Valley of the Kings
This is a giant cemetary. Apparently, building huge pyramids was not only a tombstone, but also a marker to grave robbers that told them where to find Pharoahs’ treasures — so the ancient Egyptians started building their burial sites into mountains instead of in pyramids. This is where King Tut’s tomb is located. His tomb was the only one found in tact that had not been pillaged by grave robbers looking for mummies and treasures. That’s because his grave was built into the mountain in a way that kept it hidden, and therefore safe.
Tomb Paintings
Photography and video of the paintings was forbidden so I couldn’t film the walls, but what I can say was that all the paintings and wall writings were so vibrant, it was as if they were painted that morning! I asked our day guide how they kept the colors so bright and long-lasting without the modern technology that we have today to make painting materials.
Hatshepsut Temple
Did I mention the heat of Egypt? You can sort of get a feel of how hot it was on my trip from this video. Anyway, this temple was built in honor of Egypt’s drag-king Pharoah. Hatshepsut was a female who called herself a man. She was even buried in the valley of the Kings — not Queens — because she wanted to rule as a man. She told everyone she was male, and even wore a fake beard.
Alabaster Shop
Alabaster is one of the big industries in Egypt. Here were see the workers make Alabaster pots, and of course we stop by the shop because they hope we’ll buy something. Grace was such a sucker for the shops. Every time she said she wasn’t gonna buy anything… and every time we stopped she baught a new gift for someone!
Valley of the Workers
This is the area where the workers lived. I found it funny that they were paid not in money, but in fish.
Memnon Statues
Our guide told us that behind these striking statues there used to be a Temple. I guess they were the entrance statues to the Temple. I really loved all the statues we saw all over the place. It added to the special character of this country.
