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Living in Luxor - News in and around Luxor in November 2013

 

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New pages in November 2013:

  • 26/11/13: New offer: Holiday Flat in Ramla: Nile View

 

Again Finds at Montu Temple in Armant Near Luxor

(17/11/13)
The second discovery in Armant within a week! After the announcement of the discovery of two statues at Montu Temple on 12/11/13 (see our news from 14/11/13) the joint mission of the IFAO (Institut français d’archéologie orientale), the CFEETK (Centre Franco-Égyptien d’Étude des Temples de Karnak) and the Université Paul Valéry Montpellier unearthed five limestone heads of pharaonic statues yesterday. The heads are 50 cm tall, have crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt and probably date back to the Middle Kingdom meaning they are about 4000 years old. Now, they will be examined to determine whether they belonged to decapitated statues found several years ago.
Unfortunately there is no photo yet, therefore a picture of the Montu Temple as Giovanni Battista Belzoni saw it in 1820 - before it was dismantled:

Giovanni Battista Belzoni: The temple at Erments, 1820



New Discoveries in the 1st Mortuary Temple of Thutmosis III, Luxor Westbank

(16/11/13)
Thutmosis III built two mortuary temples: one (better known) temple in Deir el Bahari ("Djeser-akhet") and another one in Qurna ("Henket-ankh"). This one was built first, its situated 300 m northeast of the Ramesseum. On this we talk here.
Since 2008 the SCA (Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt) and the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de "Santa Isabel de Hungría" de Sevilla excavate and restore the temple ( Thutmosis III Temple Project). This year's season will last from October to December.
On 14th November 2013 it was announced that the mission had discovered the lower parts of two black granite statues, one of them with the name of Thutmosis III. Beside that they found parts of limestone door frames. Two of the fragments are inscribed with cartouches of Thutmosis III (1458–1426 BC), others with cartouches of Akhenaton (1353–1336 BC) and Ramses II (1279–1213 BC) which indicates that the temple was still in use during their reigns.

Mortuary Temple of Thutmosis III in Qurna

Mortuary Temple of Thutmosis III in Qurna - Overview, © Thutmosis III Temple Project

Mortuary Temple of Thutmosis III in Qurna - Finds from November 2013, © Thutmosis III Temple Project

Mortuary Temple of Thutmosis III in Qurna - Finds from November 2013, © Thutmosis III Temple Project

Mortuary Temple of Thutmosis III in Qurna - Finds from November 2013, © Thutmosis III Temple Project



Statues Found at Montu Temple in Armant Near Luxor

(14/11/13)
Quite accurate one year ago the Montu Temple of Armant made headlines with the discovery of a royal statue (see our news from 22/11/12). The archaeologists hoped for further statue finds and in fact: Two days ago it was officially announced that the joint mission of the IFAO (Institut français d’archéologie orientale), the CFEETK (Centre Franco-Égyptien d’Étude des Temples de Karnak) and the Université Paul Valéry Montpellier had unearthed two statues. They date back to the Ramesside period and are excellently preserved as well as atypical.
The 93 cm tall sittimg statue on the left of the picture is made from limestone and shows the temple scribe Imen-hob, who is already known from a statue found in 1980. On his lap and between his hands he holds a naos with a statue of God Montu inside.
The diorite rock statue on the right of the picture is 68.5cm tall and shows Ramose, the first high priest of the temple during the reign of Ramses II. He kneels and holds on his knees an offering table with two falcon heads representing God Montu. Ramose is already known from a depictiion in the tomb of Khonsu (TT 31) in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna (Thebes).
Armant (ancient Egyptian „Iunu-Monthu“) is located about 12 km south of Luxor at the west bank of the Nile. The temple dedicated to God Monthu was already built during the 11th dynasty, later extended and then destroyed. In the 19th century the stone blocks of the new Ptolemaic construction were used to build a sugar factory. Today, very few remains are still visible in the centre of the modern town of Armant /not open to the public).

Statues Found at Montu Temple in Armant Near Luxor, © CNRS/CFEETK



Cross Egypt Challenge en Route to Luxor

(12/11/13)
The 9-day scooter rallye Cross Egypt Challenge (see our news from 07/11/13) arrived today (after 5 days travelling) at Kharga and will go on to Luxor tomorrow morning. Here, in front of the Karnak Temple a festival will welcome the scooterists and the Governor cordially invites you to attend it, too!
Tomorrow, 13 November 2013, 1 pm.

Cross Egypt Challenge between Dakhla and Kharga 2012, © Cross Egypt Challenge



2nd Luxor Egyptian and European Film Festival 2014

(09/11/13)
Good news for movie fans: The date for the 2nd Luxor Egyptian and European Film Festival is fixed: it will take place from 19 to 25 January 2014. While the 1st Luxor Egyptian and European Film Festival 2012 focused on English films, on 2014, the focus will be laid on German films.

2nd Luxor Egyptian and European Film Festival



Poetry Jam, not Poetry Slam on 14/11/13, Luxor East Bank

(09/11/13)
It was announced that there will be a Poetry Slam at the Cultural Palace in Luxor Awameya on November 14, 2013, 8 pm. We asked Frank Klötgen, a German slam poet, for more details on the coming event. Here they are: It will be a Poetry Jam, not a Slam. The participants are the three Egyptian poets Mahmout Atef, Malaka Badr and Salam Yousry as well as the three German-speaking poets Heike Fiedler (Switzerland), Yasmin Hafedth (Austria) and Frank Klötgen (Germany). The German contributions will be translated into Arabic and vice versa. Here is the official press release:

+++ Poetry Jam +++
Poesie als Event
Three young talented Egyptian word artists meet their pendants from Austria, Switzerland and Germany and jointly present their best writings and improvised works. The artists show their wittiest craft of playing with words and languages and entertain the listeners with quick, humorous as well satiric texts.
The third German-Arabic-language Poetry Jam makes lyric an experience. Not only the event as such is extraordinary but likewise the event venues. The newly inaugurated cultural palace in Assiut, the favorite premises of the cultural palaces in Sohag and Luxor and the historic walls of the Wekalet-al-Ghoury in Cairo will ensure that anyone who is interested or merely curious, will be able to enjoy this new form of poetry in a relaxed atmosphere.
Poetry Jam in Assiut, Sohag, Luxor and Cairo will be presented by:
The austrianculturalforum/cairo, the German Embassy in Cairo, the Swiss Embassy in Cairo and the Robert-Bosch-Foundation.
ALL ARE WELCOME! – FREE ENTRANCE!!

Poster "Poetry Jam III"



Cross Egypt Challenge 2013 with New Route

(07/11/13)
Like many other events the 9-day scooter rallye aims to promote tourism and indeed, scooterists from 12 countries will participate. The rallye will start tomorrow at 1 pm with an opening ceremony at Alexandria City Centre. While in 2011, the route ran to Cairo and then eastward to Suez, Taba, Nuweiba', Dahab, Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, before it drove to Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel it will go westward through the western desert and the oases this year. With 2400 km the route is 700 km longer than in 2011. It will run from Alexandria to Cairo and then through the oases Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga to Luxor. The scooterists will arrive here on November 13, 2013 in the afternoon and head to Hurghada and Sokhna by the Red Sea the next day. The last stage runs back to Cairo, where the closing ceremony will take place at the Pyramids.

Cross Egypt Challenge through the desert, © Cross Egypt Challenge Cross Egypt Challenge in front of Karnak Temple, © Cross Egypt Challenge



November 5, 2013 - Islamic New Year

(05/11/13)
Today, on 5th of November 2013 the year 1435 of the Islamic calendar also called Hijri calendar begins. It is a lunar calendar. Each month has either 29 or 30 days, so the Islamic year is about 11 days shorter than a solar year. 33 lunar years are the equivalent of 32 solar years. New Year's Day isn't an official islamic holiday but a cultural event. Kol sana wa ento tayebeen!

Fireworks  Islamic Calendar for the year 1435  The Moon serves as the Basis for the Islamic Calendar



Photos of the Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb at the Valley of the Kings 91 Years Ago, Luxor Westbank

(04/11/13)
On 4th of November 1922 Howard Carter discovered the stairs that would lead him down to Tutankhamun's Tomb finally. On occasion of this anniversary we show you several photographs taken by the British photographer Harry Burton (© Griffith Institute, University of Oxford):

Harry Burton: Howard Carter looking through the open doors of the funerary shrines and examining the innermost gold coffin, © Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
Harry Burton: Howard Carter looking through the open doors of the funerary shrines and examining the innermost gold coffin

Harry Burton: Antechamber view showing tomb contents still in situ 1922, © Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
Harry Burton: Antechamber view showing tomb contents still in situ 1922

Harry Burton: Unbroken seal on the third shrine, © Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
Harry Burton: Unbroken seal on the third shrine

Harry Burton: Tutankhamun's quartzite sarcophagus and detail of the outermost coffin, © Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
Harry Burton: Tutankhamun's quartzite sarcophagus and detail of the outermost coffin

Harry Burton: The gold mask of Tutankhamun in situ and Tutankhamun's mummy covered by a linen shroud and floral collars, © Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
Harry Burton: The gold mask of Tutankhamun in situ and Tutankhamun's mummy covered by a linen shroud and floral collars
Get 5 volumes with 490 of Burton's photographs of Tutankhamun's tomb as free pdf download from a German library: Harry Burton: Tutankhamun tomb photographs, 1922.



Partial Solar Eclipse in Luxor on 03/11/13

(03/11/13)
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun. The phenomenon is just visible at certain regions and at only a few locations as total eclipse. For example: Yesterday's solar eclipse was total in Central Africa but partial in Egypt. Here in Egypt, the Moon covered only 15 percent of the sun.

Solar eclipse on 03/11/13: Map of visiblity, © timeanddate.com

In Luxor the natural spectacle began at 3:06 pm, the maximum was at 4:05 pm and at 4:57 pm all was over. As looking directly at the Sun can lead to permanent damage of eyes and camera sensors and my sun eclipse "glasses" only cover a small camera lens I took this picture through the glasses:

Partial solar eclipse in Luxor on 03/11/13



News About Luxor Committee

(01/11/13)
The Luxor Committee, which was founded in October, has the aim to help Luxor, its visitors and its residents including foreigners. Meanwhile, the work of the committee started and the website is put online. Requests, suggestions and problems can be communicated via the website's contact form or via this email address: info.luxor.committe@gmail.com.
It's already due to the new governor that the validity of visa, which was reduced to half a year, has been extended to one year again.

Website of the Luxor Committee

 
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