Africa Travel Guides

Archive for the ‘Egypt’ Category

 Following the Egyptian tradition, Hatshepsut had to marry his half-brother Tuthmosis II, thus maintaining its power in the shadows. Although he had many enemies, also had strong support. When Thutmose II died without male issue, he again repeated the same situation and went to Pharaoh’s throne is known as Thutmose III, who was still a child. Hatshepsut served as regent and then put all possible obstacles to delay the wedding become pharaoh Thutmose III.

But this time, the child ‘Pharaoh’ grew and showed great intelligence and skill to gradually eliminating suspicious deaths to all who supported Hatshepsut, even the architect Senenmut, which is said was her lover and father of her daughter.
These difficulties accompanied her even after her death. Thutmose III ordered to delete all references to Hatshepsut temples, tombs and any construction. Is this likely the reason why we could not identify his mum until last year, although the mummy had been found for a century. This identification is considered as the most important finding for the historical legacy of ancient Egypt, after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

The temple of Hatshepsut, designed by architect Senenmut is the most monumental of those built in the valley and its beauty is mainly due to the care and use of light shades of the land on the porches that surround the buildings. Although, as mentioned, virtually all references to the first female pharaoh was deleted at the north gate can still be seen on the wall as a bas-relief representing Egyptologists divine birth and education of Queen Hatshepsut.
And we say God, because we must keep in mind that since antiquity has been associated with royalty, is the culture that is, with the deities of the time. In this case, the name was proclaimed pharaoh ‘Haptshepsut Jenemetamón’ means ‘The first of the noble ladies who embraces Amun’.

Located on the banks of the Nile River between the cliffs and mountains of Deir el-Bahari, more specifically in the IV nome Old Egypt and near the city of Thebes (now Luxor ), is the Temple of Hatshepsut. This curious name corresponds to the first queen-pharaoh of Egypt, which means “The first of the noble lady,” was the daughter of Pharaoh Tuthmosis I . Read the rest of this entry »

To continue our tour of the sacred temples, we enter the Valley of the Queens and the Temple of Luxor. Then advance to the Temple of Karnak, Kom Ombo and that of that of Hatshepsut, through the incredible Abu Simbel and the Obelisk of Tuthmosis III.

The Valley of the Queens is also the burial place of Egypt where they are buried princesses and wives of the Pharaohs, a monument sacred. Nefertari’s tomb is the most important of all and was built in 1290 BC what makes it a marvel of antiquity, especially taking into account the little progress that had at that time when building in stone. He is currently closed, but you can visit their surroundings and receive information from tour guides about the history and importance. During the year we visit 4 or 5 graves, which are those that are enabled in this complex.

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Our route for the temples still in Kom Ombo, where we find the most impressive architectural structures and one of the best highlights of all the temples, giving you a majestic view of the whole construction. To continue after Hatshepsut, near Luxor.

The Temple of Kom Ombo is located on the banks of the Nile where construction began in 1350 BC Its main deity and is offering in almost every room is Sobek, a crocodile-headed god and the human body. That is why we find images of crocodiles during the tour and around the temple, where you can buy the beautiful miniature sacred crocodiles. The beautiful chapel of Hathor preserved mummies of crocodiles can be seen during the visit and exhibiting many rooms beautiful works of art offerings to the pharaohs and gods.

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Our tour of the best temples of Egypt continues for the incredible Karnak Temple, the sacred building beautiful Kom Ombo and the pin Hatshepsut, where we find the most impressive constructions in more rocks and vast desert around it.

The Temple of Karnak is the largest temple in Egypt with more than 2500 meters in perimeter and is also more active in their construction because they still continue to find traces of its components and parts are still so many year after year. In its surroundings we find a great wall that protects your limits and we can enter from the main entrance edge to see the incredible material and its more than 8 meters thick.

The sphinxes at the entrance, forming the beginning of the Avenue of Sphinxes are the most beautiful and ancient Egypt. Here is where the spectacular sound and light show at night that lights the Sphinx and the monuments and becomes a feast for the senses. The Spanish product features light show is on Mondays and Fridays at 22.30hs.

Inside the temple we find the best rooms, the Hipóstila, which has the best buildings with the oldest architectural columns and the incredible roof over 25 meters high. We can also enjoy the beautiful room and loved Temple sacred lake where they used to bathe the dead to rest in peace in the afterlife. We recommend hiring a special guide to Castilian to understand the dramatic history of the monuments and temples and also have the opportunity to participate in the forums and conferences of the archaeologists who perform every year in the temples.

The beaches of Egypt are divided into two zones: the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Both coasts are the most beautiful in Africa and of course we offer all kinds of attractions, sports and activities to enjoy the sun and the sea.

If we explore the best beaches of Egypt, we should start our journey through the area of the Atlantic Ocean where the beaches of Alexandria, the most popular and crowded beaches, many sports and aquatic skills and a beautiful view of the city. Moving more toward the center, we found the beach of Marsa Matruh and El Arish, two beautiful beaches less crowded and more waves for those who like surfing and kayaking. Also the beaches of Port Said and El Alamein are two of the most beautiful because they also have a beautiful roving market area around where you can grab a snack or a rest at noon.

Inside the Red Sea coast, the beach of El Gouna is noted for its luxurious facilities, soccer fields and volleyball and all kinds of stops to drink or lunch. There are also several hotels to stay in front of the sea, all with comfortable facilities and friendly service. The paradisiacal beaches and March Hurguada Alam are the first choice for travelers who seek exclusivity and few visitors. There are areas of private beach and a nude beach sector.

Abu Simbel Temple is undoubtedly the most important of all the incredible journey through ancient works of art, spectacular facilities and above all the importance it has for its history of Egyptian civilization. A cultural haven to conclude our journey through the best sacred temples.

The complex of Abu Simbel has two temples, one dedicated to Ramses II and Nefertari another, his wife. The entrance to the temple of Ramses is the most famous of the world where many pharaohs are carved in stone and can be seen as we approach the incredible accuracy of the details and the surprising antiquity of the materials. As far as the entrance to the Temple of Nefertari, also find his figure carved in stone, almost directly embedded in the rocks, forming a powerful and monumental architectural marvel.

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And to finish this tour more than modest Egyptian cuisine, where we have depth but we have known one of its most characteristic dishes, it is the turn to the recipe, where I have chosen one of the most popular. This is a dessert that has different forms of preparation and is often consumed in the Arab countries, it is the Baklava.

For the preparation of this dessert:
- 2 cups of oil or melted butter
- 1kg of goulash (special pastry, although practically it any puff pastry)
- 4 cups ground coconut
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup ground pistachios
- 4 cups of caramel syrup (your choice)

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Other dishes typical of this latitude are the koshari, overlapping layers of macaroni, rice and lentils with tomato sauce, the Fattah, layers of dry bread soaked in broth, rice and beef seasoned with garlic and vinegar, covered with yogurt, nuts and raisins, Moulouhiya soup, spinach, Hanan, pigeons stuffed with green wheat or rice, Shish Kebab, a delicious lamb kebab or kufta, rolls of minced lamb grilled.

In the dessert section, the same happens in all Arab countries, are delightfully delicious. A favorite by the Egyptians is the Om Ali, a mixture of bread or pasta with milk, nuts, coconut and raisins that is usually taken warm. The Aish is serail, a loaf of bread with honey and caramel, Baklava, a mass filled with walnuts soaked in honey water or an infusion of orange blossom and suggestive also Kufama, noodles baked with sugar, honey and nuts.

The traditional Om Ali

There is usually water as an accompaniment to all the drinks and if you go to a restaurant I ask that before you open it. The local beer “Stella” is widely consumed, but if you prefer other stronger flavors can always find many imported beers. As for red wines Chateau Giniclis highlights, Rubi D’Egypte pink or white wine variety, although not of extreme quality, if they are quite acceptable and not too expensive.

Traditional beverages are karkade Egyptian, from the hibiscus flower and can take both cold and hot, the Shai, the strong black tea, Ahwa, Turkish coffee and delicious juices of mango, banana, orange, strawberry, carrot, tomato, sugarcane, pomegranate, etc. Irssous Also, water licorice, Erfa, cinnamon drink that is served hot and full of nines or Na na, delicate taste of mint.

Would you like a little karkade?

And if you want something stronger highlights the ERSO, a liqueur, the Zahib, similar to the residue and the Yasoon, with a slight anise flavor. With this we end the small tour of Egyptian cuisine and the next post we know the recipe for one of the dishes tasted in this mysterious and exciting country.

We come to this, our last stage of this extensive tour of Cairo, gone are museums, archaeological digs, markets, buildings, etc. and turn comes to leisure to relax on this long journey.

Here people tend to leave when the sun sets. An aperitif before dinner, the dinner itself after a few drinks alone or in company of friends until the wee hours of the morning. The locals tend to close at about 4 am but there are sites that are permanently open. So I have no problem if you are “night owl.”

The paradox is that the streets of the city are even more lively at night than during the day, which shows that the Cairenes are no different to other countries, everybody likes to go out at night after work to relax and time to enjoy themselves.

The nights are very lively

Remember that Egypt is an Islamic country and alcohol is forbidden for practitioners, this does not mean you can not find alcohol but can sometimes be a bit difficult.

The most cutting-edge local city where you can enjoy a drink and fun are sure Harry’s Pub at the Cairo Marriott hotel where all your nights are filled with people wanting to have fun dancing and singing in karaoke. Another quiet place can be a revolving restaurant at the Grand Hyatt where you can admire the beautiful views of the city while enjoying the local cuisine.

The luxurious Grand Hyatt hotel

As casinos are in luck, gambling is legal here and Cairo has 14 casinos, most international hotels. The label is mandatory for women dress and jacket and tie for men.

If you are into dancing can go to many clubs scattered throughout the city, especially in large hotels but you can always visit any premises where they have fun watching shows and belly dancing and more.