Flying Carpet Tours: 12/30/20

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Kalabsha Temple and Nubian Museum Tour

Try Kalabsha Temple and Nubian Museum Tour, from our wide selections of Aswan Day Trips and visit Kalabsha Temple which was originally built on much earlier site that dates back to the 18th dynasty and most probably goes back to king Thothmosis and Amenhotep II and after the construction of the High Dam the temple was disassembled and reconstructed at its present location. Explore the Nubian Museum which opened its doors in November 1997 and includes three thousand pieces of antiquities representing various ages; Geological, Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic and Islamic.

Kalabsha Temple is an impressive Ptolemaic and Roman structure, not unlike nearby Philae in its layout. The early 19th-century Swiss traveller Burckhardt (who rediscovered Abu Simbel) thought it was 'amongst the most precious remains of Egyptian antiquity'. The temple, started in the late Ptolemaic period and completed during the reign of Emperor Augustus (30 BC–AD 14), was dedicated to the Nubian solar god Merwel, known to the Greeks as Mandulis. Later it was used as a church.

An impressive stone causeway leads from the lake to the first pylon of the temple, beyond which are the colonnaded court and the eight-columned hypostyle hall. Inscriptions on the walls show various emperors or pharaohs in the presence of gods and goddesses. Just beyond the hall is the sanctuary, consisting of three chambers. Stairs from one chamber lead up to the roof, from where there are superb views of Lake Nasser and the High Dam, across the capitals of the hall and court. An inner passage, between the temple and the encircling wall, leads to a well-preserved Nilometer. The temple's original outer stone gateway was given by the Egyptian government to Germany in 1977, in thanks for helping to move this building. It is now in the Egyptian Museum, Berlin.

As a result of a massive UNESCO effort, the temples here were transplanted from a now-submerged site about 50km south of Aswan. The new site is on the west bank of Lake Nasser just south of the High Dam.

When the water level is low you can sometimes walk across to the site; otherwise, you can find a motor boat on the western side of the High Dam (around LE60 for the return trip and an hour to visit).

Then visit Nubia Museum, opposite Basma Hotel, is a treat, a showcase of the history, art and culture of Nubia. Established in 1997 in cooperation with UNESCO, the museum is a reminder of what was lost beneath Lake Nasser. Exhibits are beautifully displayed in huge halls, where clearly written explanations take you from 4500 BC through to the present day.

The exhibits start with prehistoric artefacts and objects from the Kingdom of Kush and Meroe. Coptic and Islamic art displays lead to a description of the massive UNESCO project to move Nubia’s most important historic monuments away from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, following the building of the Aswan High Dam.

Among the museum highlights are 6000-year-old painted pottery bowls and an impressive quartzite statue of a 25th-dynasty priest of Amun in Thebes with distinct Kushite (Upper Nubian) features. The stunning horse armour found in tombs from the Ballana period (5th to 7th centuries BC) shows the sophistication of artisanship during this brief ascendancy. A fascinating display traces the development of irrigation along the Nile, from the earliest attempts to control the flow of the river, right up to the building of the old Aswan Dam. A model of a Nubian house, complete with old furniture and mannequins wearing traditional silver jewellery, attempts to portray the folk culture of modern Nubia.

Enjoy Kalabsha Temple and Nubian Museum Tour

Flying Carpet Tours delegate will pick you up at your hotel in Aswan, and you’ll be transferred by a private A/C vehicle to the enchanting Temple of Kalabsha which is located close to Lake Nasser, near the western end of Aswan High Dam. Unleash your inner and know more about the temple that was built by Toutmosis II and Amenophis II at Kalabsha 50 km south of Aswan and then disassembled and reconstructed at its present location after the construction of the High Dam. Feast your soul and move to explore the Nubian Museum which was opened its doors in November 1997 and includes three thousand pieces of antiquities. Finally Flying Carpet Tours guide will escort you back to your hotel in Aswan.

Included

• Pick up and drop off to your hotel in Aswan

• Excursion to Kalabsha Temple and Nubian Museum

• Entrance fees to the above mentioned sites

• English speaking guide to the sites mentioned above

• Bottle of Mineral Water during the Excursion

• All transfers by air-conditioned Van

• All service charges and taxes

Excluded

• Visa to Egypt

• Any optional tours required

• Tipping

For more info about Kalabsha Temple and Nubian Museum Tour:

E-mail: sales@flyingcarpettours.com

Website: www.flyingcarpettours.com

Tel.: +201099906242

Kom Ombo and Edfu Temple Tours from Aswan

Experience Kom Ombo and Edfu Temple Tours from Aswan, and get to visit the countless attractions in the city that have survived along the years starting from the Pharaonic Period arriving to the modern city, you will be amazed when you go to Aswan, which is known to be an Open Air Museum as you will find a big amount of amazing monuments which are located at open area, therefore you will get more knowledge about ancient Egyptian civilization, culture and lifestyle.

Get a ravishing tour to explore two of the most famous temples in Egypt through Kom Ombo and Edfu Temples Tour from Aswan where you will visit Kom Ombo Temple which was built in the early second century by Ptolemy VI Philometor and consists of two Temples Haroeris Temple as well as Sobek Temple and Edfu Temple which was dedicated to Horus, the bird god of protection and considered one of the well preserved temples in Egypt.

Scout Kom Ombo temple, which Standing on a promontory at a bend in the Nile, where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank, is the Temple of Kom Ombo, one of the Nile Valley's most beautifully sited temples. Unique in Egypt, it is dedicated to two gods; the local crocodile god Sobek, and Haroeris, meaning Horus the Elder.

The temple's twin dedication is reflected in its plan: perfectly symmetrical along the main axis of the temple, there are twin entrances, two linked hypostyle halls with carvings of the two gods on either side, or twin sanctuaries. It is assumed that there were also two priesthoods. The left (western) side of the temple was dedicated to the god Haroeris, and the right (eastern) half to Sobek.

Reused blocks suggest an earlier temple from the Middle Kingdom period, but the main temple was built by Ptolemy VI Philometor, and most of its decoration was completed by Cleopatra VII’s father, Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos. The temple’s spectacular riverside setting has resulted in the erosion of some of its partly Roman forecourt and outer sections, but much of the complex has survived and is very similar in layout to the Ptolemaic temples of Edfu and Dendara, albeit smaller.

Then visit Edfu Temple, this Ptolemaic temple, built between 237 and 57 BC, is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Egypt. Preserved by desert sand, which filled the place after the pagan cult was banned, the temple is dedicated to Horus, the avenging son of Isis and Osiris. With its roof intact, it is also one of the most atmospheric of ancient buildings.

Edfu was a settlement and cemetery site from around 3000 BC onward. It was the 'home' and cult centre of the falcon god Horus of Behdet (the ancient name for Edfu), although the Temple of Horus as it exists today is Ptolemaic. Started by Ptolemy III (246–221 BC) on 23 August 237 BC, on the site of an earlier and smaller New Kingdom structure, the sandstone temple was completed some 180 years later by Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos, Cleopatra VII’s father. In conception and design it follows the general plan, scale, ornamentation and traditions of Pharaonic architecture, right down to the Egyptian attire worn by Greek pharaohs depicted in the temple’s reliefs. Although it is much newer than cult temples at Luxor or Abydos, its excellent state of preservation helps to fill in many historical gaps; it is, in effect, a 2000-year-old example of an architectural style that was already archaic during Ptolemaic times.

Two hundred years ago the temple was buried by sand, rubble and part of the village of Edfu, which had spread over the roof. Excavation was begun by Auguste Mariette in the mid-19th century. Today the temple is entered via a long row of shops selling tourist tat, and a new visitors centre that houses the ticket office, clean toilets, a cafeteria and a room for showing a 15-minute film on the history of the temple in English.

Try Kom Ombo and Edfu Temple Tours from Aswan

Flying Carpet Tours Guide will escort you early in the morning to a fancy excursion to Kom Ombo from Aswan, where you’ll visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, which was dedicated to The Crocodile God Sobek, That temple was built in the early second century by Ptolemy VI Philometor, the temple consists of two Temples Haroeris Temple as well as Sobek Temple, watch the pillars at the main hall which has drawing pharaohs at the columns, it contains some remains of the pharaohs, also you will discover beside Kom Ombo Village some tombs belong to the old Kingdom, then continue driving to Edfu Temple which was dedicated to Horus, it is considered one of the best temples in ancient Egypt, it is the second largest temple after Karnak, once you enter the temple beguile your eyes with the pillars located in the hall with its photos for Hathor God as well as Horus God, finally flying carpet tours guide will escort you back to your hotel in Aswan.