KARNACK & LUXOR TEMPLES PLUS VALLEY OF THE KINGS

We were told it was a light tourist day at Luxor Egypt at Karnack and Luxor Temples but it was mobbed with eastern Europeans and Russians. Our first sacriligious thought was of Johnny Carson's skit as Karnack the Magnificent.

These temples were built for occupancy by the Gods and his priests and each King or pharoah believed it was his duty to make the Temple bigger and grander than his predecessor. All of it serves as testimony to the civilization that existed years before Christ was born.

One of your first thoughts upon entering the ancient (2,000 to 4,000 years BC) Temple of Karnack is to wonder how the slave builders managed to erect stone walls, pillars and oblisks without modern day scaffolding.

What appears to be left over rubble in the picture is really "scaffolding"used to climb on as they worked higher and higher..then it would be removed as they worked their way down.

King's like Ramses IV figured the God occupying the Temple of Karnack would go out strolling so they lined the passageways with these stone lions with odd faces to protect them.

Ramses IV and his fellow kings made sure there were always statues of themselves so the God wouldn't forget who built the Temple.

VALLEY OF THE KINGS

Many of you have no doubt visited museums hosting exhibits of incredible stuff taken from the tombs of Egyptian Pharoah Kings with the most famous being the one of the boy king Tutankahman who took over at around 10 years old and died before reaching 20.

Valley of the Kings is on the west bank of the Nile where the Tombs are located. We walked into 2 tombs which are hollowed out caves dug deep into the sandy rock you see in the pictures. There is nothing in the tombs as all the jewels, furniture and gold objects placed there for the king's use after death have been looted or are in museums. Remember we are talking about 2,000 or more years before Christ.

Luxor Temple is in the center of the Egyptian city of Luxor right on the Nile River. The city thrives on tourism with at least 75 fancy riverboats berthed here. Luxor Temple was "connected" to Temple of Karnack by a long wide grass area protected on both sides by stone lions.

This is King Tut and his child bride. And these are two phony sweepers at the temple who make their money posing with tourists!