built, and the island was
completely submerged, thus washing away the paintings
that adorned the buildings. With help from UNESCO and
Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, a coffer dam was
built around the island, and the monuments were moved,
stone by stone, to nearby Agilka island, which was
carefully landscaped to look as much like Philae as
possible.
Back To Up
Alternative Names: Osymandyas,
Tomb of
Latitude/Longitude: 25° 44’
00” N/032° 37' 00" E
Although this much-visited site, located on the Theban
necropolis on the west bank of the Nile across from
Luxor, is the home to several temples, this site is
known to most westerners as the site of the Tomb of
Osymandyas, immortalized in Shelley’s poem “Ozymandias”.
Osymandyas is one of the names of Rameses II, who built
a huge mortuary temple to the god Amen-Re at Ramesseum,
as well as smaller temples in honor of his wife and
mother. Damaged by the Nile flood waters, the temple and
its colossi were of great interest to Europeans, and
Belzoni engineered the removal of a seven ton head to
London, where it was proudly displayed in the British
Museum. This object, and the objects which Shelley knew
to have remained in Egypt, inspired his very famous
poem.
Back To Up
Latitude/Longitude: 25° 42'
00" N/ 032° 41' 00" E
The name Thebes generally refers to the entire region,
on both the east and west banks of the Nile near the
modern city of Luxor. This area served as the capital of
Egypt in periods of both the Middle Kingdom and the New
Kingdom, and is testament to the glories of ancient
Egyptian monument building. The area, in Upper Egypt,
encompasses the Temples at Karnak and Luxor on the east
bank, and the Colossi of Memmnon, the Ramesseum, and the
Valleys of the Kings and Queens on the west bank.
Collectively, Thebes is home to the greatest
concentration of major ancient sites in the world.
|
|
|
