Tag Archive
More statues found at Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple
Two red granite statues of King Amenhotep III and of the god Thoth, were unearthed near the Pharaoh’s funerary temple at Kom el-Hettan on Luxor’s west bank. The discovery was carried out by an Egyptian team from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) during routine work reducing the groundwater’s level. The first statue depicts the 18th... »
Stunning discovery in Luxor
A massive red granite sculpted head of pharaoh Amenhotep III has been unearthed behind the famous Colossi of Memnon in Luxor. Not only huge in dimensions, the 2.5m (8ft) head is one of the best preserved and finely carved image of the king, recently identified as the grandfather of Tutankhamen thru DNA and CT scan... »
Luxor Avenue of Sphinxes will open in March
An ancient passageway flanked by sphinxes and used for one the most important religious events in ancient Egypt will open to the public next March. Known as the Avenue of the Sphinxes, the 2.7 kilometre (1.7 mile) road was originally built by 18th dynasty Amenhotep III (1387–1349 BC) to connect the temples of Karnak and... »
Seven Coptic churchgoers slain at midnight mass in Egypt
Image via Wikipedia Drive-by shooters sprayed automatic gunfire into a crowd of churchgoers in southern Egypt, killing at least seven people as they streamed out of church after midnight Mass, officials said Thursday. Three other people were seriously wounded. The attack took place overnight in Nag Hamadi, about 40 miles from popular tourist sites at the... »
Susan Weeks reported dead from drowning in Luxor
Dr. Nicole Hansen mentions in her Facebook page that she has received news that Susan Weeks drowned in the Nile late last night/early this morning (13th December) in Luxor. She apparently fell from the dahabiya, a houseboat she and her husband acquired in 2001, and drowned. The police found her and she was identified. Archaeologists... »
Update on the Corniche Development Project at Luxor
Image via Wikipedia The 10-month Corniche Development Project has been designed by Ain Shams University’s Faculty of Engineering and is being implemented by the army. It is budgeted at LE250 million, LE150 million provided by the Tourism Development Fund and the remaining LE100 million in the form of a European grant. Due to start in January,... »
Zahi Hawass denies forbidding tourists from picturing historic sites
Comments have been circulating that Egyptian authorities have forbidden the use of any visual recording device (cameras, video cameras, cellphones, etc.) at the entire Valley of the Kings, both outside and inside the tombs. According to a statement by the Egyptian Culture Ministry, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)... »
Hot air balloon rides rise again over Luxor under tighter safety rules
Image via Wikipedia On April 26, balloons flights over Luxor were suspended after an accident in which 16 tourists were injured. During the enforced break, the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority has insisted the companies introduce numerous safety measures. All 42 pilots from the eight companies who operate flights have been re-trained, whatever their safety record. In addition, all... »
Metropolitan Museum returns artifact to Egypt
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will return to Egypt a fragment of an ancient pharaonic shrine it purchased from a collector. The Supreme Council of Antiquities said that a piece of a red granite shrine, known as a “naos,” was purchased from an antiquities collector in New York last October so that it could... »
Project to lower ground water levels at Luxor West Bank kicks off
Image via Wikipedia The West Bank Groundwater Lowering Project will develop a sophisticated drainage system to decrease ground water levels, thereby protecting five major archaeological sites and approximately twenty small temples. Drainage pipes will collect water from the south temple of Medinet Habu to the pump station at the Ramesseum and from the north temple... »
