SUNDAY, AUGUST 1: VALLEY OF THE KINGS, KARNAK and LUXOR TEMPLE

• Visit the West Bank:
1. Valley of Kings (slide show) — A selection of tombs in the Valley of the Kings is open at any one time. Our goal is to visit a few tombs with astronomical significance (example) including Tombs of Seti I (slide show), Ramses III (slide show), and Ramses V/Ramses VI (slide show)
2. King Tut’s tomb (slide show) (we have been granted special access!) (outer coffin shown; we’ll see the inner coffins in Cairo)
3. Hatshepsut Temple (slide show)
• Lunch onboard

After the Valley of the Kings it’s onward to Deir al Bahiri to see the memorial Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a woman who declared herself pharaoh. To support her authority to reign she had herself depicted as a man in temple art. The temple structure itself is oriented to identify the pharaonic Hatshepsut with the sun god.

Maps

»» Cleopatra Egypt Tours: Map of Valley of the Kings »»

»» Valley of the Kings (PDF) »»
 

KNEE/HIP/MOBILITY ALERT: Regrettably there are no accommodations for people with mobility issues at the sites we visit today. Some of the sites we visit are reached via a long steep flight of stone steps up a hillside or down into hillsides. Or both! You need to think of the status of your joints, your sense of balance, and your mobility skills as you contemplate today’s adventure.