Note: If you click on an image it will enlarge to full size.
Cast of Characters: In November of 2022 our group: myself; ((L-R) my son Tandy Key Bozeman II, who goes by his fighter pilot call sign “Jed” and whom I call by his middle name “Key”; my daughter Brenna; Angela (Key’s to be bride); Angela’s mother Gloria, and her friend Millie) set out for Egypt for a Uniworld Cruise up the Nile visiting the major monuments and temples of Ancient Egypt.
The Uniworld “Splendors of Egypt and the Nile” package included two days in Cairo, flight to Luxor to board the riverboat S.S. Sphinx, seven day on the river Nile, and two days back in Cairo.
The old Egyptian Museum was uncrowded when we arrived, but during our visit the building rapidly filled with so many visitors that the museum turned into a mob scene in which moving about and viewing artifacts became difficult. Our guide explained that the museum had become jammed with people because this was the day that cruise ships docked in Alexandria and loaded hoards of people into buses to be driven to Cairo to visit the museum. We found ourselves pushing through the dense crowd, only to discover anything to do with King Tut involved long lines.
I regret to say the visit to the Egyptian Museum was not pleasant as I anticipated and was clear evidence that the Egyptian governments needs to get the long delayed Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza open without more delay. The new museum was rumored to be open by the time of our trip, and we had our hopes up, but, alas, it was not to be, and at the time of this writing (1/2023) the opening date of the new museum remains just a rumor.
The scene on the Narmer Palette [R] shows the king, followed by his sandals bearer and wearing the white Hedjet crown of Upper Egypt, smiting a helpless foe from the North. The falcon Horus of Upper Egypt stands upon a bunch of papyrus plants holding a northern prisoner. The lower register, or scene, depicts two other northern enemies running away from the king. Inscribed upon their heads are hieroglyphic signs indicating their names or those of their localities. The back side of the palette [seen in the case in the large photo above] shows the king wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, followed by his sandals bearer and preceded by his vizier and four standard bearers. Next comes a scene depicting the corpses of 10 beheaded men. The Narmer Palette dates to around 3000BC is one of the most important artifact is the Egyptian Museum because it depicts some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. Also, It is thought to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under King Narmer, the first evidence of the consolidation of Upper and Lower Egypt under one Pharaoh.
The first day on the tour also included of Cairo’s Old Citadel Salah al-Din (where at least some of the limestone facing off the Pyramids ended up) and the stunning Alabaster Mosque. The drive across Cairo to the Citadel and back was our first view of the city and our first encounter with the snarl that is Cairo traffic. In the hotel that evening we had a delightful dinner in the Chinese Restaurant. Tomorrow we fly to Luxor (Waset*), visit Karnak and embark on the Uniworld SS Sphinx to begin our cruise up the Nile.
*Ancient Egyptian name for Luxor
