Hatshepsut and the Valley of the Kings (And Dealing with Egyptians V)

The West Bank at Luxor is but a short taxi journey, but having got there you really need a taxi to take you from site to site.

The most famous site is the Valley of the Kings, and that was my starting point. But I have almost no photos as photography is forbidden. Without a permit which costs about the same as entry fees. And most people settle for taking surreptitious photos on their smartphones. The attendants are quite hot on this as you can bribe them to turn a blind eye. Anyway, I didn't.

To get there you have to go via the visitor centre which provides the security check as well as a tiny ticket office (at least compared to the centre). Not all the tombs are open at the same time. There is a list of which ones are open and you have to choose a maximum of three. But of course to get there one has to deal with the Egyptians...

Dealing with the Egyptians

Here we go again. People worry about Egyptian security after the odd terrorist attack. There are security scanners at all the main sites which you have to put your bags through. Catch is, are they really looking? As my bag is going through the guy asks me where I am from and was I part of a tour group. I answered honestly and politely.

I duly proceeded to the visitor centre and the board showing which tombs were open and was matching the tombs to the write up in my guidebook when suddenly the guy from security bounded up behind me to recommend the best tombs to visit. And then promptly demanded payment for his "help" which of course was only a hindrance since what I had tried to do was read up on these tombs which he was preventing me doing.

It helps in visiting these places to realise that while in many other countries tourists are a welcome boost to the economy to be treated well, here you are just the prey species. Like all the best predators, they seek to identify any creature straying from the herd (ie not already in a tour group) and pick them off. You can survive provided you are alert and never let your guard down when being stalked. I got through.

The Valley of the Kings is in an arid area of limestone cliffs. Very bleak and dry. It is only a short walk from the visitor centre to the entrance, where you have to abandon your camera if you haven't purchased a permit. Although only a short walk this is one place where transport is added on and almost everyone uses it, probably not realising how short a stroll it is.

As for picking the right tombs, well I couldn't be too bothered. Of the three I visited the most enjoyable was the Tomb of Tawosret/Sethnakht. Unless you are areal expert you are not likely to really be able to pick out the finest points of the tombs. What makes the difference is whether or not there is a tour group passing through. Believe me the average football crowd is much less noisy than a Chinese tour group trying to be quiet in a tomb. And unsurprisingly, tombs are a distinctly confined spaces. they really weren't built for the crowds being led through them. So simply finding a tomb that hasn't got a coach party in it is all you want.

Oh, and another thing. All the guidebooks stress how unbearably hot it is, and stress the need to get there really early before the pitiless sun burns you to a cinder. And the need to carry gallons of water.

Maybe in the height of summer but in March - tosh. The early starts are for the convenience of tour operators not punters, so they can whisk everyone through before lunch. Ok its around 30C but that is very tolerable I pottered around all day without the least bit of discomfort.

So much for the Valley of the Kings. A much more rewarding sight is the Temple of Hatshepsut. This has been significantly restored, but it is unique in form and really stunning.It feels like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. it has its own ticket office with its own bazaar to get through, but it is worth it. And no problem taking photos, so here are a heap of them.

 To the left of the temple is the base of a smaller one that was built afterwards. "Smaller" in terms of footprint, but taller than its neighbour originally. Now alas barely anything left bu the platform.

Ancient Greek vandalism...