Luxor, Part 2 – The Temple of Denderah

by Alex Cloves on 15/12/08 at 10:53 am

And so contintues the story of our holiday in Luxor, Egypt.

It was a early start again. The cruise left at 7am from the Iberotel hotel, so we were collected at around 6.30am by Abdul. Once onboard we were shown around the little cruise ship and taken up onto the main deck, where there was a choice of comfy sofas or sun loungers to relax on for the duration of the journey to Denderah. We were served complementary teas, coffees and had the chance to simply soak up the spectacular scenery of the Nile, seeing how the ordinary Egyptians live in some of the more remote villages. The journey to Denderah only takes a couple of hours, and this was a great opportunity to just sit back and relax.

Once we arrived at Denderah we were given a tourist police escort (nothing to worry about, it’s perfectly normal!) to the Temple and our guide told us a little of the history. The temple is dedicated to Hathor, the cow-headed goddess, and is the only Temple in the whole of Egypt where you can go up onto the roof to enjoy the magnificent views of the captivating countryside. “Wow”, is all I could say.

Once we’d gone through the information centre we were greeted by a sight so magnificent I truly thought that nothing else in Egypt would compare. Cameras simply cannot capture just how tall or wide this building is and to think that the Egyptians built all of this without the aid of modern day techniques is mind-boggling. Once inside we were shown more examples of exquisite hieroglyphics, again all of them magnificently preserved. I had the opportunity to clamber down into a crypt – which I have to say was a little bit claustrophobic, but a great experience nonetheless!

And then the climb to the roof through a narrow stairwell that spiralled upwards. Once we got to the roof we were greeted by a very hot sun and some stunning views of the lush countryside. It is here on the roof that the first sign of the Zodiac was said to be found (it was stolen by tomb raiders in the 19th century and now resides in Paris!). Once we had finished our tour of the roof with its various different sections we were taken back to the boat and treated to a delicious buffet lunch, with lots of choices of scrumptious dishes and complementary drinks, whilst the boat started our long journey back to Luxor (roughly five and a half hours).

In the afternoon we got the opportunity to buy Egyptian silk scarves from a trader on the cruise ship. For the less adventurous (like myself) his set prices meant that you didn’t need to worry about bartering him down or worry about being ripped off! You could also take a refreshing dip in the little plunge pool in the centre of the ship or simply sunbath. Once it started to get dark we were treated to a beautiful sunset. I know that every country claims to have the “best sunset ever” but I truly believe that Egypt can lay claim to that title. After all, didn’t the ancient Egyptians worship the sun gods?

My top tip for this excursion is wear lots of sun cream on your face! That old chestnut of you get a better tan on a boat is so true, and I had some rather unusual sun burn on my nose where I’d worn sunglasses all day! Also, take a jumper with you as the Nile is rather cold early morning and in the evening.

Read previous post: Luxor, Part 1 – Valley of the Kings and Queens

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