Our included shore excursion continued to the Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut, an Egyptian queen who portrayed herself as a king. When her husband Thutmose II died, Hatshepsut became regent for Thutmose III (two-years old), a son by a secondary wife. After seven years, she assumed the title of king with full powers to co-rule with Thutmose III, from 1507-1458 BCE.
Hatshepsut renewed trade with the east and south, resulting in a period of prosperity, allowing her to build magnificent monuments.
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| Memorial Temple of Hapshepsut (c 1500-1458 BCE) is considered a masterpiece of ancient architecture; it certainly was impressive to see it backed up against the cliff, although most of it is a reconstruction |
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| The Lower Court entrance apparently had two Mimusops schimperi/Persea Trees whose roots we could not find, plus a pair of recumbent lions |
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| The North Colonnade of the lower terrace |
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| The South Colonnade featured reliefs of the transportation of a pair of obelisks to the Temple of Karnak, which we could not discern |
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| Closer-up of the South Colonnade |
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| Taking the ramp up to the middle terrace |
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| At the end of the South Colonnade is the Temple of Hathor |
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| The goddess Hathor is portrayed as a cow wearing a crown with the sun disk and two feathers |
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| Hathor as a cow licking the hand of Hatshepsut and also being suckled by Hapshepsut |
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| The large figure may be Hatshepsut as a king, and the four rows of smaller figures appear to represent the expedition to Punt in eastern Africa, bringing back myrrh trees (the resin was in the mummification process) |
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| The middle terrace South Colonnade had reliefs of the expedition to Punt, and here we can barely see trees |
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| The Chapel of Anubis at the end of the North Colonnade depicts the provisions and pottery offered to an unidentiified god |
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| Opposite are the gifts offered to Anubis |
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| The ramp to the third/upper terrace |
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| The colonnade is lined with Osiride statues, apparently indicating that the king has assimilated with the god Osiris, holding in one hand the ankh/key of life and in the other, the flail and crook/symbols of a ruler |
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| Kent & Tamiko with the Osiride columns (many thanks to Jane for the photo!) |
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| Entering the Sanctuary anteroom |
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| Remains of a relief in the Sanctuary anteroom |
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| Two stone guards and two live guards at the Sanctuary entrance |
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| Heading back to the ship, we stopped to see the Colossi of Memnon (1350 BCE, 18 m/59' tall), representing King Amenhotep III |
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| When we arrived back at the Viking Aton, along with damp washcloths, we were given a sesame seed treat |
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| A late lunch (14:00) of Hawawshy/a'aisha bread stuffed with a spicy beef mixture, accompanied by a Middle Eastern salad and French fries |
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| While sailing upstream/south on the Nile, we were shown how to play tawla/backgammon, one of the most popular board games in Egypt |
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| We can't get away from the "Valley of the Vultures"! - the gauntlet of souvenir vendors one must pass to enter most tourist destinations, with aggressive salespeople |
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| The VES (Viking Explorer Society) Cocktail Party, for anyone on his/her second or more Viking cruise; one woman is on her 21st cruise! |
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| Dinner starter: Grilled Baby Eggplant with lemon, sesame seeds and coriander |
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| Mahshi/stuffed mixed vegetables with tomato sauce |
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| Salabia/crispy dough fritters with orange blossom water, drizzled with saffron syrup |
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| This evening we had entertainment, someone I would call a performance whirling Dervish rather than the traditional Sufi whirling Dervish who is doing it for religious purposes |
Next: Village of Esna.
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