Tag: Hieroglyphs

September 20, 2023 – Of Ego and Sound at the Karnak and Luxor Temples

“Why do you know so much about our history?” asked my elderly guide for the Karnak and Luxor Temples.

“I don’t! There’s so much I don’t know yet that’s why you have to tell me more.”

“Well, you know more than anyone I’ve ever guided. When I ask you something you are able to answer.”

“Maybe it’s Naguib Mahfouz. He made different layers of Egypt’s history come alive for me — from the Pharaonic times up to the revolution.”

“Mahfouz?! You read Naguib Mahfouz?! This is my first time as a guide that I have met someone who reads Naguib Mahfouz! You know there’s a museum and a coffee shop in Cairo…” He trailed off when he saw me nodding, shook his head, and smiled in disbelief.

And there I was thinking how he’d be in for a pleasant surprise if he meets my friends and my book club!

After a brief silence, “Are you sure history is not part of your work?”

“It should be part of everyone’s work.”

“I think you are a genius.”

And just like that, friends. I have been promoted to genius status. I love Egypt. 😂

I did get one answer wrong, and the correct answer fascinates me as a musician. When he asked what the gigantic columns in the Hypostle Halls of the Karnak and Luxor Temples were for, I answered, “Ego.” Haha!

Apparently it’s for sound! The priests used it as amplifiers for their chants so that their voices would resonate far and beyond the temples!

I stand corrected. Now I know that the columns are for sound… and ego. Haha! But shhh… don’t tell him.

September 16, 2023 – Kom Ombo and Edfu

I left Aswan at five in the morning and headed for Luxor. In between these two dominant cities are the two lesser-known cities of Kom Ombo and Edfu. Normally, tourists who want to visit Kom Ombo and Edfu have to book a special tour from either Aswan or Luxor. But here’s a travel cheat: Arrange a private car through your hotel and specify that you wish to stop by the two cities on your way to Luxor. Aside from saving time and getting to explore these sites in your own time without a tour group rushing you, you will pay the same rate as a regular transfer to Luxor and save approximately 100USD for another trip to these cities.

Kom Ombo is unique for many reasons. While it was constructed during the Ptolemaic period, additions were made during the Roman period, making it a double temple with two sets of gods. It does not have a pylon (a monumental gate common to most Egyptian temples), but it features a nilometer (a structure for measuring the Nile’s clarity and water level), and most curious of all, the only set of surgical instruments found in the bas reliefs of ancient Egypt — evidence set in stone of how priests practiced medicine and magic and functioned as doctors.

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As for Edfu, it is one of the most well-preserved temples in Egypt and its high state of preservation is lure enough. Interestingly, its inscriptions feature the ancient Egyptian creation myth and details of the temple’s construction.

If only I could, I would go to all these ancient sites on sunrise and again on sundown. There is nothing like morning light seeking entry through passageways that only it can beautify. Imagine having a gentle light furnishing columns with a variegated tenderness, and acting as your guide as it paints sections of beams and hieroglyphs golden to call your attention.