The Best Tourist Places: Egypt

Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Earth's Largest pyramid

Built by:Pharaoh khufu

Date:circa 2550 B.C

Location:Giza

Height:481 feet(147 meters)

WONDER OF THE WORLD
Khufu, son of Snefru and second ruler of the 4th dynasty (time line) moved the royal necropolis to Giza, north of modern-day Cairo. According to ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Khufu (aka Cheops) enslaved his people to build his pyramid. But archaeologists have since disproved his account (see "Who Built the Pyramids?").

On the Giza Plateau, Khufu's builders oriented his pyramid almost perfectly north. The largest pyramid ever built, it incorporates about 2.3 million stone blocks, weighing an average of 2.5 to 15 tons each. It is estimated that the workers would have had to set a block every two and a half minutes.

The pyramid has three burial chambers. The first is underground, carved into bedrock. The second, aboveground chamber was called the queen's chamber by early explorers. We now know it was never intended to house one of Khufu's wives but perhaps a sacred statue of the king himself. The third is the king's chamber, which held a red granite sarcophagus placed almost exactly at the center of the pyramid.

The king's chamber is accessed via the 26-foot-high (8-meter-high) Grand Gallery, which was sealed off from thieves by sliding granite blocking systems.

The Great Pyramid was the centerpiece of an elaborate complex, which included several small pyramids, five boat pits, a mortuary temple, a causeway, a valley temple, and many flat-roofed tombs for officials and some members of the royal family.

CLASSIC FACT: Several mystery shafts extend from the king's and queen's chambers. Neither airshafts (they were sealed) nor hallways (they are too narrow), they may have been designed to allow Khufu to travel to the stars in his afterlife. A blocked shaft from the queen's chamber was penetrated in 2002.

Diamond studs

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Monday, November 1, 2010

The Mosque of Amrou bin Ash

The first and the oldest mosque in Africa, here it is, the mosque of Amrou bin Ash. This mosque of Amrou bin Ash built in 642 C or coresponding to 21 AH. It is located in Fustat city, Egypt. The mosque is also named with mosque el Nasr, or mosque el 'Atiq, and mosque Taj el jawame'. The mosque of Amrou bin Ash had built by moslem people, such as Shahabah Abo Dzar el Ghefary, Abo Basra, Mohammeyah bin Jozi el zobaedy, Nabyh bin shawab el basry .

The mosque of Amrou bin Ash was built at ex-park area of "Qysbah ibno Kaltsoum" that extend over Nile river. The mosque has six doors, and four manaret. The first wide area is about 50 cubits in 30 cubits until 672 C/ 53 AH. After that, there are continuously of improvement until 24 thousand arm architect in area, or about 120 metres in 110 meters. In the Abbasid period increased in an area of the mosque several times was the largest and most important of which increased by the governor, "Abdullah Ibn Tahir," in the year 212 AH / 827 m, where planning is becoming a mosque is almost square, but the biggest building of this mosque were those made by Murad Bey in 1212 AH / 1792 where the changed architecture of the mosque is completely.

The mosque is not only for praying but also deliberation to solve the problems, there are also bayt el mal, where in this place, people can give their alms to be distributed to the poor and people in need.

Planning of the original architect of the mosque consists of a rectangular area of fifty cubits in length and presented thirty cubits, the mosque is surrounded by the four sides was accidentally introduced seven cubits, and the floor has been furnished gravel, The roof is covered with palm fronds, which was carried on poles from the trunks of palm overlying mud, and it did not have a dish or niche hollow and minaret, and he has a platform has built the walls of the Whole State of mud brick and was free of decoration and had intercourse with six doors in the walls except qibla (place for imam )wall, it did not have any openings.The height of the mosque from the inside, it is likely about three meters such as the mosque of Nabawi in Madena, the qiblah of this mosque is Skewed slightly toward the east.

The newest architect form of the mosque is the primer entry in western of the mosque which consist of the big dish opened and surrounded by the four galleries that has simple wooden roof. The biggest galleries is gallary of qiblah which consist of 21 vertical face on qiblah wall. And every face is composed of six pointed arches based on the marble columns, and an open mind gallery of qiblah there are two niche adjacent to each wooden platform, and there is a qiblah wall paintings going back to the era of Murad Bey.

Amrou bin Ash firstly had built his home in eastern of the mosque it called "dar el kobra", where in leftside of this home is "dar el soghra", his boy's home was named Abdollah. Then bilt the third home for shahabah Zobayr bin el 'Awwam.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Sand Bath ; The Real Medication Therapy

Siwa is a valley located in northwestern Cairo city, Egypt, it is about 600 km. The population of Siwa has different language with egyptian generally.

Some heritage were exist there prove that they had high civilization since 3.000 bC. Some heritage site that still exist are Mountain of the Dead, where it is place for mummies of ancient Siwa.There are also a framework of Worship Amon at dinasty pharaohs. Then, Cleopatra pool, Alexander the Great heritages,fort ancient Siwa, etc.

Siwa society had inherit traditional medication therapy which they must keep it until now. They could life naturally, without a doctor, healthy center, or pharmacy. Here it is medication therapeutic of Siwa, sand bath. The sand at temperature 45 degrees celcius, and even more. It can't be imagined what a very hot the sand. Even depending on siwa story, they can roast the bread with that sand. Amazing sand.

This effectively therapy invite tourism interest, not only local society but also non local society.

Siwa society are believe that the root of diseases is unhealthy water element in the human bodies. Therefore, the water must be through out, ie with the sand bath therapy on "Hamam Raml".

This sand bath theraphy can through out the water about 3 liters even 4 liters from the human body as sweat. They are believe that the disease are move out through that lather. The diseases is such as rheumatism, gout, structure, cholesterol, and others.

Firstly, they dig the sand until 50 cm, Length wide enough to bury a human body. Then, a pasien pick up his clothes to be changed with a towel to close his aurat or genitalia, then he lie down to face the sky, then he burried with the sand which has temperature 45 degrees celcius. After his aurat is really tightly closed by sand, the towel is pulled slowly. Then continue the burried until the neck. To patien's head abuse from the sun, his head is shaded by blanket which refuted by wood. nevertheless, his face is looked red and so sweaty.

The patien have burried about 10-15 minutes, after that his aurat is closed back and he could be moved out to shade in tent which prepared there to take a rest.

The clumps of wet sand that marks the burial site indicate the number of levels of water coming out of the pores of the skin. Conceivably, if the water is removed from the patient's body around 3 liters to 4 liters in a span of 15 minutes, meaning he has a diet of up to 3 kg in a relatively very short time! Want to try the practice?
Just visit Siwa in Egypt . Happy healthy journey.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Great Pyramids of Giza Egypt

Egypt has more than 100 pyramids that are spread all over the country. These pyramid structures are made up of sandstone brick. The pyramids were built for the rulers of Egypt. The first pyramid that was built in Egypt was the Pyramid of Djoser during the third dynasty.

The 3 best Egyptian pyramids are the ‘Pyramids of Giza’. These pyramids were built on the outskirts of Cairo. The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is said to be the largest Egyptian pyramid ever made in the history. This pyramid figure is one of the seven wonders of the worlds. The Pyramid of Kufu is also known as the Great Pyramid. The Pyramids at Giza are three in number. Three big one’s are called the great pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) , the pyramid of Khafre (Khafra) and the pyramid of Menkaure. The pyramid of Menkaure further has 3 smaller pyramids that are subsidiary to this main pyramid and are called the queens’ pyramids.

The pyramids at Giza attract maximum tourist attention every year. Out of all the three pyramids at Giza, only the pyramid of Khafre retains some parts of the originally polished limestone casing near its pinnacle. To the naked eyes and laymen, the pyramid of Khafre would always look tall, but the fact is that the pyramid of Khufu is the tallest of all. There are a lot of theories regarding the construction of the pyramids and a new research shows that the pyramids were made by building blocks made out of limestone concrete.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

The Great Sphinx of Egypt is the largest free-standing sculpture

Here are some interesting Sphinx facts to know before your tour of the Giza necropolis. They will help you appreciate even more this fabulous Egypt icon.
pyramid and sphinx of egyptThe Great Sphinx of Egypt is part of the funerary complex of the Egyptian pharaoh Khafre, builder of the second Giza Pyramid, who reigned between 2558 and 2532 B.C. more than 4,000 years ago.

The face of the Sphinx is believed to represent Khafre, which makes it the oldest large-scale royal portrait known.

The Great Sphinx of Egypt is the largest free-standing sculpture. It is 57 metres (260 feet) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and has a height of 20 m (65 ft)

It was carved from a single outcrop of limestone, making it the largest single-stone statue in the world. The layers of the limestone of the Giza plateau from which the Sphinx is carved are different in strength. The stone of the first two layers up to its chest is of poor quality, so the ancient sculptors added more solid blocks to the lower parts and carved the details. The head, with its nemes headcloth, uraeus, and false beard is carved directly on the stronger layer of the mother rock.

A millenium after it was built, the Sphinx was covered in sand up to its neck. Around 1400 BC, Thutmose IV of the New Kingdom claimed his legitimacy to the throne of Egypt by clearing the sands. This he did after falling asleep under its shadow and receiving a message to do so from Re-Harmachis through the Sphinx itself. Thutmose IV had a granite stela known as the Dream Stela placed between the paws, which travelers can see on a tour of the Sphinx. He had many of the fallen Old Kingdom blocks replaced and also built a huge mud-brick wall in the shape of a large cartouche to protect the statue from the wind and stop erosion.

Another curious Sphinx fact: The Western name "Sphinx" was given to it in antiquity based on the legendary Greek mythology sphinx, a creature with the body of a lion, the head of a woman and the wings of a bird, though Egyptian sphinxes have the head of a man.

Sphinx facts about the missing nose: A legend that the nose of the Great Sphinx was broken off by a cannon ball fired by Napoleon's soldiers still survives, as do diverse variants indicting British troops, Mamluks, and others. However, sketches of the Sphinx by Frederick Lewis Norden made in 1737 and published in 1755 already illustrate the Sphinx without a nose. The Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi, writing in the fifteenth century, attributes the vandalism to Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr, a Sufi fanatic from the khanqah of Sa'id al-Su'ada. In 1378, upon finding the Egyptian peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in the hope of increasing their harvest, Sa'im al-Dahr was so outraged that he destroyed the nose. Al-Maqrizi describes the Sphinx as the "Nile talisman" on which the locals believed the cycle of inundation depended.

Sphinx Mythology: The Great Sphinx was believed to stand as a guardian of the Giza Plateau, where it faces the rising sun. It was the focus of solar worship in the Old Kingdom, centered in the adjoining temples built around the time of its probable construction. Its animal form, the lion, has long been a symbol associated with the sun in ancient Near Eastern civilizations. Images depicting the Egyptian king in the form of a lion smiting his enemies appear as far back as the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt. During the New Kingdom, the Sphinx became more specifically associated with the god Hor-em-akhet (Greek Harmachis) or Horus at the Horizon, which represented the Pharaoh in his role as the Shesep ankh of Atum (living image of Atum). A temple was built to the northeast of the Sphinx by King Amenhotep II, nearly a thousand years after its construction, dedicated to the cult of Horemakhet.

Riddle of the Sphinx: The Great Sphinx is one of the world's largest and oldest statues, yet basic Sphinx facts about it such as the real-life model for the face, when it was built, and by whom, are debated. These questions have collectively earned the title "Riddle of the Sphinx", a nod to its Greek namesake, although this phrase should not be confused with the original Greek Oedipus and riddle Sphinx legend.