VALLEY OF THE KINGS – PHARAONIC GLORY HIDDEN

Constellations of the night decorate the ceiling of the vaulted burial chamber.
Constellations of the night decorate the ceiling of the vaulted burial chamber of Seti I.

The west side of the Nile at Thebes – Waset to the Egyptians, like further upstream at Memphis, was reserved for the next life. At both sites, the bank of the setting sun became the home for the Afterlife. Cemeteries predominately lay on the west side of the river as Egyptians believed human life paralleled the path of the sun, rising in the east and setting in the west. In the land of the setting sun lie the underworld. Line up with the others to witness the Egyptian version of eternity.

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GREAT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA – REMAINING WONDER OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

The three great pyramids of Giza with towers of Giza and Cairo beyond.
The three great pyramids of Giza with towers of Giza and Cairo beyond.

It is amazing to hear how many people dream of seeing the pyramids. While they are worthy of a visit … a journey? After having spent a couple of weeks along the Nile, if not for a visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum – literally next door to the last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – the wonders of further south near Luxor are where I would set my sights upon. But the pyramids are impressive – especially when you consider their age – and worth a visit if you are in Cairo. Coming to Egypt, I recommend you visit the Memphis necropolis at Saqqara and Dashur first, however, to give you a little sense of how the pyramids developed from much simpler burial tombs and where they went after the Great Pyramid era ended with the end of the Fourth Dynasty.

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