Details in Stone – The Hanging Church of Cairo
I loved these craved stone pillars at the Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo, Egypt. The details are incredible.
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01, 2017
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11, 2016
Museum Monday: Crocodile Museum at Kom Ombo
Kom Ombo is an amazing temple. Its unique due to the fact its dedicated to not one but two different gods: The falcon-headed Horus & Sobek the Crocodile-headed God. Included with your admission to the temple is a small but well curated museum dedicated to Sobek. When you first walk in, you'll be greeted by a dozen smiling preserved crocodiles resting on a bed of sand. As you walk around you'll see various statues and stele depicting Sobek. Sobek was associated with fertility (likely due to crocodiles living in the Nile) as well as military prowess. You'll also see numerous crocodile
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11, 2016
Ancient Egyptian Lion Gargoyle
At the Temple of Hathor in Dendera, Egypt you can still see the lion-headed gargoyles that funneled the captured rain off the roof, and into scared wells. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.
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11, 2016
Egyptian Sidekick Review
On my second day in Egypt, I wanted to splurge and have a private tour, so I could see the sights of Dahshur, Memphis, and Saqqara at my own pace. Trying to find a reputable Egyptologist guide online was a bit daunting, so I decided to go in a different direction. This is my review of Egyptian Sidekick. This review is my own and was not solicited by the tour company and I paid full price for the tour. What is it? Egyptian Sidekick is a private tour organizer that provides tailored sightseeing experiences for you or your group. They
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10, 2016
Egyptian Galabeya Party on Nile Cruise
Last year I spent Halloween in Egypt. On the night of the 31st the cruise ship had a Galabeya Party. It is a standard dress that is slowing with sleeves. Some of us ended up buying one from the market to wear at the party. I considered it my "Halloween Costume" last year. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.
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10, 2016
Death on the Nile: The Ghost Ships of Egypt
Ghost Ships at Luxor Temple Preparing for my trip to Egypt, I read many blogs. One of the unique articles I read was "Egypt's Modern Day Ruins: The Nile River Cruises of Yesteryear" from Roaming Around the World. It was fascinating to read about the fact that tourism has dropped so much in Egypt that out of over 350 Nile Cruise Ships that use to be working less than 15 are still in use. I marveled at the photos of the dilapidated Ghost Ships, decaying in the desert heat. Rows of mothballed ships. Source And I wondered
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10, 2016
Travel Missteps: Trapped in Prayer
I only had a few minutes before my group was going to leave. And I really really wanted a star lamp. I mean really, being in a Middle Eastern Souq/Market just screams buying a lamp. So I was determined to get one during my visit to Khan el Khalili, the large market in the heart of Islamic Cairo. But, all the other shops had lamps that were much too big. And I knew I was going to have to carry on whatever I bought. So right as I was about to leave, when I spied the perfect smallish star lamp
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09, 2016
Museum Monday: Granite Scarab at the Nubian Museum
This granite scarab with the sun disk of Ra and a uraeus (cobra) which are symbols of leadership in ancient Egypt. This is about the size of a football and sits within its own shrine. If you go: The hours change depending on the season. When I went in late October it was open from 9-1 and then 4-7. Admission for foreigners without any student discounts is 60 EGP. I believe the student discount put it at 40-45 EGP. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.
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09, 2016
The Glass as it were a Glittering Star
The Verse of Light from the Qur'an is written very pretty, and is a good fit for looking up at the many glass lamps in the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, in Cairo, Egypt. The verse goes like this: God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is a niche wherein is a lamp— the lamp is in a glass, the glass as it were a glittering star— lit from a blessed olive tree, neither eastern nor western, whose oil almost lights up, though fire should not touch it. Light upon light. God draws parables
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09, 2016
Egypt Travelogue: Day 11, Part 1 – Early Morning in Edfu
This is my travel diary of my trip to Egypt. It contains in detail my memories of what I did and saw. Sunday November 1, 2015 Egypt: Day 11, Part 1 – Early Morning in Edfu Photo by Tara We got up and met in the lobby of the ship. I recall drinking what was called orange juice, but was more related to Tang. (We'd have our actual breakfast after we got back.) We then headed out to take our horse carriage to Edfu Temple. Apparently, when the city and cruise ships tried to switch to buses, the locals rebelled