The folks spent 2LE to board the shuttle to take them up to the tombs of the Kings. We sat in the sun like lizards and read books. Ahh vacation!
Just recently the archaeologists discovered the 63rd tomb. This was declared a royal tomb but has been reclassified due to the pieces they found inside. They now think that it was a mummification and storage chamber. Can you image finding it after all these years?
The last tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. Carter was funded by Carnarvon for years but after a few months of fruitless searching, Carnarvon became annoyed and threatened to pull his funding but he kindly gave Carter one more season of funding to find the tomb. So Carter looked in the last spot possible, one that he had never considered looking in. The workers moved their site to a new spot and POOF Carter found the steps leading to Tutankhamun's tomb.
No photos of their adventures as we played lizard in the sun and they do not take a great deal of photos. Mike took this one before we left.
As we headed to the next tourist trap we stopped at an alabaster shop and learned the process.
The ancient pharaohs used this wonderful material for many purposes, including household items, ritual objects, and for a number of different funerary purposes such as sarcophagi and canopic jars.
Alabaster is a fine-grained, translucent variety of gypsum. It is pure white or streaked with reddish brown. Alabaster forms by the evaporation of bedded deposits from evaporating seawater. It is soft enough to be scratched with a fingernail and hence it is easily broken, soiled, and weathered.
Alabaster is found in 2 places in Egypt: Luxor and Malawi
Egyptian workers hand-carve these fine vases using traditional tools.
As we pulled into the parking spot these men jumped to their feet and started to work. As our guide explained the process they took turns working. I assume they are for show and do not actually complete a piece in a day nor a week.
This man is carving out the center of the vase. Therefore, no two are exactly alike and darkness of color can vary.
Dude number 2 shapes it...
I forgot what he is doing...
Dude 4 gets to polish it!
Hand-made alabaster products are almost always much thinner, finer pieces and are more translucent than machine-made alabaster. The finish of a hand-carved alabaster vase is also much less polished than machined alabaster.
You can see the difference between the left one, machine made and the right one hand made.
Dude 5, the guide, makes all the money...he was good at asking for bashesh...aren't they all.
This is alabaster illuminated. We bought 2 pieces of the "rare" green alabaster. The folks bought a few trinkets as well.
Next on the site seeing tour is Valley of the Queens.
Once you make it through the touts you are amazed at the grandeur.
Uphill all the way!
Horace
Ankh
Tourists
My favorite carving of this place. Palm trees with fruit.
Hathor
Tomb doors
You guessed it Ankh
We done yet?
New symbol for Mike and I? What do you think its purpose is?
1 comment:
No guesses here.
Interesting post.
Love ya!
Julie
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