Day 10 Sunday Dec 3 Part 2 continued:
public ferry to east bank [10egp/pp for foreigners], Mummification museum, Luxor sign, back to apt by public ferry
WALK THROUGH OUR VILLAGE TO PUBLIC FERRY PIER
After our driver dropped us, we had some food at the apartment and then walked to the public ferry pier. it was a 700 m walk.
The walk was enjoyable because it is a pretty little village with paintings on the facade of hopuses
we bought tickets... 10 egp/pp for foreigners. Went to the upper deck.
we walked to the Mummification museum.
Mummification museum
The Mummification Museum provides a comprehensive view of the entire process through the display of many tools, objects and equipment used for the process, as well as, an explanation of the ritual and religious significance of the practice. Canopic jars, elaborately decorated coffins, mummified remains; amulets and statues of deities are among the many objects on display.
ANUBIS
Anubis is the jackal god of funerary practices and care of the dead
God Anubis(the Jackal) was the god of embalming and mummification.
Mummification process is believed to have taken around 70 days, accompanied by many rituals. The organs of the deceased were carefully removed through a small incision (10 cm) in the left side of the body and preserved in Canopic jars. The body was then dried in sodium nitrate, or nitrate salt brought from Wadi El Natron, for about 40 days, and finally wrapped in bandages of linen. Magical amulets were placed within the wrappings on various parts of the body to protect the deceased. The family then received the body and placed it in a coffin for burial.
MUMMY OF MASAHARTI
This is the mummy of the General of the army, and high priest of Amun at Thebes.
He was the son of king piedjem I. His mummy was found in the royal cache at Deir El Bahri in 1881. The mummy of Masaharti was perfected, show the high standard for the art of mummification during Dynasty 21, the face was painted with red ocher, and the middle finger of the right hand still has it’s gold finger cap.
The djed column was a symbol of stability and continuity. It was a stylized depiction of a tree whose branches have been bundled up by means of ropes. It is a symbol that is very closely tied with Osiris, the god of the dead and vegetation. An ancient Egyptian ritual consisted of erecting a djed column, which symbolized the resurrection of Osiris and by extension all plant life. Later in ancient Egyptian history, it came to be identified as the backbone of Osiris. Amulets were often shaped like the djed column to protect its wearer in death and in life.
Funeral barque carrying the mummy.
CANOPIC JARS
Canopic jars were made to contain the organs that were removed from the body in the process of mummification: the lungs, liver, intestines, and stomach. Each organ was protected by one of the Four Sons of Horus: Hapy (lungs), Imsety (liver), Duamutef (stomach), and Qebehsenuef (intestines).
The ancient Egyptians not only applied embalming to dead humans but also to many animals (Cats, dogs, crocodiles…. etc.). Here are a ram and a cat
below is the cot used for mummification
ANKH
symbol of life. All the Gods held ankh in their hand and tomb paintings depicted them extending the ankh to the mummy and thus making the deceased achieve everlasting life with the gods.
The djed column
OSIRIS
Osiris, one of Egypt's most important deities, was god of the underworld.
Osiris, Seth (or Set), Isis and Nephthys were the children of the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. . their great-grandfather was the creator god Ra.
Isis eventually married her brother Osiris and they ruled as king and queen of Egypt.
He also symbolized death, resurrection, and the cycle of Nile floods that Egypt relied on for agricultural fertility.
Osiris was a king of Egypt who was murdered and dismembered by his brother Seth. His wife, Isis, reassembled his body and resurrected him, allowing them to conceive a son, the god Horus. He was represented as a mummified king, wearing wrappings that left only the green skin of his hands and face exposed.
ISIS
the wife of the god of the underworld, Isis was also one of the main deities concerned with rites for the dead.
Along with her sister Nephthys, Isis acted as a divine mourner, and Protector of the dead in the underworld.
Canopic chest containing he canopic jars with the organs
there were tiles depicting all important symbols of ancient Egypt.
we then walked along the Nile, saw the LUXOR sign... pictured here with the horse drawn carriage
We walked back to the pier, took the ferry back to the west bank, walked back to our apartment.
we got out through the back entrance. Enjoyed the sight of boats floating down the river Nile.
Very early wrap of the day but it was welcome after many hectic days starting sight seeing at 6am daily.
The next day we planned to have the day trip to Abydos Dendera. We had earlier booked this apt for 5 nights only, later decided to extend here. Farida apt did not have vacancy. So we booked MAMA AFRICA APARTMENT , facing the Nile for 1 night.
so we had to check out of this apt in the morning, keep our bags in the other apt, which is 1km away and then start on our day trip.
we texted on whatsapp and ironed out checkout and checkin stuff with the respective owners.
We had asked our driver Hamdi to come at 6 am as usual when we released him at 10.30 am
DRIVER TEXTS FOR LATE START
got a text from Hamdi. tomorrow let's start at 8am. I need sleep
why? 😀we released you at 10.30
every day we release you early before 4 pm
Hamdi: my boss makes me drive till 10pm. tomorrow I need to drop my dad at airport
we were hoping for an early start to beat the crowd and heat and were miffed.
after a few minutes, he texted, I'll be there at 6am.... and that was that!!
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