March 23, 2023

Coach Brandon Pictures from Egypt

I recently took a trip to Egypt & have a few pictures & thoughts to share.

The Great Pyramids of Giza. The Pyramid of Khefru (481ft) was the tallest structure on Earth from the time of its completion around 2,500BC until the construction of the Eiffel Tower in 1887! Since I was a small child I have been amazed by these pyramids.  After seeing them in person I am somehow even more blown away by them than ever before.

 

The Great Pyramids with the Sphinx in front. The Sphinx has been dated back to around the time of the construction of the Pyramids but new research is showing it potentially could be much older and predate the Pyramids by up to a couple thousand years!

 

One of our earlier mornings. A sunrise hot air balloon ride over the farmlands of Luxor. Luxor was once called Thebes and was the first ever capital of ancient Egypt. Definitely a unique and wonderful thing to experience.

 

 

Temple of Hatshepsut. Built sometime between 1,500-1,400 BC.

This temple was built for a Pharoah with a very interesting story of how she gained and kept her rule by sending her stepson (the rightful heir to the throne) to Sudan. She ruled for multiple decades after. After she passed away her stepson came back to Egypt and destroyed many of her statues and temples as to try and not let history remember her. He failed, as Queen Hatshepsut was loved by most people she ruled over.

 

Inside one of the tombs at the Valley of the Kings. Around 1,600BC kings stopped building pyramids and started building chambers in the caves and cliffs of Thebes in an attempt to keep grave robbers out.

The pictures in this tomb are approximately around 3,300 years old but have kept the paint incredibly well due to being buried for so long.

I personally did not have high expectations for the Valley of the Kings but left Egypt with it being one of my favorite stops we had.