On my last day in Luxor I went to the Mummification Museum and the Luxor Museum.
They are both quite new and modern. The displays are well marked and well spaced. The number of items aren't huge, but it's quality over quantity.
The mummification process is well explained, and they had samples of the tools used. There were special tools to draw out the brain, and then stuff the skull cavity with cotton and chemicals. The brain, heart, lungs, and entrails were kept in four separate jars. For kings the process took four months.
Some of the coffins were beautifully decorated.
The museum was in one large room, and as I was leaving a school group of elementary kids went through. It was a zoo.
The Luxor Museum is spacious and well signed in English. One of the amazing facts is that quite a few of the statues were only found in the last 20 years or so. 24 were found in 1889. One beautiful coffin was found in 2004!
There are good videos showing the making of pottery and papyrus. There are also displays explaining recent restorations.
The one item that was somewhat of a curiosity is the mummy of Ramses I. This mummy was on display in Niagara Falls for years. I remember seeing ads for it. After the museum in Niagara Falls closed the mummy was on display in Atlanta for a few years, until it was given back to Egypt. Probably the most travelled mummy in the world.
One of the things you have to get used to in any Muslim country is the call to prayer. I remember flying into Istanbul, early in the morning, getting to my hotel at 3 am, and getting blasted out of bed at 5 for morning prayers. I was next door to a mosque, and at 5 a loudspeaker calls out the prayers, at a high volume. Scared the heck out of me.
I am near a mosque in Luxor, and, at 5 it starts. In the olden days an imam would climb the minaret and lead the prayers. Then came megaphones, and now I think they don't even get out of bed, they just turn on a recording.
I am also near a school, and at 7:30 they start playing marching music, and keep that up for an hour. Nothing like hyping up a bunch of kids for an hour before you try to teach them.
I've enjoyed my time in Luxor, and I have seen some truly amazing art. And I survived in one piece. Much credit must go to Lynnell and John who carried me through a couple of rough days.
Life is good
They are both quite new and modern. The displays are well marked and well spaced. The number of items aren't huge, but it's quality over quantity.
The mummification process is well explained, and they had samples of the tools used. There were special tools to draw out the brain, and then stuff the skull cavity with cotton and chemicals. The brain, heart, lungs, and entrails were kept in four separate jars. For kings the process took four months.
Some of the coffins were beautifully decorated.
The museum was in one large room, and as I was leaving a school group of elementary kids went through. It was a zoo.
The Luxor Museum is spacious and well signed in English. One of the amazing facts is that quite a few of the statues were only found in the last 20 years or so. 24 were found in 1889. One beautiful coffin was found in 2004!
There are good videos showing the making of pottery and papyrus. There are also displays explaining recent restorations.
The one item that was somewhat of a curiosity is the mummy of Ramses I. This mummy was on display in Niagara Falls for years. I remember seeing ads for it. After the museum in Niagara Falls closed the mummy was on display in Atlanta for a few years, until it was given back to Egypt. Probably the most travelled mummy in the world.
One of the things you have to get used to in any Muslim country is the call to prayer. I remember flying into Istanbul, early in the morning, getting to my hotel at 3 am, and getting blasted out of bed at 5 for morning prayers. I was next door to a mosque, and at 5 a loudspeaker calls out the prayers, at a high volume. Scared the heck out of me.
I am near a mosque in Luxor, and, at 5 it starts. In the olden days an imam would climb the minaret and lead the prayers. Then came megaphones, and now I think they don't even get out of bed, they just turn on a recording.
I am also near a school, and at 7:30 they start playing marching music, and keep that up for an hour. Nothing like hyping up a bunch of kids for an hour before you try to teach them.
I've enjoyed my time in Luxor, and I have seen some truly amazing art. And I survived in one piece. Much credit must go to Lynnell and John who carried me through a couple of rough days.
Life is good
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