Medinet Habu (Temple of Ramses III) & and Workers’ Village Tour
>> Tour Description
Pick up from Nile cruise or hotel and drive to the west bank to visit Hapu temple, the mortuary temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu was an important New Kingdom period temple structure in the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt. Aside from its size and architectural and artistic importance, the temple is probably best known as the source of inscribed reliefs depicting the advent and defeat of the Sea Peoples during the reign of Ramesses III , the Temple of Medinet Habu is one of the largest memorial temples in Egypt. It measures 320 m in length (east to west) and about 200 m in width (north to south). After Ramses III died, the temple was built to commemorate him, by orders of the current king himself. A huge mud brick enclosure wall surrounds the temple.
This building consists of a huge gate in the shape of a Syrian fort and is decorated with battle scenes depicting the king’s wars in Syria. Through the gate to the right is a shrine dating back to the 18th Dynasty. There is also a wide-open court that leads to a huge pylon, with both towers decorated in battle scenes. On one towers the king, wearing the red crown with his “Ka” or “double”, smiting his enemies in front of Re-Horakhty. On the other tower, the king is represented with the red crown of Lower Egypt, smiting his enemies in front of the god Amon Ra.
One of the most wonderful scenes engraved on the back of the southern tower is the oxen hunt. It depicts Ramses III, leading his chariot and hunting wild oxen. Here you will notice that the sculptor was skilled in showing the pain of the wounded animals.
The 1st open court measures 42m long by 33m wide. Its walls are decorated with battle scenes depicting the war against the Syrians and the Libyans.
The 2nd courtyard (42m long by 38m wide) was converted into a basilica during the early Christian times, but there are still scenes representing religious ceremonies, especially the festival of the gods Sokker (also spelled Sokar) and Min. Other scenes represent the king, with the priests, making offerings to various deities.
After visiting Habu temple, proceed to visit Workers city, Deir El Medina is one of the interesting historical sites in Luxor that is commonly missed by most tourists who instead get attracted by other famous ancient areas in the West Bank of Luxor like the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, and the charming temple of Hatshepsut. Situated in a valley at the foot of the Theban Mountain, Deir El Medina was the home of the artists, craftsmen, and workers who created, built, and ornamented the royal and private tombs of the Kings and Queens of Egypt which dazzled the whole world when they were discovered. Situated a short distance away from the Valley of the Queens, to the West of the Hill of El Khokha, Deir El Medina is one of the hidden treasures of the city of Luxor. It is rarely visited by tourists, but it’s amazing to see and definitely worth your time! In Arabic Deir El Medina means “the monastery of the city” most probably referring to the fact that this ancient historical site was transformed into a Christian worship center during the Coptic period in Egypt, just like the Temple of Hatshepsut (which was called El Deir El Bahry, or “the Monastery of the North.”) The workers and artists who lived in Deir El Medina were divided into two squads and each team used to work for eight hours a day and had the right to take two days off every eight days of working. Supervised by a headman, each squad used to consist of 15 to 30 individuals who worked at the same time on both sides of the tomb digging with hammers and bronze grave digging implements.
As the builders start working their way into the mountain, the other workers would trim and smooth out the walls. They would add a layer of a mixture of calcareous sand, clay, and straw and then another layer of plaster mixed with water. After the preparation of the walls was completed, the artists would begin their work drawing on the walls with red ocher, and then afterward they would make the corrections needed using black chalk.
After the drawing is done, it would be time for the sculptures that would carve the mixture used in the first phase into bas-reliefs. Then it would be the turn of the decorators who would color the bas-reliefs with different paints.
Some of these paints and colors were natural, like the ones derived from ground rocks from the mountains, while others were artificially made like the popular ancient Egyptian blue color which was manufactured by heating copper with sand and alkali. This means that while the diggers were still working in the innermost part of the tomb, other sections of the tomb located close to the mountains were already completed and finished by other workers. Following this approach, the ancient Egyptian builders and workers succeeded in constructing tombs, rather small, but they were able to complete a tomb only in a few months’ time, which is very impressive.
After the tour drive back to your hotel or cruise.
>> Tour Highlights
Medinet Habu (Temple of Ramses III) & and Workers’ Village
>> Tour Includes
– Pick up & drop off transfer from Luxor.
– Entrance fees.
– Pick up & drop off by A/C vehicle.
– Temples entrance fees.
– Tour guide Egyptologist.
>> Tour Excludes
– Meals or drinks.
– Personal expenses.
>> Tour Availability
Days ->> Available all days.
Locations ->> Available in Luxor.
>> Prices Per Person
1 | 2 – 4 | 5 – 8 | 9 – 15 | 16 – 32 |
TBA USD | TBA USD | TBA USD | TBA USD | TBA USD |
Booking 24 hours before the trip.
• Make sure you add the hotel name or Nile cruise name in order to receive the exact pick-up time.
• Requirements: full name and passport number, comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes, hat, or umbrella during summer.
• Rates subject to change in case of entrance fee increasing or fuel increasing.
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