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A journey along the Nile
The waters of the mighty Nile allowed the otherwise dry land of Egypt to become a cradle for one of the world's greatest ancient civilizations. From the start of the Old Kingdom around 2686 BCE, an era of rule by pharaohs of more than 30 family dynasties continued almost unbroken for nearly
3000 years. After the glorious New Kingdom, the age of the Egyptian pharaohs ended with decline and rule by the Ptolemies. Today, we can travel along the Nile and explore a succession of old temples and tombs that are testimonies to the remarkable achievements of the people of ancient Egypt.
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The Old Kingdom: AGE OF THE PYRAMIDS |
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The ancient Egyptian civilization of the Nile Valley came of age under Old Kingdom rulers of dynasties 3 to 6. Their greatest legacies are the huge Giza Pyramids, the results of a spectacular program of pyramid building. |
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The Pyramids of Giza epitomize ancient Egypt, but they were the results of a short period of pyramid building during the Old Kingdom. |
The Giza Pyramids were built as tombs for the fourth dynasty kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure who ruled Egypt through 2589-2504 BCE. The largest is the Great Pyramid of Khufu, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. But the ancient Egyptians did not think of the pyramids just as
resting places for the dead. They believed their rulers were divine god-kings who would ascend from the pyramid to take their place among the gods in the afterlife.
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PYRAMIDS OF GIZA
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The New Kingdom: TEMPLES FOR GODS AND KINGS |
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The Pharaohs of dynasties 18-20 ruled ancient Egypt through the golden age of the New Kingdom (1570-1070 BCE). Great kings such as Tuthmosis III, Amenhotep III and Ramesses II controlled a powerful empire and embarked on monumental building projects that saw mighty cult temples built to
honor the gods. |
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Temples of Thebes
The ancient city of Thebes flourished in New Kingdom Egypt. Successive pharaohs enlarged and embellished two mighty temple complexes at what we now know as Luxor and nearby Karnak. The temples were built on the east bank of the Nile to honor the great god Amun. Karnak is now
regarded as the largest surviving religious complex in the world.
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TEMPLES OF THEBES
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One of many statues of the great pharaoh Ramesses II at Luxor Temple. |
Towering pillars in the Hypostyle Hall at the Karnak Temple of Amun. |
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The Great Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel |
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The New Kingdom pharaoh Ramesses II (ruled 1279-1212 BCE) embarked on many monumental building projects including his Great Temple at Abu Simbel in the south of Egypt. The temple was carved out of a hillside next to the Nile and dedicated to the gods Amun, Ptah and Re-Horakhty. However,
it was also a tribute to the power and military might of Egypt and the divine pharaoh himself.
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Ramesses II built a smaller temple near his own to honor his wife Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. The facade of the Temple is dominated by more statues of Ramesses II and his queen. |
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The four huge statues of Ramesses II that guard the entrance of his Great Temple at Abu Simbel are over 20 meters high. |
When the High Dam was built at Aswan, 280 kilometers down-river, the Abu Simbel temples were threatened by the rising water of Lake Nasser. In a remarkable operation organized by UNESCO in the 1960s, the massive temples were cut and rebuilt in an artificial hill on higher ground nearby.
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