Egypt Part 2 - Pyramids of Giza, Pyramid of Djoser and the Sphinx
Okay, I finally decided to do the Egypt picture post, which I know I've been putting off for ages! So, without further ado I give you the first photo batch of (Ancient) Egypt in 2012 - and I can already promise you that you'll be amazed :D!
Egypt by night, as seen from a plane - the amazing thing is that there are almost NO dark spots the entire way, starting from the Mediterranean Coast to Cairo. It must have something to do with the fact that most of the population (something like 90 %) lives close to the bamks of the Nile, I think.
Pyramids
The Great Pyramid / Pyramid of Cheops
Eerie, isn't it? It was really foggy for most of the time we were there. This was taken at the foot of the 'Great Pyramid' - the biggest one of the three famous pyramids near Giza. And it really is quite big - can you make out that tiny black spot on the first row of stones at the foot of the pyramid? That's actually a fully-sized human being. You can get a crick in your neck if you try to look all the way to the top, when you're standing too close! I actually couldn't even fit it all into one photograph - both because of its size, our proximity and the darn fog D:!
The Great Pyramid from a distance - the foot of the Pyramid of Menkaure, actually, I believe.
The Pyramid of Menkaure
This is either the Pyramid of Menkaure or the Pyramid of Khafre - I've forgotten which one unfortunately :P. Leaning more towards the Pyramid of Menkaure though. It looks tiny on the picture, at least to me, but it was really tall as well! :D
The Queens' Pyramids at the back of the Pyramid of Menkaure - noticeably smaller than the Pharaoh's, of course.
The Pyramid of Khafre
The Sphinx
What I find fascinating (and adorable) is that it's even got a tail! And it's curled up at the flank, just like my cat likes to do it :D! (It is disappointingly tiny though, compared to the pyramids!)
See? In my imagination it was so much taller! But it's still very pretty!
A view of the desert
A lot more stoney than I had imagined, but amazing all the same! It's really extraordinarily beautiful - at least to someone not used to it. I imagine the Egyptians must feel quite tired of all the sand :P. Because it really gets EVERYWHERE.
A camel in the desert.
More camels. They're so cute!
The Step Pyramid / Pyramid of Djoser
Much older than the pyramids in Giza, this one can be found in the Saqquara necropolis, about twenty minutes away from Giza by car. It was built in the 27th century BC, which effectively makes Djoser's pyramid the oldest complete stone building complex in history. I really can't comprehend how old all of the buildings are we visited in Egypt! It's ... awe-inspiring to say the least.
I took this photo out of the car window. It was fascinating for me to see all that sand when I looked out of window to my right - but then I turned to look to my left and there was this beautiful, green oasis. It's wonderful to see!
More tomorrow, hopefully. I have sooo many pictures - it's quite terrible to have to choose which ones to post! But I hope I ended up uploading the right ones for your viewing pleasure! Who wants to go to Egypt now? :P
Egypt by night, as seen from a plane - the amazing thing is that there are almost NO dark spots the entire way, starting from the Mediterranean Coast to Cairo. It must have something to do with the fact that most of the population (something like 90 %) lives close to the bamks of the Nile, I think.
Pyramids
The Great Pyramid / Pyramid of Cheops
Eerie, isn't it? It was really foggy for most of the time we were there. This was taken at the foot of the 'Great Pyramid' - the biggest one of the three famous pyramids near Giza. And it really is quite big - can you make out that tiny black spot on the first row of stones at the foot of the pyramid? That's actually a fully-sized human being. You can get a crick in your neck if you try to look all the way to the top, when you're standing too close! I actually couldn't even fit it all into one photograph - both because of its size, our proximity and the darn fog D:!
The Great Pyramid from a distance - the foot of the Pyramid of Menkaure, actually, I believe.
The Pyramid of Menkaure
This is either the Pyramid of Menkaure or the Pyramid of Khafre - I've forgotten which one unfortunately :P. Leaning more towards the Pyramid of Menkaure though. It looks tiny on the picture, at least to me, but it was really tall as well! :D
The Queens' Pyramids at the back of the Pyramid of Menkaure - noticeably smaller than the Pharaoh's, of course.
The Pyramid of Khafre
The Sphinx
What I find fascinating (and adorable) is that it's even got a tail! And it's curled up at the flank, just like my cat likes to do it :D! (It is disappointingly tiny though, compared to the pyramids!)
See? In my imagination it was so much taller! But it's still very pretty!
A view of the desert
A lot more stoney than I had imagined, but amazing all the same! It's really extraordinarily beautiful - at least to someone not used to it. I imagine the Egyptians must feel quite tired of all the sand :P. Because it really gets EVERYWHERE.
A camel in the desert.
More camels. They're so cute!
The Step Pyramid / Pyramid of Djoser
Much older than the pyramids in Giza, this one can be found in the Saqquara necropolis, about twenty minutes away from Giza by car. It was built in the 27th century BC, which effectively makes Djoser's pyramid the oldest complete stone building complex in history. I really can't comprehend how old all of the buildings are we visited in Egypt! It's ... awe-inspiring to say the least.
I took this photo out of the car window. It was fascinating for me to see all that sand when I looked out of window to my right - but then I turned to look to my left and there was this beautiful, green oasis. It's wonderful to see!
More tomorrow, hopefully. I have sooo many pictures - it's quite terrible to have to choose which ones to post! But I hope I ended up uploading the right ones for your viewing pleasure! Who wants to go to Egypt now? :P