6th day beginning
(morning : East bank, afternoon : West
bank)
-
The
archeological
Museum
(East
bank),
contrary to Cairo's,
presents a limited number of works, quite all of them of
exceptional standard, in modern well-designed premises
and with appropriate lighting. Find out opening hours:
depending on the season, it may be closed between 1.00
and 4.00 or 5.00
pm
but may be opened until 9.00 or 10.00
pm.
Three parts are to be visited
:
¤ the
main part, in front of you when entering the museum,
with a ground floor and a first floor:
everything
is worth seeing!!
¤ the
room on the right just after the entrance to the museum,
also called the cache
room,
as beautiful stone sculptures, found by chance in 1989
under a courtyard within Luxor temple, are presented
here; most of them look like dating back to yesterday,
especially the monumental statue of
King
Amenhotep III with
beautiful almond eyes in rose granite, really splendid
!
¤ the
recent extension where two mummies, items from
Tutankhamun's
tomb including carts, bows and arrows, and colossal
statues of Seti I and Ramesses III ..are on
display.
-
The
tombs of
the Nobles (West
bank) where
high ranking officials (including priests, viziers,
governors, royal scribes) are buried. While royal tombs
are decorated with religious or magic scenes, the tombs
of the Nobles give an idea of daily life at the time of
Pharaohs: terrestrial life every day pleasures,
activities of these important persons but also of those
close to them (works in the fields, works performed by
craftsmen in various sectors and even waiting at the
hairdresser's,..).
Tombs
of the Nobles are located in 4 distinct areas of West
bank (and there is no signposting): Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
(also called old Qurna), El-Khokha, El-Assasif and Dra
Abu el-Naga (see general
map and the map of the tombs of the
Nobles). Most interesting
tombs are located at Sheikh Abd
el-Qurna. A ticket is sold for 2 or 3 tombs:
the map and description below take into account tombs
attached to the same ticket. The map should enable you
to find your way (look for a little car park in front of
the Ramesseum, close to a small Mosque). Anyway children
will assail you offering to guide you and to sell you a
number of items (rag dolls,.. ). Either you take the map
out of your pocket and they may leave you, or you will
have to give
backshih!!
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