Nile River, EgyptThe Nile passes through Cairo, Egypt's capital city
What is in length?
Nile is the greatest river on earth as it supplies water to the most needy part of the earth; the Sahara Desert; almost 100% of the Nile’s course is through Sahara world most arid desert; considering this great mission of this river’ the question that whether it is the longest river on earth seems irrelevant (it has been opined that River Amazon is longer than Nile by a few km; but what Nile supplies is precious water not length).
The Greeks Called at ‘neilos’ meaning valley. Ancient Africans called it ‘aur’, ‘iteru’ etc meaning black (the rich sediments made the river black). For Egyptians River Nile was their Holy ‘God Hapi’ visible to their eyes, they called the Nile valley as Black-Land and the rest of Africa as Red-Land; because the rich sediments made its basins black and fertile.
Ptolemy and Hebrew children
In its long history many a human being had to sacrifice his life in this eternal river; one of the Pharaohs got alarmed by the Hebrew People gaining strength in population; it is said that the Pharaoh ordered that the first child born to a Hebrew family must be drowned in Nile! If the story is true there might be millions of Hebrew children merged in the Nile. Ptolemy; the brother of Cleopatra who ruled Egypt was also one who got ‘mysteriously’ disappeared in Nile.
The only source
East Africa, showing the course of the Nile River, with the "Blue" and "White" Niles marked in those colours
The area irrigated by Nile equals the total area of India; for Egypt about 25 cities flourish beside this river; its more than 75% people live in Nile basin; for these people they have they have nothing else but River Nile to source water to drink or bathe; agriculture, food, transport, travel and employment of the whole area when depends on this river; how absurd it would be to think a life here without Nile.
Length and related issues
Egypt Map
The River Nile is 6670 km in length; it is a combination of two rivers; the source of White Nile is generally accepted as the Ripon Falls an overflow of Lake Victoria; but there is one river that feed Lake Victoria that can be considered as an extension of Nile; the Kagera River that emerges from the Nyungwe Forests and its tributary Ravubu. When the length of Kagera is added Nile is easily the longest in the world. Nile flows northward and falls in to the Mediterranean Sea and average discharge is 3.1 million liters per second.
What is in length?
Nile is the greatest river on earth as it supplies water to the most needy part of the earth; the Sahara Desert; almost 100% of the Nile’s course is through Sahara world most arid desert; considering this great mission of this river’ the question that whether it is the longest river on earth seems irrelevant (it has been opined that River Amazon is longer than Nile by a few km; but what Nile supplies is precious water not length).
The Greeks Called at ‘neilos’ meaning valley. Ancient Africans called it ‘aur’, ‘iteru’ etc meaning black (the rich sediments made the river black). For Egyptians River Nile was their Holy ‘God Hapi’ visible to their eyes, they called the Nile valley as Black-Land and the rest of Africa as Red-Land; because the rich sediments made its basins black and fertile.
Ptolemy and Hebrew children
In its long history many a human being had to sacrifice his life in this eternal river; one of the Pharaohs got alarmed by the Hebrew People gaining strength in population; it is said that the Pharaoh ordered that the first child born to a Hebrew family must be drowned in Nile! If the story is true there might be millions of Hebrew children merged in the Nile. Ptolemy; the brother of Cleopatra who ruled Egypt was also one who got ‘mysteriously’ disappeared in Nile.
The only source
East Africa, showing the course of the Nile River, with the "Blue" and "White" Niles marked in those colours
The area irrigated by Nile equals the total area of India; for Egypt about 25 cities flourish beside this river; its more than 75% people live in Nile basin; for these people they have they have nothing else but River Nile to source water to drink or bathe; agriculture, food, transport, travel and employment of the whole area when depends on this river; how absurd it would be to think a life here without Nile.
Length and related issues
Egypt Map
The River Nile is 6670 km in length; it is a combination of two rivers; the source of White Nile is generally accepted as the Ripon Falls an overflow of Lake Victoria; but there is one river that feed Lake Victoria that can be considered as an extension of Nile; the Kagera River that emerges from the Nyungwe Forests and its tributary Ravubu. When the length of Kagera is added Nile is easily the longest in the world. Nile flows northward and falls in to the Mediterranean Sea and average discharge is 3.1 million liters per second.
White and Blue
The White Nile the main tributary of Nile originates from the Lake Victoria the largest lake between Rwanda and Burundi and it flows through Uganda, Sudan (where it merges with the Blue Nile at Khartoum Sudan) and flows in to Egypt irrigating about 3.4 million sq km of area before joining the Mediterranean. The White Nile has two tributaries the
Bahr el Jabel and Sobat
Lake Victoria the primary source of the White Nile is the largest lake in Africa by volume of water (2750 cubic km); it has a length of 337 km and a breadth of 250 km; and an average 40 meters; shore length 3440 km. Three nations share the lake; Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. There are about 3000 islands in this lake of which only 43 are permanently inhabited. The Ssese groups of islands are the major ones inhabited by Bassese Tribes who speak Bantu language. Bugala is the largest island among them; and these islands are accessible by ferries.
The Blue Nile is comparatively small and has its origin in Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Tana is a medium sized lake (with an area of 2000 sq km; it has numerous islands in it of which less than 20 are inhabited; most of the islands have monasteries; among them Island Dek is the largest (population 17,000); the Qirqos is interesting as only monks of the Ethiopian Church live on it; they believe it as a holy place and resting place for the Ark of the Covenant).
Blue Nile enters the southeastern part of Sudan after completing a ‘U’- turn in Ethiopia. After the merger of these two rivers there is only one river that joins the confluence; the Atbara River which is a seasonal one; present only during rainy season.
It is in Khartoum; where the two Niles (White and Blue) merge in to one; the river after the union is called the ‘Proper Nile’ which is about 3000 km in length. Khartoum is the capital of Sudan and has a population of around 2.5 million. The city was established by Ibrahim Pasha an adopted son of Mohammed Ali (the founder of modern Egypt; this dynasty ruled the area comprising Egypt and Sudan until Egypt revolted in 1952). Khartoum was once a notorious slave trade center.
The Sudd (marsh lands) are great wet lands where the Whit Nile (here the White Nile is known as Behr el Jebel). The Sudd is the second largest wetland in the world after Pantanal of Brazil. It has an area between 30,000 sq km (during dry season) and 130,000 sq km during wet season. There are numerous streams, lagoons and papyrus fields in this swamp area that stretches from Mongalla to the Sobat. There are plans to avoid the loss of water due to evaporation in these swamps but so far the Sudd remains as the ‘largest water waster’ in this desert where every drop of water counts.
Lake Nasser and Abu Simbel
The White Nile the main tributary of Nile originates from the Lake Victoria the largest lake between Rwanda and Burundi and it flows through Uganda, Sudan (where it merges with the Blue Nile at Khartoum Sudan) and flows in to Egypt irrigating about 3.4 million sq km of area before joining the Mediterranean. The White Nile has two tributaries the
Bahr el Jabel and Sobat
Lake Victoria the primary source of the White Nile is the largest lake in Africa by volume of water (2750 cubic km); it has a length of 337 km and a breadth of 250 km; and an average 40 meters; shore length 3440 km. Three nations share the lake; Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. There are about 3000 islands in this lake of which only 43 are permanently inhabited. The Ssese groups of islands are the major ones inhabited by Bassese Tribes who speak Bantu language. Bugala is the largest island among them; and these islands are accessible by ferries.
The Blue Nile is comparatively small and has its origin in Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Tana is a medium sized lake (with an area of 2000 sq km; it has numerous islands in it of which less than 20 are inhabited; most of the islands have monasteries; among them Island Dek is the largest (population 17,000); the Qirqos is interesting as only monks of the Ethiopian Church live on it; they believe it as a holy place and resting place for the Ark of the Covenant).
Blue Nile enters the southeastern part of Sudan after completing a ‘U’- turn in Ethiopia. After the merger of these two rivers there is only one river that joins the confluence; the Atbara River which is a seasonal one; present only during rainy season.
It is in Khartoum; where the two Niles (White and Blue) merge in to one; the river after the union is called the ‘Proper Nile’ which is about 3000 km in length. Khartoum is the capital of Sudan and has a population of around 2.5 million. The city was established by Ibrahim Pasha an adopted son of Mohammed Ali (the founder of modern Egypt; this dynasty ruled the area comprising Egypt and Sudan until Egypt revolted in 1952). Khartoum was once a notorious slave trade center.
The Sudd (marsh lands) are great wet lands where the Whit Nile (here the White Nile is known as Behr el Jebel). The Sudd is the second largest wetland in the world after Pantanal of Brazil. It has an area between 30,000 sq km (during dry season) and 130,000 sq km during wet season. There are numerous streams, lagoons and papyrus fields in this swamp area that stretches from Mongalla to the Sobat. There are plans to avoid the loss of water due to evaporation in these swamps but so far the Sudd remains as the ‘largest water waster’ in this desert where every drop of water counts.
Lake Nasser and Abu Simbel
In its long course; this great river traverses many countries and numerous landmarks one prominent site is the Abu Simbel Temple; the twin temple dedicated to Ramesses II at upstream Aswan; famous for its marvelous statues and was in news at the time of construction of the famous Aswan dam the dream child of Abdul Nasser former Egyptian ruler.
This dam built with Soviet help gave birth to gigantic artificial lake (Lake Nasser) with a length of 550 km and a width of 35 km. This twin temple was replaced with the help of UNESCO to a higher location to avoid getting submerged in the lake.
Qena and Dendera
Qena is located north of Luxor and Karnak; it the capital of a province and the nearest town to Dendera where the Temple of Hathor the wife of God Horus is located. This is comparatively a latest structure (built between 30 BC and 14 AD) on an already existed old temple; the strange thing with this temple is that its bas reliefs include images of Roman Rulers along with Egyptian Gods!
Luxor and Karnak
The town of Luxor where the world’s biggest temple complex is situated; it occupies 62 acres of built in areas (Karnak Temple - most of the parts now ruined); it is the second most visited structure in Egypt after the Pyramids. On the west bank of Nile there is the Valley of Kings; the royal tombs of the Legendary Pharaohs.
Philae, an island in Nile which in the ancient time housed an ancient temple complex and other monuments including the Tomb of Osiris (a widely worshipped Egyptian god of life, death and fertility; his worshipping was discouraged during the Christian times). In early times ordinary people were not allowed to get in to it.
Cairo and Giza
This dam built with Soviet help gave birth to gigantic artificial lake (Lake Nasser) with a length of 550 km and a width of 35 km. This twin temple was replaced with the help of UNESCO to a higher location to avoid getting submerged in the lake.
Qena and Dendera
Qena is located north of Luxor and Karnak; it the capital of a province and the nearest town to Dendera where the Temple of Hathor the wife of God Horus is located. This is comparatively a latest structure (built between 30 BC and 14 AD) on an already existed old temple; the strange thing with this temple is that its bas reliefs include images of Roman Rulers along with Egyptian Gods!
Luxor and Karnak
The town of Luxor where the world’s biggest temple complex is situated; it occupies 62 acres of built in areas (Karnak Temple - most of the parts now ruined); it is the second most visited structure in Egypt after the Pyramids. On the west bank of Nile there is the Valley of Kings; the royal tombs of the Legendary Pharaohs.
Philae, an island in Nile which in the ancient time housed an ancient temple complex and other monuments including the Tomb of Osiris (a widely worshipped Egyptian god of life, death and fertility; his worshipping was discouraged during the Christian times). In early times ordinary people were not allowed to get in to it.
Cairo and Giza
Cairo the capital of Egypt is the most important city on the banks of Nile has a 17 million plus population; it is the 16th most populous city in the world. The Cairo City was established by Fatimid Calyph Dynasty (AD 969 -1171), they built wall around the city and built suburbs with beautiful buildings.
Four gates (babs) were installed and no one without any specific purpose were allowed inside. Cairo is said to be the heart of Egypt and every thing specific to Egypt is represented in Cairo like Pagan Temples, ancient Christian Churches, Islamic monuments etc.
Giza needs no introduction is the most famous site in Egypt as well as the world, with its eternal Pyramids, the mysterious sphinxes, tombs, mummies, etc all remaining as the everlasting wonders in the world; it is close to the city of Cairo.
The Nile Delta
The Blue Nile Falls fed by Lake Tana near the city of Bahar Dar, Ethiopia forms the upstream of the Blue Nile. It is also known as Tis Issat Falls after the name of the nearby village.
The big River Nile leaves a big delta also; the Nile Delta is one of the world’s largest one spreading 240 km along the Mediterranean Coast from Alexandria in the western edge to Portland in the east. The Nile Delta is in the northern coast of Egypt and measures about 160 km from south to north. It is one of the most fertile agricultural lands in the world.
Nile Basin Initiative
Nile is the carrier of the world’s most precious commodity; the water; so many nations most of them craving for water is always bargaining for their pie of this gold. Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia are all complaining against the supremacy of Egypt in utilizing this liquid wealth; the Nile Basin Initiatives are intended to create a peaceful atmosphere for the just sharing of Nile Water between the Nile Basin nations.
Four gates (babs) were installed and no one without any specific purpose were allowed inside. Cairo is said to be the heart of Egypt and every thing specific to Egypt is represented in Cairo like Pagan Temples, ancient Christian Churches, Islamic monuments etc.
Giza needs no introduction is the most famous site in Egypt as well as the world, with its eternal Pyramids, the mysterious sphinxes, tombs, mummies, etc all remaining as the everlasting wonders in the world; it is close to the city of Cairo.
The Nile Delta
The Blue Nile Falls fed by Lake Tana near the city of Bahar Dar, Ethiopia forms the upstream of the Blue Nile. It is also known as Tis Issat Falls after the name of the nearby village.
The big River Nile leaves a big delta also; the Nile Delta is one of the world’s largest one spreading 240 km along the Mediterranean Coast from Alexandria in the western edge to Portland in the east. The Nile Delta is in the northern coast of Egypt and measures about 160 km from south to north. It is one of the most fertile agricultural lands in the world.
Nile Basin Initiative
Nile is the carrier of the world’s most precious commodity; the water; so many nations most of them craving for water is always bargaining for their pie of this gold. Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia are all complaining against the supremacy of Egypt in utilizing this liquid wealth; the Nile Basin Initiatives are intended to create a peaceful atmosphere for the just sharing of Nile Water between the Nile Basin nations.
Size matters
The Karnak Temple remains to be the largest temple complex in the world as well as the largest visited structure in Africa after the Pyramids. The total built up area of the complex is 62 acres; can easily accommodate 3 of the largest cathedrals of the world! Only painful thing with the site is that most of its parts are in ruins; badly needing more excavations and repair; that can be done only by the best team of experts. Egypt rich in monuments like the numerous Pyramids, archaeological marvels like Abu Simbel Temple and too many palaces find its attention rather spread.
Sacred place (ipet isut)
The Karnak Temple is located on the eastern banks of River Nile near Luxor (old name Thebes) in Egypt. It was the spiritual center of the whole Egyptians from the Pharaoh Kings to common people. Ancient Egyptians called it Ipet Isut (the sacred place); a village by name El Karnak is there about 2.5 km north of Luxor; and that name came to be associated with the temple also.
The entire complex of Karnak has four precincts (walled enclosures) of which only one is open to the public (the precinct of Amun Re) the other three are 1, the precinct of Montu, precinct of Mut, and the precinct of Amenhotep IV.
Real long time to build!
Karnak Temple map courtesy: bible-history.com
The total time taken for its construction is astounding; 1300 years! In its long history of construction about 30 Pharaoh Kings took charge and died; but additions and alternations went on! But most of the works in this complex were done between 1500 and 1100 BC. The entire complex comprising of temples, statues made of sandstones, obelisks, sphinxes, numerous inscriptions, bas reliefs and all the typical accompaniments of Pharaonic Temples. At present it is a sea of big and small broken structures some of them buried deep.
Amun (Amon) the super God
Karnak Temple image courtesy: eb.com
The Karnak Temple with the primitive tribal God Montu was not a landmark at all before 11th Pharaoh Dynasty, when Thebans became the rulers of entire Egypt; they opted for Amun as deity; and Amun became the super god of the entire region. Amun had been at times associated with ram, goose, bull etc. He was also called the creator, lord of air, breathe of life, god of fertility and even keeper of divine wisdom. Later some how Amun got merged with Re the Sun God giving rise to Amun Re; a merger of gods! Amun even got associated with the Greek Gods like Zeus and Jupiter.
Akhenaton v/s Amun Re
The Pharaoh Kings had a practice of popularizing their image as the chosen one by God; this concept gave them a place in the heart of people and kept their rivals at bay. But Pharaoh Akhenaton (1379 BC) tried to make his countrymen monotheistic and asked to worship the Sun-God instead of Amun. He was a king of great clout and acquired a name Amenhotop IV (Queen Nefertiti one of the most beautiful women ever lived on earth was his wife). It was Akhenaton who installed the ‘sun-disc’ and his views on conflicted with the worship of Amun Re; the conflict went on until the death of Akhenaton. Tutankhamen who proceeded him retrieved the diminished the glory of Amun. In short God Amun had his last laugh.
Tutankhamen and the legendary curse!
Karnak Temple image courtesy: wayfaring.info
Tutankhamen was the son of Akhenaton and Queen Nefertiti; he became king at the age of 9 but died mysteriously at the age of 18. In his short life he left more riddles than any of the Pharaohs. Tutankhamen married his half sister (Akhenaton’s child in another wife) and died shortly. The Egyptian legends had it that those who disturbed Tutankhamen’s tomb will die without delay. But these legends did not deter archaeologists from excavating the mummy.
Reason of a death on cost of 25 lives
Karnak Temple image courtesy: worldstogethertravel.com
The mummy had many treasures along with the mummified bodies of children. It so happened that about 25 persons associated with the retrieval died mysteriously in short time as warned by the ancient legends. But before their death these explorers could ascertain the cause of death ‘a fall from horseback and infection from open wound’!
Queen Halshapsut was yet another interesting character associated with the site she was the widow of 18 Dynasty Pharaoh who preceded Thutmose II; after her husband’s death she took over the throne and spread news to legitimize her action that she was the nominee of Amun Re and actually the daughter of the Pharaoh and not his wife as perceived! She built a temple (Deir el Bahri) dedicated to Amun Re. There is an obelisk with her image inscribed on it in perfect condition. The story behind is that her step son covered the image with mortar to express his hatred; but that action worked as a preservation to the image!
History of Construction
Karnak Temple image courtesy: virtourist.com
Excavations have brought the ruins of some of the structures belonging to the 11th Dynasty structures like the White Chapel, Middle Kingdom Court, a planned human settlement etc close to the sacred lake.
Eighteenth Dynasty additions, the enclosure wall connecting 4th and 5th pylons with 14 papyrus columns and two obelisks of Halshapsut and Thutmose, Festival Hall of Thutmose known as Akhmenu etc were additions of the 18th dynasty. There are statues of gods, men, women and animals in abundance, one colossi stands on a platform is 20 feet in height even though it is only up to the waist and the rest lies fallen on the ground; just imagine how much would have been its actual height!
Nineteenth Dynasty additions, 18th and 19th centuries were the golden periods of Karnak Temple; at that time the Pharaohs won many battles and brought many booties and prisoners to the empire; some of the inscriptions depict the victories. There are stele and obelisks to proclaim the gains.
The Great Hypostyle Hall remains to be the most remarkable structure that still remains as the prime show of the site; it is 50,000 sq feet in area, roof that rested on 134 columns arranged in 16 rows (two middle rows have taller columns with height of 33 feet) had collapsed long ago. The Great Hypostyle Hall has a circumference of 80 feet.
Precinct of Amun Re
This is dedicated to the principal of the Theban Triad (Amun, his wife Mut and their son Khoms); it is the largest structure in the complex with a built in area of 25,000 sq meters. In its southwest part there is the mega open-air assembling area with small and large stone work ruins scattered and waiting for re assembly. In this side temples of Opet and Khons lie in a dilapidated condition. There is a museum in the northwest corner.
The Temple of Montu is a part of the Karnak Temple Complex dedicated to the deity of Montu; son of Amun Re and Mut; this temple with 200,00 sq meters is in a neglected state. Its main features excluding the Temple of Montu are Temple of Harpre, Temple of Ma’at, and the Gateway of Ptolomy IV which is the most prominent structure in the complex.
Precinct of Mut is 15,000 sq meters of ruins, with a crescent shaped lake at its middle; this lake is fed from an underground spring. The Mut; known as the Mother Goddess was worshipped up to the 1st century and later it lost the status and left uncared. At present no structure stands vertical! It is a pitiable sight to see so many granite statues broken and lying flat in the hot sun; fortunately admission to the precinct is banned to the public.
Temple of Amenhotep; built by Pharaoh King Akhenaton is out side of the compound of temple of Amun Re, the main temple structure was Gempaaten is in a severely damaged state. The original structure was a really massive one with a size of 130 * 216 meters made of red granite and decorated with statues of Akhenaton, sphinx etc. The structure had no roof and the platform for sacrifice was exposed to sun; its entrance was believed to be facing west and that led to an open court. This hall is surrounded by square pillars and statues of Akhenaton and Nefertiti. Public is at present not admitted to this complex.
The Christian Period
In the AD 4th century Rome was ruled by Emperor Constantine the Great who embraced Christianity and issued orders for the closure of Pagan temples. By that time itself the Karnak was a deserted one; yet it was not spared. Romans built a chapel on the ruins of the temple and drew pictures of saints and wrote Coptic inscriptions on the walls of the Festival Hall of Thutmose III. Thus in its long history of existence Karnak Temple got a chance to get baptized at the expense of the Roman Empire!
A treasure house
Karnak Temple image courtesy: cis.nctu.edu
The Karnak Temple Complex; with most of its monuments ruined and some still standing intact is a real treasure of the world’s heritage. With some arduous efforts these sites can be revived to make it the most beautiful and unparalleled sites in the world. A revived Karnak may be able to tell the events of history from four millenniums back. The Romans, Greeks, Pharaohs and all who played prominent part in the history have their markings here. Just pick up the stone bits and place it on its position; that is all what is required; but the hitch is; which stone to be placed where a thing only experts can say!
The Karnak Temple remains to be the largest temple complex in the world as well as the largest visited structure in Africa after the Pyramids. The total built up area of the complex is 62 acres; can easily accommodate 3 of the largest cathedrals of the world! Only painful thing with the site is that most of its parts are in ruins; badly needing more excavations and repair; that can be done only by the best team of experts. Egypt rich in monuments like the numerous Pyramids, archaeological marvels like Abu Simbel Temple and too many palaces find its attention rather spread.
Sacred place (ipet isut)
The Karnak Temple is located on the eastern banks of River Nile near Luxor (old name Thebes) in Egypt. It was the spiritual center of the whole Egyptians from the Pharaoh Kings to common people. Ancient Egyptians called it Ipet Isut (the sacred place); a village by name El Karnak is there about 2.5 km north of Luxor; and that name came to be associated with the temple also.
The entire complex of Karnak has four precincts (walled enclosures) of which only one is open to the public (the precinct of Amun Re) the other three are 1, the precinct of Montu, precinct of Mut, and the precinct of Amenhotep IV.
Real long time to build!
Karnak Temple map courtesy: bible-history.com
The total time taken for its construction is astounding; 1300 years! In its long history of construction about 30 Pharaoh Kings took charge and died; but additions and alternations went on! But most of the works in this complex were done between 1500 and 1100 BC. The entire complex comprising of temples, statues made of sandstones, obelisks, sphinxes, numerous inscriptions, bas reliefs and all the typical accompaniments of Pharaonic Temples. At present it is a sea of big and small broken structures some of them buried deep.
Amun (Amon) the super God
Karnak Temple image courtesy: eb.com
The Karnak Temple with the primitive tribal God Montu was not a landmark at all before 11th Pharaoh Dynasty, when Thebans became the rulers of entire Egypt; they opted for Amun as deity; and Amun became the super god of the entire region. Amun had been at times associated with ram, goose, bull etc. He was also called the creator, lord of air, breathe of life, god of fertility and even keeper of divine wisdom. Later some how Amun got merged with Re the Sun God giving rise to Amun Re; a merger of gods! Amun even got associated with the Greek Gods like Zeus and Jupiter.
Akhenaton v/s Amun Re
The Pharaoh Kings had a practice of popularizing their image as the chosen one by God; this concept gave them a place in the heart of people and kept their rivals at bay. But Pharaoh Akhenaton (1379 BC) tried to make his countrymen monotheistic and asked to worship the Sun-God instead of Amun. He was a king of great clout and acquired a name Amenhotop IV (Queen Nefertiti one of the most beautiful women ever lived on earth was his wife). It was Akhenaton who installed the ‘sun-disc’ and his views on conflicted with the worship of Amun Re; the conflict went on until the death of Akhenaton. Tutankhamen who proceeded him retrieved the diminished the glory of Amun. In short God Amun had his last laugh.
Tutankhamen and the legendary curse!
Karnak Temple image courtesy: wayfaring.info
Tutankhamen was the son of Akhenaton and Queen Nefertiti; he became king at the age of 9 but died mysteriously at the age of 18. In his short life he left more riddles than any of the Pharaohs. Tutankhamen married his half sister (Akhenaton’s child in another wife) and died shortly. The Egyptian legends had it that those who disturbed Tutankhamen’s tomb will die without delay. But these legends did not deter archaeologists from excavating the mummy.
Reason of a death on cost of 25 lives
Karnak Temple image courtesy: worldstogethertravel.com
The mummy had many treasures along with the mummified bodies of children. It so happened that about 25 persons associated with the retrieval died mysteriously in short time as warned by the ancient legends. But before their death these explorers could ascertain the cause of death ‘a fall from horseback and infection from open wound’!
Queen Halshapsut was yet another interesting character associated with the site she was the widow of 18 Dynasty Pharaoh who preceded Thutmose II; after her husband’s death she took over the throne and spread news to legitimize her action that she was the nominee of Amun Re and actually the daughter of the Pharaoh and not his wife as perceived! She built a temple (Deir el Bahri) dedicated to Amun Re. There is an obelisk with her image inscribed on it in perfect condition. The story behind is that her step son covered the image with mortar to express his hatred; but that action worked as a preservation to the image!
History of Construction
Karnak Temple image courtesy: virtourist.com
Excavations have brought the ruins of some of the structures belonging to the 11th Dynasty structures like the White Chapel, Middle Kingdom Court, a planned human settlement etc close to the sacred lake.
Eighteenth Dynasty additions, the enclosure wall connecting 4th and 5th pylons with 14 papyrus columns and two obelisks of Halshapsut and Thutmose, Festival Hall of Thutmose known as Akhmenu etc were additions of the 18th dynasty. There are statues of gods, men, women and animals in abundance, one colossi stands on a platform is 20 feet in height even though it is only up to the waist and the rest lies fallen on the ground; just imagine how much would have been its actual height!
Nineteenth Dynasty additions, 18th and 19th centuries were the golden periods of Karnak Temple; at that time the Pharaohs won many battles and brought many booties and prisoners to the empire; some of the inscriptions depict the victories. There are stele and obelisks to proclaim the gains.
The Great Hypostyle Hall remains to be the most remarkable structure that still remains as the prime show of the site; it is 50,000 sq feet in area, roof that rested on 134 columns arranged in 16 rows (two middle rows have taller columns with height of 33 feet) had collapsed long ago. The Great Hypostyle Hall has a circumference of 80 feet.
Precinct of Amun Re
This is dedicated to the principal of the Theban Triad (Amun, his wife Mut and their son Khoms); it is the largest structure in the complex with a built in area of 25,000 sq meters. In its southwest part there is the mega open-air assembling area with small and large stone work ruins scattered and waiting for re assembly. In this side temples of Opet and Khons lie in a dilapidated condition. There is a museum in the northwest corner.
The Temple of Montu is a part of the Karnak Temple Complex dedicated to the deity of Montu; son of Amun Re and Mut; this temple with 200,00 sq meters is in a neglected state. Its main features excluding the Temple of Montu are Temple of Harpre, Temple of Ma’at, and the Gateway of Ptolomy IV which is the most prominent structure in the complex.
Precinct of Mut is 15,000 sq meters of ruins, with a crescent shaped lake at its middle; this lake is fed from an underground spring. The Mut; known as the Mother Goddess was worshipped up to the 1st century and later it lost the status and left uncared. At present no structure stands vertical! It is a pitiable sight to see so many granite statues broken and lying flat in the hot sun; fortunately admission to the precinct is banned to the public.
Temple of Amenhotep; built by Pharaoh King Akhenaton is out side of the compound of temple of Amun Re, the main temple structure was Gempaaten is in a severely damaged state. The original structure was a really massive one with a size of 130 * 216 meters made of red granite and decorated with statues of Akhenaton, sphinx etc. The structure had no roof and the platform for sacrifice was exposed to sun; its entrance was believed to be facing west and that led to an open court. This hall is surrounded by square pillars and statues of Akhenaton and Nefertiti. Public is at present not admitted to this complex.
The Christian Period
In the AD 4th century Rome was ruled by Emperor Constantine the Great who embraced Christianity and issued orders for the closure of Pagan temples. By that time itself the Karnak was a deserted one; yet it was not spared. Romans built a chapel on the ruins of the temple and drew pictures of saints and wrote Coptic inscriptions on the walls of the Festival Hall of Thutmose III. Thus in its long history of existence Karnak Temple got a chance to get baptized at the expense of the Roman Empire!
A treasure house
Karnak Temple image courtesy: cis.nctu.edu
The Karnak Temple Complex; with most of its monuments ruined and some still standing intact is a real treasure of the world’s heritage. With some arduous efforts these sites can be revived to make it the most beautiful and unparalleled sites in the world. A revived Karnak may be able to tell the events of history from four millenniums back. The Romans, Greeks, Pharaohs and all who played prominent part in the history have their markings here. Just pick up the stone bits and place it on its position; that is all what is required; but the hitch is; which stone to be placed where a thing only experts can say!
Sahara Desert Africa
Sahara desert image courtesy: z.about.com
The cradle of human evolution
The largest desert in the world that occupies half the area of the Great African Continent, in area it equals the US and larger than continent of Australia. In fact size is not the only thing that makes Sahara a great place in the world. Its richness in history and culture defeats any other places on earth whether fertile or desert. Numerous cultures and ancient cities flourished in these desert areas. It had been the cradle where human beings got evolved from humanoids to hunters and gatherers before becoming farmers.
Four zones
Sahara desert map courtesy: geology.com
Sahara Desert occupies 9 million sq km (half of the Continent of Africa); the whole area are not covered by sand dunes as general concept; it is heterogeneous in topography; can be classified in to four sections, erg is sand dunes area also called sand sea, hamada is stone plateau; characterized by bare rocks, wadi is a dry valley with thorny bushes here and there, Shatt is salt flats with salt marshes.
Sahara’s eastern border is marked by Red Sea and Egypt; west is bound by the Atlantic Ocean; Atlas Mountain and the Mediterranean Sea comes at the north; south is Sudan and the Valley of River Niger.
Not just sand dunes and rocks
Cairo; the capital of Egypt and its everlasting Pyramids, numerous structures, the mummies, Timbuktu; home of the Sankore University in Mali; the center of ancient wisdom, Abu Simbel the temple of Ramesses II near Aswan in Egypt all these flourished in this desert.
Once upon a time
Sahara was not so millenniums back (BC 12,500 to BC 3500 known as the African Pluvial Period), it was as fertile as other parts of Africa, but as years passed Sahara became arid due to many reasons no theory stands beyond dispute. The most popular theory is the El Nino-Southern Oscillation Cycle that led to sudden drying of the place there by pushing its inhabitants to the Mediterranean and beyond.
One strange theory cites poor lambs as the villains of this tragic story; excessive grazing led to the loss of vegetation causing warming up of the land and eventual destruction of the area.
Stake holders
Sahara desert image courtesy: danheller.com
The whole area of Sahara is shared by many nations like Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger and Mali. While Egypt is blessed with River Nile other nations live enduring scarcity of water. About half of Sahara Desert receives about 2 cm or less of rain while rest receives about 10cm.
The Sahel and dust devil
This desert has one of the harshest climates in the world; it has two distinct zones one the northern Sub Saharan Africa and the southern the semi arid savanna called the Sahel. ‘Sand storms’ are regular visitors of this area which are strong enough to carry mountains of sand from one place to the other; another phenomenon called the ‘dust devil’ is like a tornado when dust and sand stand vertically like a spinning pillar.
Significant names and places
The Atlas Mountain, It is a 2400 km long mountain range (it has five distinct portions Middle Atlas, High Atlas, Anti Atlas, Tell Atlas and the Sahara Atlas) that forms the northwest frontier of Sahara; passes through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; highest peak Jbel Toubkal (height 4167 meters); inhabited by Berber Tribes in its Morocco portion and Kabyle Tribes in Algeria.
Berbers are primitive tribes of Africa (the word was derived from Roman word barbarian), they live scattered in the desert nations; now they are slowly getting assimilated in to the Arab customs, at present due to mixing they have become different groups like Taureg, Kabyle, Heratin, Shluh etc.
Kabyles are an offshoot of the Berber Tribes live in mountainous region of Algeria who speaks Berber Language. They bravely fought against the Algerian government which banned Berber language and jailed their activists. This revolution is known as the ‘Berber Spring’ (Tafaut meaning spring in Kabyle); Algerian government brutally suppressed the movement; leaving Kabyles live with wounded psyche.
Tibesti Mountains is a mountainous region in the Central Sahara in Northern Chad extending to northeast Niger. Its highest peak the Emi Koussi is 3415 meters high. The significance of this area is that it has markings of an ancient river that existed millenniums back; more over the rocks have figures of crocodiles indicating presence of water animals.
River Nile, The longest river in the world with a length of 6650 km (one recent opinion places River Amazon as the longest); the life blood of Sahara (irrigates 3.4 million sq km); it has two tributaries; the White Nile and Blue Nile. The Whit Nile starts from The Great Lakes area of southern Rwanda and flows north touching, Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda, and Sudan, while the Blue Nile starts from Lake Tana in Ethiopia and enters Sudan; where at Khartoum both meet together to form the Nile which falls in to the Mediterranean. It is on the banks of Nile; the whole Egyptian culture developed giving birth to all the monuments like the Pyramids, great temples like Abu Simbel and Karnak, numerous palaces, sculptures etc.
Lake Chad is one of the largest water bodies of Africa at the southern end of Sahara; it is the main source of water to Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon. Satellite imaging has illustrated that this lake is shrinking in size due to diversion of water to irrigation. Climate change in the area has also contributed to the shrinkage. The present area is only 5% of the size to that about 35 years back (at that time it equaled Great Lake Erie in area).
Terkezi Oasis in the Sahara Desert image courtesy: nasa.gov
Niger River, The third longest river in Africa (length 4180 km), its role in irrigating the arid region of Saharan Africa (2.1 million sq km) is second only to Nile. Niger has its origin in Guinea treads away from the sea as it has a mission to irrigate Sahara; passes through Mali, Niger and enters in to Nigeria after sharing some water to Benin. The course is in the shape of a boomerang with Timbuktu as the turning point. Before falling in to the Gulf of Guinea it gives birth to the Niger Delta (with marshes, lakes and numerous streams) almost the size of Belgium.
Qattara Depression, it is a desert basin in Libya; below 130 meters below sea-level; the second lowest point in Africa; area 18,000 sq km comprising of saline marshes, playas (dried up lake floors) that occasionally flood, steep cliffs, and the Fech-fech (a quick-sand like land with finely powdered sand which act as a trap to vehicles and people). The Qattara Depression is home to many animals and plants. There is proposal to let in sea-water to this depression and generate electricity exploiting the level difference of 130 meters. Such a project is under study for the Dead Sea by Israel.
Sand dunes and ergs; while sand dunes in deserts are massive pile of sand; the ergs are sand dunes those are actively getting shifted to places by desert-wind. They are formed on bed of former lakes and are extremely difficult to cross.
Oasis Crater in Libya is mark of a meteor hit that took place in the Sahara 120 million years back. Time has had its effect on the crater as it stands much eroded yet clearly visible. Satellite images have shown that there are three concentric rings to the crater; outer, middle and the inner; the rocks are sand stone Crustaceous era. Its outer ring 18 km in diameter it is discontinuous and attains up to 30 meters in some places.
The Kabira is yet another meteorite crater northeast to Oasis crater recently discovered by NASA. It has an outer ring far bigger (31 km in radius) than that of Oasis; as per scientists the meteorite that struck here must be of 1.2 km in diameter.
Waw an Namus (old name Uau an Numas) volcano, Libya, It is often described as ‘an exotic volcano’ due its golden yellow desert sand surroundings and the stark black ring of volcanic ash deposited in the ‘caldera’ (a large crater formed due to the collapse of a former volcano) and the present cinder cone that is 120 meter high. This site is at 1200 meters above sea level. This volcano is active but recently no lave flow has been reported.
The Red Sea forms the northeastern border of the Sahara Desert; this straight is an inlet of the Indian Ocean passing through the arid deserts. The Red Sea divides two large continents; Asia and Africa; the Northern Red Sea is a large biosphere and home to a large variety of corals and fish.
The real wealth of Sahara
Sahara desert image courtesy: photos-of-the-year.com
Sahara; generally written off as an arid desert hold in its laps many of the gems that adds beauty and variety to the world. The real value of Sahara is the abundant sunlight that profusely showers trillions of units of power on its desert sand. It is high time the world to recognize the value of this non depleting source of power. Instead of running after polluting petrol ‘air car’, biodiesel and jatropha; if anything done to tap the energy that goes wasted on the 9 million sq km area the world will never face anything like ‘energy crises’ or ‘oil-shock’.
Sahara desert image courtesy: z.about.com
The cradle of human evolution
The largest desert in the world that occupies half the area of the Great African Continent, in area it equals the US and larger than continent of Australia. In fact size is not the only thing that makes Sahara a great place in the world. Its richness in history and culture defeats any other places on earth whether fertile or desert. Numerous cultures and ancient cities flourished in these desert areas. It had been the cradle where human beings got evolved from humanoids to hunters and gatherers before becoming farmers.
Four zones
Sahara desert map courtesy: geology.com
Sahara Desert occupies 9 million sq km (half of the Continent of Africa); the whole area are not covered by sand dunes as general concept; it is heterogeneous in topography; can be classified in to four sections, erg is sand dunes area also called sand sea, hamada is stone plateau; characterized by bare rocks, wadi is a dry valley with thorny bushes here and there, Shatt is salt flats with salt marshes.
Sahara’s eastern border is marked by Red Sea and Egypt; west is bound by the Atlantic Ocean; Atlas Mountain and the Mediterranean Sea comes at the north; south is Sudan and the Valley of River Niger.
Not just sand dunes and rocks
Cairo; the capital of Egypt and its everlasting Pyramids, numerous structures, the mummies, Timbuktu; home of the Sankore University in Mali; the center of ancient wisdom, Abu Simbel the temple of Ramesses II near Aswan in Egypt all these flourished in this desert.
Once upon a time
Sahara was not so millenniums back (BC 12,500 to BC 3500 known as the African Pluvial Period), it was as fertile as other parts of Africa, but as years passed Sahara became arid due to many reasons no theory stands beyond dispute. The most popular theory is the El Nino-Southern Oscillation Cycle that led to sudden drying of the place there by pushing its inhabitants to the Mediterranean and beyond.
One strange theory cites poor lambs as the villains of this tragic story; excessive grazing led to the loss of vegetation causing warming up of the land and eventual destruction of the area.
Stake holders
Sahara desert image courtesy: danheller.com
The whole area of Sahara is shared by many nations like Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger and Mali. While Egypt is blessed with River Nile other nations live enduring scarcity of water. About half of Sahara Desert receives about 2 cm or less of rain while rest receives about 10cm.
The Sahel and dust devil
This desert has one of the harshest climates in the world; it has two distinct zones one the northern Sub Saharan Africa and the southern the semi arid savanna called the Sahel. ‘Sand storms’ are regular visitors of this area which are strong enough to carry mountains of sand from one place to the other; another phenomenon called the ‘dust devil’ is like a tornado when dust and sand stand vertically like a spinning pillar.
Significant names and places
The Atlas Mountain, It is a 2400 km long mountain range (it has five distinct portions Middle Atlas, High Atlas, Anti Atlas, Tell Atlas and the Sahara Atlas) that forms the northwest frontier of Sahara; passes through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; highest peak Jbel Toubkal (height 4167 meters); inhabited by Berber Tribes in its Morocco portion and Kabyle Tribes in Algeria.
Berbers are primitive tribes of Africa (the word was derived from Roman word barbarian), they live scattered in the desert nations; now they are slowly getting assimilated in to the Arab customs, at present due to mixing they have become different groups like Taureg, Kabyle, Heratin, Shluh etc.
Kabyles are an offshoot of the Berber Tribes live in mountainous region of Algeria who speaks Berber Language. They bravely fought against the Algerian government which banned Berber language and jailed their activists. This revolution is known as the ‘Berber Spring’ (Tafaut meaning spring in Kabyle); Algerian government brutally suppressed the movement; leaving Kabyles live with wounded psyche.
Tibesti Mountains is a mountainous region in the Central Sahara in Northern Chad extending to northeast Niger. Its highest peak the Emi Koussi is 3415 meters high. The significance of this area is that it has markings of an ancient river that existed millenniums back; more over the rocks have figures of crocodiles indicating presence of water animals.
River Nile, The longest river in the world with a length of 6650 km (one recent opinion places River Amazon as the longest); the life blood of Sahara (irrigates 3.4 million sq km); it has two tributaries; the White Nile and Blue Nile. The Whit Nile starts from The Great Lakes area of southern Rwanda and flows north touching, Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda, and Sudan, while the Blue Nile starts from Lake Tana in Ethiopia and enters Sudan; where at Khartoum both meet together to form the Nile which falls in to the Mediterranean. It is on the banks of Nile; the whole Egyptian culture developed giving birth to all the monuments like the Pyramids, great temples like Abu Simbel and Karnak, numerous palaces, sculptures etc.
Lake Chad is one of the largest water bodies of Africa at the southern end of Sahara; it is the main source of water to Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon. Satellite imaging has illustrated that this lake is shrinking in size due to diversion of water to irrigation. Climate change in the area has also contributed to the shrinkage. The present area is only 5% of the size to that about 35 years back (at that time it equaled Great Lake Erie in area).
Terkezi Oasis in the Sahara Desert image courtesy: nasa.gov
Niger River, The third longest river in Africa (length 4180 km), its role in irrigating the arid region of Saharan Africa (2.1 million sq km) is second only to Nile. Niger has its origin in Guinea treads away from the sea as it has a mission to irrigate Sahara; passes through Mali, Niger and enters in to Nigeria after sharing some water to Benin. The course is in the shape of a boomerang with Timbuktu as the turning point. Before falling in to the Gulf of Guinea it gives birth to the Niger Delta (with marshes, lakes and numerous streams) almost the size of Belgium.
Qattara Depression, it is a desert basin in Libya; below 130 meters below sea-level; the second lowest point in Africa; area 18,000 sq km comprising of saline marshes, playas (dried up lake floors) that occasionally flood, steep cliffs, and the Fech-fech (a quick-sand like land with finely powdered sand which act as a trap to vehicles and people). The Qattara Depression is home to many animals and plants. There is proposal to let in sea-water to this depression and generate electricity exploiting the level difference of 130 meters. Such a project is under study for the Dead Sea by Israel.
Sand dunes and ergs; while sand dunes in deserts are massive pile of sand; the ergs are sand dunes those are actively getting shifted to places by desert-wind. They are formed on bed of former lakes and are extremely difficult to cross.
Oasis Crater in Libya is mark of a meteor hit that took place in the Sahara 120 million years back. Time has had its effect on the crater as it stands much eroded yet clearly visible. Satellite images have shown that there are three concentric rings to the crater; outer, middle and the inner; the rocks are sand stone Crustaceous era. Its outer ring 18 km in diameter it is discontinuous and attains up to 30 meters in some places.
The Kabira is yet another meteorite crater northeast to Oasis crater recently discovered by NASA. It has an outer ring far bigger (31 km in radius) than that of Oasis; as per scientists the meteorite that struck here must be of 1.2 km in diameter.
Waw an Namus (old name Uau an Numas) volcano, Libya, It is often described as ‘an exotic volcano’ due its golden yellow desert sand surroundings and the stark black ring of volcanic ash deposited in the ‘caldera’ (a large crater formed due to the collapse of a former volcano) and the present cinder cone that is 120 meter high. This site is at 1200 meters above sea level. This volcano is active but recently no lave flow has been reported.
The Red Sea forms the northeastern border of the Sahara Desert; this straight is an inlet of the Indian Ocean passing through the arid deserts. The Red Sea divides two large continents; Asia and Africa; the Northern Red Sea is a large biosphere and home to a large variety of corals and fish.
The real wealth of Sahara
Sahara desert image courtesy: photos-of-the-year.com
Sahara; generally written off as an arid desert hold in its laps many of the gems that adds beauty and variety to the world. The real value of Sahara is the abundant sunlight that profusely showers trillions of units of power on its desert sand. It is high time the world to recognize the value of this non depleting source of power. Instead of running after polluting petrol ‘air car’, biodiesel and jatropha; if anything done to tap the energy that goes wasted on the 9 million sq km area the world will never face anything like ‘energy crises’ or ‘oil-shock’.