After the hot air balloon, our bus picked us up and took us to the attraction nearby : Hatshepsut Temple or in local language Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple.
This is a very special temple because it was dedicated to the only female who ruled like a male Pharoah. She was originally a queen, Queen Hatshepsut who later ascended to the throne. This breathtaking temple was erected against a mountainous backdrop.
It was such a dry and sunny day, walking towards this temple was such an effort, but the beauty of this place more than made up for the fatigue.
These are statues of Hatshepsut, characteristically represented as male king with a beard. The ascension of Hatshepsut to the throne was opposed by many during her time, and after her death, many monuments made in her name were destroyed.
Within the temple is a chapel of Hathor, where the columns were made with pillar depicting Hathor's head.
Just a short distance away from Hatshepsut temple is the Colossi of Memnon. All that is left here are the two gigantic statues which once guarded Amenhotep's mortuary temple, which was later destroyed by earthquake.
One of the most inspiring places we've been to in Luxor has to be the Valley of the Kings. In the valley, lies tombs of 62 egyptian Pharoahs. To prevent overexposure, daily visitors can only visit 3 tombs. Each time they enter one tomb, a mark is made on their ticket, and after three entries, they can no longer enter another. This place is protected well, due to the colours in the tomb and hence no cameras are even allowed in the grounds.
This is an example of what one of the tombs looked like within. It was such a pity we couldn't take photos, cos the three tombs that we entered were vastly different, yet beautiful in their own unique way.
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