Teiodani
Some people say that tourism in Egypt is all about seeing stones. The stones on the ground are temples, and the stones on the ground are tombs of gods. If you want to describe the Valley of the Kings in detail, you can write a book of hundreds of pages, which can only be omitted here.
The ancient Egyptians built temples on the east bank of the Nile and buried the dead on the west bank of the Nile. The Valley of the Kings is in a valley, and when you take a tour bus into it, you can see that there is a dense rubble, no grass, and 60 pharaonic tombs hidden underground, belonging to the pharaohs of the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties (about 1570-1090 BC). They began to build from the time they ascended the throne, and all the tombs were of the same style: three corridors led to the antechamber and thus to the main hall. The floor of the main hall sinks, and the coffin is placed.
Valley of the Kings (picture from the Internet)
Tomb wall image
Tomb
Of particular note is Tutankhamen's Tomb, which is the only mausoleum here that has not been damaged or stolen for more than 3,000 years. In 1922, the Englishman Howard Carter, an explorer and archaeologist, walked into the mausoleum and was stunned by what he saw: "Everything in the room slowly revealed itself from the middle, strange animals, statues, gold—everywhere it was glittering with gold. At that moment—seemingly eternally still to those present—I was speechless in amazement. Sir Carnarvon couldn't help himself, and anxiously asked, 'What did you see?' and all I could call out was: 'Yes, what an exciting moment!'"
Tutankhamun's tomb (picture from the Internet)
Tutankhamun's tomb (picture from the Internet)
Tutankhamun was a pharaoh who ascended the throne at the age of 12 and died at the age of 18. One of the evidences is that the tomb was very small, crude, and hastily decorated. Archaeologists found a scar on the back of his head on his mummy. His mother, who was our equivalent of the Empress Dowager Cixi, was in charge of the government at the time, and she probably wanted to kill him and make another son king.
The familiar mask of the dead of Tutankhamun comes from this tomb, when it was draped over the face of Tutankhamun's mummy and was made of pure gold. The head of the snake on the top of the head indicates that he is the ruler, and the long pillar on the chin represents the beard.
Tutankhamun's Golden Mask (picture from the Internet)
His coffin was a sarcophagus on the outside, a three-tiered golden coffin on the inside, and his mummy on the inside. This alone shows how luxurious and wealthy Egypt was at that time, not to mention the countless gold objects that accompanied the funeral. Now the tomb is empty, and the treasures are in the Cairo Museum.
There has always been a saying that "the curse of the pharaohs". Most of those who participated in the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb died in car accidents, strange illnesses and accidents. On the night of November 26, 1922, a canary carefully kept at Carter's home was eaten by a cobra. In March 1923, Lord Carnarvon, who had sponsored the excavations, was bitten by a poisonous mosquito, became infected, and was sent back to Cairo two months before dying, reportedly due to severe pneumonia. On the day of Lord Carnarvon's death, his dog, Susie, barked wildly and went with his master that day. That night, there was a power outage in Cairo, plunging the entire city into darkness. By 1935, 21 people had died, including Carter's assistants, secretaries, and their families.
The tomb of Tutkamon bears an epitaph: "Whoever disturbs the peace of the pharaoh will die on him". Over the decades, the so-called "pharaoh's spell" has been hyped up in films, television and novels, and has become so wicked that not only tomb robbers but also archaeologists and tourists shudder.
One of the people who never believed all this was Howard Carter himself, who lived a long time and died without illness. Dr. Hawass, who is now an authority on ancient Egyptian archaeology, speculated that so many journalists at the time who were so happy to hype up the so-called "pharaoh's spell" were probably motivated by jealousy and revenge, when Lord Carnarvon sold the exclusive right to report on the excavation of the mausoleum to the British newspaper The Times, leaving other journalists out of the air. It was the false rumors of the reporters back then that led to the spread of falsehoods today.
Archaeology has speculated that a harmful germ may have existed in the pharaoh's tomb, and in 1999 German microbiologist Gotthard Kramer found deadly bacterial spores in mummies that can live and reproduce for centuries. In addition, Hawass found that the lime walls of the tombs of the pharaohs of the Nile Valley were generally filled with a harmful gas called radon, which can cause cancer, which may be the cause of some archaeologists' illness.
It should be noted that in his 30-year career, Havas excavated more pharaonic tombs and mummies than any living archaeologist, and although he repeatedly "alarmed the pharaonic gods", he is still alive today.
On the way, I also heard that a Taiwanese person picked up a stone under the pyramid as a souvenir. When I returned, business plummeted. Finally, I made a special trip to the bottom of the pyramid and sent the stones back. And then? Nobody knows. Is my ornament also unlucky because of this?
王后谷
帝王谷在底比斯城附近，它旁边还有一个王后谷，有七十多座陵墓，但远不如帝王谷壮观，因为王后不会像法老一样被尊为神，所以她们的墓都极为寒酸。 One of the most spectacular temples here is the dilapidated temple, which is still visible. The tall stone pillars are still standing 4,000 years later, and the frescoes on the walls are still colorful.
Valley of the Queens
Valley of the Queens
grave
Murals in the tomb
在王后谷遇上一群埃及学生。 They shouted at us: Japanese! When the Japanese!, when they learned that they were from China, they were very friendly and offered to ask for a group photo.
Teachers and children
The Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens drive back to the banks of the Nile, passing through fields and countryside. I saw that the land was black and very fertile. The dense sugar cane fields are green. There are egrets flying in the paddy fields, and small children riding donkeys.
An interesting phenomenon was found, the peasants' houses often had only the first and second floors, and rarely saw three floors, while the steel bars protruding from the cement pillars were supported straight to the sky, as if they were only half built. The tour guide explained that the owner had little money and built a floor first. When the children grow up, they marry their wives and build a second or even third ....... The walls are beautifully painted in the style of ancient Egypt.
Village houses
At five o'clock in the afternoon, I went to the deck to rest. After a while, I saw the handsome man and the beautiful woman enter the pool, and from time to time I heard the sound of them playing. At first, I was a little absent-minded and jealous of that happy couple. But soon, I forgot about them.
Clouds spread over the Nile, and the setting sun gradually warmed up on the west bank. A line of geese lined up in a chevron shape, chirping across the sky. The sound of the Nile gently murmured, and the long and distant chanting of the scriptures could be heard in the distance......
Sunset over the Nile
Nile
It's prayer time. On the lower deck was a white robe, with a small blanket laid out, prostrate on the ground facing Mecca.
The singing sound of prayer on the chanting tower rises and falls like waves, floating on the surface of the Nile and echoing in the overwhelming red sky. Gradually, the canopy turned completely blood-red, and the clouds seemed to be splashed up at random by a mad painter, merging into a symphony of colors and sounds.
I was deeply shaken and overwhelmed.
Darkness fell, a few birdsongs were heard, the chanting was far away, and a bright star jumped out of the sky. I think of the goddess Nut who rules the vault, and the gods in the temple. The symphonic roar faded away, and the song of the moon god sang softly......
Yes, maybe a person can only come once in a lifetime, love only one person in a lifetime, and only accomplish one thing in a lifetime!
Back in the dining room, I was a little absent-minded. Suddenly, the lights in the restaurant went out. I saw all the waiters on the cruise ship, dressed in white uniforms, wearing white high hats, holding candles, pushing a small dining cart, and walking in with the accompaniment of several musicians. There was a beautiful cake on the dining car. They pushed it and paused in front of each table for everyone to see. finally stopped in front of the pair of handsome men and beautiful women.
The crowd cheered!
I realized that this was a couple from Spain who were on their honeymoon. I saw them kissing and hugging under the candlelight, full of happiness......