NILE ROUTES

Karnak Temple

'The biggest in heaven, the oldest in the world'... Karnak temple, which is Ipet Sut in the ancient Egyptian language, is the largest and most important religious complex ever built in the world. Dedicated to Amon, the most important god of Egypt. The construction of the temple began during the Middle Kingdom, and with the additions made during the New Kingdom, it spread over an area of ​​300 acres, making it the largest ancient religious site in the world. Karnak is actually an organically developed temple. Karnak Temple, which for more than 2000 years each pharaoh added to what the previous pharaoh did and made it even bigger and more magnificent, is an open-air museum that hosts Egyptian history and mythology. There are 134 columns in the Hypostyle hall alone in the Amon complex, which was built entirely of cut stone. By taking a mysterious and mystical tour among the columns, temples, monumental statues, giant sphinxes and obelisks, votive stones, wall paintings and writings, you really get lost in the largest and oldest archive of the time.

Temple of Luxor

The magnificent Temple of Luxor, located on the banks of the Nile in the holy land of Thebes, was built in dedication to the god Amon-Ra during the reign of Amenhotep III, the 9th pharaoh of the New Kingdom period, who reigned between 1390-1353 BC. Later, additions were made by Tutankhamun, Horemheb, Ramses II, Alexander the Great, Romans and Muslim Arabs. Ramses II's Great Gate is located at the entrance of the Luxor temple, after a street with human-headed lion sphinxes, which runs for 3 km between Karnak and Luxor Temples. There are two giant Ramses II statues sitting on the throne to the right and left of the 24m-high door. The façade of the pylon is decorated with pictures and inscriptions of the victories of Ramses II. The gate opens into the courtyard of Ramses II, surrounded by closed lotus-headed columns and statues of Osiris. To the right of the courtyard entrance is the Temple of the Theban Trinity, and to the left is the Abu al-Haggag Mosque, built by a local sheikh in the 13th century. After the first courtyard, there is a corridor created by 14 gigantic columns, 52 meters high, with opened papyrus caps, extending in double rows. On these columns belonging to Amenhotep III, decorations were made to celebrate this transformation by Tutankhamun, who left the Aten belief in Tel Amarna and came to Thebes and accepted the Amon belief. Next comes the Hypostyle corridor with 32 columns. Other important works of the temple are the 25-meter-high obelisk, the Chonos, Mut and Votive chapels, the Roman sanctuary with round arches, frescoes, niches, classical Roman column-headed entrances on both sides, the birth room, the holy places of Amenhotep III and Alexander the Great. . You can see an example of the Amon Ra Boat, which was brought from Karnak Temple with ceremonies due to the Opet Festival, which is celebrated for 15 days at the end of August every year, in the Luxor temple.

Valley of the Kings

During the New Kingdom period (1550-1076 BC), the magnificent capital of Egypt, Thebes, was a huge city spread between Luxor and Karnak on the eastern bank of the Nile, at the foot of the holy mountain of Thebes. On the opposite west side, it is home to magnificent ancient tombs and structures such as Valey of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Temples of Millions Years, Deir El Bahri, Ramesseum, Medinet Habu, where the mausoleums of the nobles are located. The Valley of the Kings, whose original name is 'The Great and Majestic Cemetery of the Mighty Pharaohs of Millions Years', consists of king cemeteries carved into limestone rocks in a valley that stretches for kilometers. This location was chosen in order to secure the return of the kings to life after death, since the Theban Hill, which resembles the pyramid shape associated with the Cobra Goddess Merseger, makes it difficult to access the region. There are 58 graves in the main valley and 4 graves in the West Valley (Valley of the Monkeys) and a total of 62 graves. It is thought that only 24 of them are royal tombs, and the first tomb belongs to Pharaoh Thutmosis I, who lived between 1504-1492 BC, and the last tomb to Ramses XI, the last pharaoh of the New Kingdom period. It is estimated that many cemeteries were discovered and looted by pirates during the period of political and social turmoil that followed. In 1708, Jesuit Claude Sicard rediscovered the tombs of the valley of the kings, which were only mentioned in the texts of historians from the Greek and Roman periods who later ruled Egypt. The coffins of the pharaohs, which are located in the main cemetery room, which can be reached through the tunnels going underground after the rock gate entrance to the valley, consists of 3 layers. The first is a stone sarcophagus, the second is a gilded and ornamented wooden coffin, and the third is a solid gold coffin protecting the pharaoh's mummy. The walls and ceilings of the corridors leading down to the burial chamber are filled with stone carvings and paintings. He depicts important religious and mythological scenes from the Book of the Dead, the Book of Amduat, the Book of Doors, the Book of Caves, the Book of the World, and the Prayers of Ra, so that the pharaohs can remember who they were and what they went through after they came back to life. After the pharaoh dies, he is buried after the mummification process and necessary rituals, which takes about 3 months. It represents an important ritual to the death, burial, and reincarnation of the pharaohs. After the Pharaoh dies, he descends to the world of the dead symbolized by the tomb, where he encounters many difficulties and obstacles, struggles in his life thanks to the magic formulas he learned from the Book of the Dead, and after winning, Osiris, symbolized by the layers of the Sarcophagus, is accepted into the divine afterlife kingdom. The golden coffin is where the pharaoh's incorruptible body completed its transformation into a divine and divine being. The place where his soul ascends into the light and meets his divine father, the sun god Ra. The tombs of Tuthmosis III, Amenophis II, Tuthankhamun, Sethos I, Horemheb, Ramesses I, Merneptah, Ramesses III, Ramesses VI are worth seeing.

Valley of the Queens

Valley of the Queens, located in the southernmost of the Theban cemeteries, is the area where queens, princesses and princes have been buried since the 16th century BC. The original name of the region, where approximately 80 tombs are located, 'Ta Set Neferu' means 'Children of the Pharaohs and the Place of the Harem'. In the Valley of the Queens, the magnificent tomb of Queen Nefertari, as well as the tombs of the sons of Ramses III, Khaemwaset and Amun Her Khepshef are worth seeing.

The Temples of Millions Years

In the region between the fertile lands of the Nile and the Theban mountains, the New Kingdom Temples are located. It consists of memorial temples where the funeral rites of kings were held, and the nobles used for prayer and worship. The most impressive temples, most of which have not survived, are Deir El Bahri, Medinet Habu & Temple of Ramesses III Sethos I, Ramesseum, Colossi of memnon, and Sennedjem, Inherkhau Pashedu tomb. Deir El Bahri (Monastery of the North) is a series of temples built by Queen Hatshepsut, consisting of large amphitheaters carved into the rocks at the end of a deep valley: Queen Hatshepsut Temple, Goddess Hathor Temple, Pharaoh Tuthmosis III and Pharaoh Nebhepetre Mentuhotep Temples. 'Djeser-Djeseru', an architectural masterpiece with the title of 'The Most High', the Hatshepsut temple is undoubtedly the most magnificent structure in the valley. Queen Hatshepsut chose the location of the temple in the sacred valley of Goddess Hathor, which represents the afterlife, in the axis of the temples of Amun and Karnak, and just a few hundred meters from the Valley of the Kings. There are two rows of sphinxes at the entrance of the first courtyard of the temple, which was completed in 15 years, and 22 Amun obelisks are located at the columned entrance that follows. When you exit the ramp, you reach the second courtyard. There is the Temple of Anubis on the right, the Temple of Hathos on the left, and the divine birth of Queen Hatshepsut as a child of God Amun, the coronation of the queen, the Punt expeditions, the naval soldiers' parade and ships are depicted on the walls of the columnar section, which is accessed by a ramp from the second courtyard. On the upper terrace, there are columns composed of statues of the queen.

Edfu Temple

The ancient Temple of Edfu, located to the west of the Nile River, is dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god in Egyptian mythology. It is a very impressive temple with its architecture, size and ostentatiousness. There are reliefs of Horus and members of the Ptolemaic Dynasty on the 36-meter-high pylon wall, where the main entrance of the temple is located. The cloistered courtyard behind the wall was the ceremonial area where offerings were made to the gods. The twelve-columned passageway, located after the courtyard, was the path to the sanctuary that only pharaohs and clergy could pass. In the sanctuary, there are statues of Horus and other gods. Other interesting points in the temple are the Nilometer, the measuring tool used to calculate the overflow times of the Nile, and the pool, which is also used during sacred rites.

Abu Simbel Temple

Abu Simbel, the temple of Ramses II, is one of the most impressive monuments in Egypt. The entire temple was carved out of a solid rock. The majesty of 4 sitting giant statues carved on the face of the mountain leaves you in awe and admiration. These 22 meters high statues, which symbolize Egypt's most important gods, Amun Re, Ptah and Re Horakhty, as well as Ramses II, date back to 1265 BC. Ramses II placed his statue next to the gods and blessed himself during his lifetime. The reliefs include battle scenes in Suriya, Libya and Nubia led by Ramses, and religious worship scenes. Standing alone to the northeast of the temple, the other 120 meters high temple is dedicated to the goddess Hathor and the queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses. When you enter through the door between the statues, you enter the sacred chambers that open deep inside the rocks. The temple, located against the sunrise, has another feature that proves it is an architectural marvel. In February and October, the first rays of the sun enter the temple's deepest chamber and illuminate the sacred statues on the back wall.

Philae Temple

The island of Philae, located on the Nile River, has been considered the holy place of the Goddess Isis since ancient times. It was also a religious center, as it is believed that Abaton, where Osiris slept his last sleep, was believed to be found. It is also considered sacred as the island where the distant goddess Hathor, who got angry with her people and went to Nubian lands, settled when she returned to Egypt after calming down. The Temple of Isis on the island was built between 663-525 BC and its columns still exist today, during the reign of the last pharaoh Nektanebos II. The temple has a very unique structure, it is believed that Isis gave birth to her son Horus, between two monumental gates. There are also the temples of Imhotep and Hathor, the chapels of Osiris, Horus and Nephthys, and the famous Traianus pavilion decorated with elegant columns, where the boat of Isis was placed during processions.