Al-Ahram Weekly | Travel |

		14 - 20 November 2002 Issue No. 612 Travel	Current issue Previous issue Site map
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Recommend this page

Dunes

Top: Crystal Mountain, once an underground cave; above: White Desert formations; left: this ancient tamarisk is a landmark in the White Desert

photos: Khaled El- Fiqi and Farid Atiya

Luxor's day
ON 4 November local people celebrated Luxor Day, chosen to mark the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. Tutankhamun, the 11th Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, ruled Egypt from 1348 to 1337 BC. His small tomb contained 2,000 splendid artefacts, many made from pure gold and precious stones. This date also coincides with the traditional start of the tourist season in Upper Egypt.
Luxor, one of Egypt's major tourist destinations, is the manifestation of Egypt's great past. Under its old name of Thebes it was the capital of Egypt from 2100 to 750 BC. Homer called it "The City of Hundred Gates", a reference to its many temple pylons.
After the Arab conquest the name was changed to "Al- Oxor", meaning the city of monuments. Its temples, colonnades and immense statues were, and still are, among the most splendid in the world. This city is abundant in monuments on both the east and west banks of the Nile. On the east bank are the ancient royal residences and temples for the worship of Amen-Re, the King of Gods. On the west bank lie the necropolis and mortuary temples of the city of the dead.
The temples of Luxor and Karnak and the Luxor Museum on the east bank of the Nile are of great importance in understanding the history and religion of the period. On the west bank are the great mortuary temples of the Pharaohs: the Colossi of Memnon, the Ramasseum and the Temple of Queen Hatchepsut, as well as the tombs of the valleys of Kings, Queens and Nobles.
The multi-lingual Sound and Light show at Karnak Temple tells the story of the building of this huge religious complex.

No problem
MANY hotel and tour operators are reporting a fall in bookings for holidays in Egypt this year during the holy month of Ramadan, which began on 6 November. Some attribute this to a raised awareness in Western countries of the fasting practices associated with this month.
In fact, Ramadan, the month when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, has almost no impact on non-Muslim visitors. It is both polite and customary for non-Muslims not to eat in the street and other public places, but restaurants and bars stay open in hotels, and waiters in cafeterias at tourist and other locations are happy and willing to serve food and beverages. Bakeries and food shops are open all day, and indeed an abundance of food is available so preparations can be made for the family gatherings held each evening at iftar, or breakfast.
Far from avoiding a holiday in Egypt during Ramadan, visitors will find it an added cultural experience. They may be lucky enough to be invited to a private home to celebrate iftar, and if not then they can enjoy the special meals and activities laid on during the month at major hotels.

Holy Land tour
BROWSING through the excellent brochures issued three years ago by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Palestine, we on Al-Ahram Weekly's travel desk are reminded of the wealth of historical and cultural treasures long "off-limits" to the interested traveller. These include Hebron, City of the Patriarchs, Nablus, Bethlehem, Jericho, and of course Jerusalem.
Notwithstanding reported damage to many monuments during Israeli incursions onto Palestinian soil, many sites are respected by Muslims, Christians or Jews -- and many more are sacred to all three.
At random we selected the Masjid Bilai (Rachel's Tomb) at Bethlehem, the Hisham Palace -- built by the Umayyad Caliph Hisham (724-743 AD) -- and the Monastery of the Temptation at Jericho, the Ain Kenya nature reserve near Ramallah and the Tell Al-Nasbah Bronze Age site, also near Ramallah, as places we want to see again.
Perhaps this holy month can be set aside as a time for reflection and prayer for peace to help restore the tourist industry to the safe footing we all clearly remember.
For a cyber tour of the antiquities of Palestine visit the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Web site at http:// www.visit-palestine.com

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