Tal of the Kings and Tal of the Queens

The ship stayed in Luxor overnight. Today, we are going to visit the Tal of the Kings - optionally also the Tal of the Queens, which I will visit with someone from the group.

But first, we are going on a balloon ride over the Tal of the Kings! We have to leave early, but not as early as I feared: we will be picked up at 4:45am and driven to the west bank of the Nile. The balloons start from there, as the Tal of the Kings is also located on the west bank. I'm a little nervous, it's my first balloon ride, but I let myself be convinced by the other group members to do it. I can only say: it was amazing! I'm glad I did it. The ride only lasts 30 minutes and it's quite expensive. But you can see the whole landscape from above, and all this during the sunrise. The fertile fields right next to the Nile and the sudden transition to the desert and the Tal of the Kings. The mountain plateau. The Tal of the Queens is also visible. In addition, many temple complexes that cannot all be visited (also because there is not enough time). The atmosphere in the early morning is truly beautiful.

Another advantage of getting up early: you are already near the Tal of the Kings, it takes about 10 minutes by minibus to get there. Today is quite hot, so an early start is necessary anyway.

We visit five tombs: those of Tutankhamun, Ramses III and Ramses IV, Seti I, and the tomb of Setnakht/Tausert. You have to pay extra to visit the tombs of Tutankhamun and Seti I. Seti I's tomb is one of the most beautiful and richest decorated tombs, so the extra is definitely worth it.

It is almost impossible to describe the decorations in the tombs, words are not enough for it. You have to imagine that the tombs consist of several chambers and corridors, all of which are adorned from top to bottom with various representations from the Book of the Dead, Book of the Living, the Earth, and so on. The colors are vibrant and bright, especially in the well-preserved tombs, such as those of Tutankhamun and Seti I. It is an unimaginable achievement that the ancient Egyptians have made. And all this for one person... Maybe I should reconsider how I want to be buried!

No guides are allowed in the burial chambers, which means you cannot provide explanations in the tombs. That is understandable, firstly because the crowds would hardly progress, and secondly because there is endlessly much to discover. In some tombs, you can easily spend hours, days, weeks and always discover something new. Hoda gives us some explanations about the symbolism and the buried individuals at the beginning. Unfortunately, you cannot remember everything, which is why we take photos like crazy and go through them again with her after the visit. So much interesting information! But even after 45 minutes, we haven't answered all the questions yet.

You should plan at least 2-3 hours for the visit. Not all tombs are open at the same time, sometimes you also have to wait until people come out before you can go in. The later the day progresses, the warmer it gets, and the more people come. The Tal of the Kings can be visited from 6 am. I would recommend that, especially if you come in the warm months. I can't even imagine visiting in June or July!

Afterwards, we visit the Temple of Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh. She took power because her son was too young to rule. During her reign, she expanded trade with other countries, and Egypt enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity. She had the colossal mortuary temple built, which completely differed in its shape from previous temples: the temple is terraced. A woman with many visions and the courage to carry them out! Her achievements are listed on the reliefs in the temple - ONLY: hardly anything has been preserved. Why? Because she was a woman. And she broke with tradition. Her image was removed from the reliefs (possibly by Akhenaten), and many of the artworks were destroyed. The ancient Egyptians produced incredibly many innovations, but gender equality was certainly not one of them. Therefore, many things in the temple are unfortunately poorly preserved. On the top, third, terrace there is an old church. Unfortunately, I don't see it from the inside, because time is pressing: we still want to visit the Tal of the Queens and the Nile ship departs at 2pm.

Naomi and I take a taxi to the Tal of the Queens, the ride takes a maximum of 10 minutes. The entrance fee is very cheap, but to see the best-preserved tomb of Nefertari (Ramses II's wife), you have to pay an additional fee (1400 EGP). But it's worth it: in the Tal of the Kings, the pharaoh is in the center, always a man. Here, there are depictions of women, and the woman and her achievements are in the center. In the Tal of the Queens, not only the wives of the pharaohs are buried, but also their (male) children (who died young, i.e. before their fathers). We also visit the tombs of some of these princes. The visit takes less than 1 hour. If you have time, you shouldn't miss it, I found the tomb of Nefertari one of the most beautiful!

We depart a little after 2 pm, finally the Nile cruise begins! At sunset, I go on deck and watch the Nile riverbank pass by. This is how I imagined it...