Temple of Queen Hepshepsut

The Temple of Deir El-Bahri is one of the most characteristic temples in the whole of Egypt, due to its design and decorations. It was built of limestone, not sandstone like most of the other funerary temples of the New Kingdom period.

It is thought that Senimut, the genius architect who built this Temple, was inspired in his design by the plan of the neighboring mortuary Temple of the 12th Dynasty King, Neb-Hept-Re. The Temple was built for the great Queen Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty), to commemorate her achievements and to serve as a funerary Temple for her, as well as a sanctuary of the God, Amon Ra.

In the 7th century AD, it was named after a Coptic monastery in the area, known as the “Northern monastery”. Today it is known as the Temple of Deir El-Bahri, which means in Arabic, the “Temple of the Northern monastery”. There is a theory suggesting that the Temple, in the Early Christian Period, was used as a Coptic monastery.


This unique Temple reflects clear ideas about the serious conflict between Hatshepsut, and her nephew and son in law, Tuthmosis III, since many of her statues were destroyed, and the followers of Tuthmosis III damaged most of her Cartouches, after the mysterious death of the queen.

The Temple consists of three imposing terraces. The two lower ones would have once been full of trees. On the southern end of the 1st colonnade there are some scenes, among them the famous scene of the transportation of Hatshepsut’s two obelisks.

On the north side of the colonnade there is a scene that represents the Queen offering four calves to Amon Ra.


The 2nd terrace is now accessed by a ramp; originally it would have had stairs. The famous Punt relief is engraved on the southern side of the 2nd colonnade. The journey to Punt (now called Somalia) was the first pictorial documentation of a trade expedition recorded, and discovered, in ancient Egypt; until now. The scenes depict in great detail, the maritime expedition that Queen Hatshepsut sent, via the Red Sea, to Punt, just before the 9th year of her reign (1482 B.C) This famous expedition was headed by her high official, Pa-nahsy, and lasted for 3 years. His mission was to exchange Egyptian merchandise for the products of Punt, especially gold, incense and tropical trees.


To the south there is the shrine of the Goddess Hathor. The court that leads to this chapel has columns, where Hathor, who is shown with a woman’s face and cow’s ears, is carrying a sistrum (a musical tool); on the walls she is depicted as a cow. In this part of the Temple, King Tuthmosis III erased the Queen’s names.

temple of queen hatshepsut On the northern side of the 2nd colonnade, there is a scene depicting the divine birth of Hatshepsut. The Queen claimed that she was the divine daughter of Amon Ra to legitimise her rule.

Beyond the colonnade to the North are the chapel of Anubis, God of mummification and the keeper of the necropolis.

The 3rd terrace is also accessed by a ramp! It consists of two rows of columns, the front ones taking the Osirid form (a mummy form); unfortunately Tuthmosis III damaged them. The columns at the rear, sadly, have all been destroyed; also by Tuthmosis III!

The colonnade, which leads to the sanctuary of the Temple, has also been severely damaged. This sanctuary consists of two small chapels.

In the Ptolemaic period, a third chapel was added to the sanctuary which was also decorated with various scenes, the most remarkable being the ones representing Amenhotep, son of Habo (18th Dynasty) who, like Imhotep from the 3rd Dynasty, was another genius architect from Ancient Egypt

Lets explore Mauritius

Once upon a time, the islands of the Indian Ocean were virtually unknown as a tourist destination. Most people's thoughts of palm trees and trade winds, white sands and blue seas conjured images of the South Pacific or the Caribbean. Not anymore. The seventh sea is finally coming into its own, and travellers will be cheered to note that prices are actually coming down to honour it, enticing visitors of every budget to see what they've been missing. Mauritius is making a name for itself as the most accessible island in the region, boasting as much tropical paradise as Maui or Martinique and, better still, offering it at a bargain. Well, a bargain once you get there, anyway.

Though nestled up alongside eastern Africa, Mauritius is actually more influenced by its British and French ties and massive Indian workforce than by the African mainland. Here, you can enjoy a dish of curried chickpeas or a nice Yorkshire pudding on the terrace of a French café, sipping imported wine or a thick malty ale while listening to Créole music and the conversation of locals in any number of lingoes. Mauritius' range of visitors' facilities runs the gamut from pamper-happy beach resorts and organised excursions to locals who'll put you up in their homes and rent you their cars for daytrips. If you're looking for a lazy beach vacation, you could certainly do worse, but don't forget the rambling interior and the multicultural capital Port Louis.

Full country name: Republic of Mauritius
Area: 1860 sq km (725 sq mi)
Population: 1.2 million
Capital city: Port Louis (pop 150,000)
People: Indo-Mauritian (68%), Créole (27%), Sino-Mauritian (3%), Franco-Mauritian (2%)
Languages: English, Créole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori
Religion: Hindu (51%), Christian (30%), Muslim (17%)
Government: Parliamentary democracy
President: Karl Offmann
Prime Minister: Sir Anerood Jugnauth

GDP: US$11.7 billion
GDP per head: US$10,300
Annual growth: 5%
Inflation: 6%
Major industries: Sugar, textiles, tea, tobacco, tourism
Major trading partners: EU, US, South Africa, India




Facts for the Traveler

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Visas: All visitors are required to have a passport and onward ticket in order to get a visa. Renewable one-month visas may be granted on arrival, although it may be better to contact a Mauritian embassy prior to your visit.
Health risks: Slight risk of malaria; proof of yellow fever vaccination is required of those entering Mauritius from an infected area.
Time: GMT/UTC plus four hours
Electricity:220V or 125V, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

When to Go :
Apart from the busy Christmas to New Year period, Mauritius doesn't really have a high or low season. The depths of Mauritian 'winter' occur from July to September, when daytime temperatures drop from sticky to balmy. With less rain and humidity, this is one of the choicest times to visit. Weatherwise, the least agreeable period is from January to April, when the long days can prove too hot and humid for some and the threat of cyclones is in the air. Visitors should be prepared to spend several days cooped up indoors during extra-heavy rains. December through March is the best time for diving, when the waters are at their clearest; June through August is best for surfing; and October through April is excellent for big game fishing, when the large predators feed close to shore.

Events :
With its host of cultures and multinational residents, it's no surprise that Mauritius celebrates an equally diverse number of holidays and special events. Teemeedee, a Hindu and Tamil fire-walking ceremony held in honour of various gods, takes place throughout the year but mostly in December and January. Hindus celebrate the major Thaipoosam Cavadee in January or February at temples throughout the island. Look for processions carrying flower-covered wooden arches and pots of milk, with devotees skewering their tongues and cheeks in homage to the second son of Lord Shiva. Around the same time, the resident Tamils mark the end of the harvest season by feeding rice pudding to decorated cows in the festival of Pongal, and Chinese New Year is celebrated with the standard barrage of fireworks and foodstuffs.

Maha Shivaratri occurs over three days in February and March and is the largest and most important Hindu festival outside of India. Most of the island's Hindu population makes a pilgrimage in honour of Lord Shiva to the holy volcanic lake Grand Bassin, where they make food sacrifices and stockpile vessels of the holy water. If you happen upon a celebration of Holi, the Hindu festival of colours, count on a good soaking: exuberant celebrants throw cupfuls of coloured powder and water on anyone in their path sometime in February or March. Independence/Republic Day is 12 March. Similar in intent to the teemeedee celebrations, Hindu and Tamil sword-climbing spectacles take place mostly between April and June. Père Laval Feast Day in September marks the anniversary of the Catholic convert-king's death, and pilgrims come from all over the world to his shrine at Ste-Croix to pray for miracle cures and such.

Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Fitr to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the lunar year. Though the date of Eid-al-Fitr varies from year to year - for the next few years, it's in January and is always a public holiday.







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This is Lamu

Growing up in Kenya, I had heard of the ancient Arab-African culture of the Lamu archipelago. In October 2000, I had my first chance to experience this amazing hidden tourist destination on Kenya's north coast. Michel Laplace-Toulouse, owner of African Latitude a Nairobi-based company specializing in walking safaris, and Pierre Oberson, owner of Kijani House, a first-class hotel on Lamu Island, invited me to survey the archipelago's resident bird population. I was not disappointed. For any tourist, Lamu Town and the beaches of Shela offer an extraordinary combination of natural and architectural beauty as sand dunes and minarets punctuate the shoreline. For both the professional and amateur ornithologist, the Lamu archipelago offers unmatched bird watching opportunities. I left Malindi, a small town 120 kilometres north of Mombasa, and flew to Lamu, landing at the small airstrip on Manda Island only 20 minutes later. The two small buildings of the airport were an early indication that the archipelago would not be swarming with tourists as many of Kenya's resorts are nowadays. Just beyond the plane, Kijani House's friendly guide and boat captain Hamid waited for me under an Acacia tree, shielding him from the hot tropical sun. We walked out along a wooden jetty to a boat called a dhow - Lamu only form of transportation. Most dhows, constructed from mangrove and mahogany with towering handmade sails, are powered by the strong coastal wind but we used the inboard diesel engine for the three-kilometre trip to Shela. Along the way, Hamid told me of his great-grandfather from Oman. Passing Lamu Town, I noticed the Persian-influenced architecture in the old stone buildings with their massive carved thresholds, built close together so the streets are cool despite the midday heat, like an Arab souk. Ideally located within walking distance of both Lamu town and Shela Beach, Kijani House, comprises the best of traditional local architecture terraced around two swimming pools and gardens of dripping orange and pink bougainvillea. Each of the ten rooms has a veranda roofed in makuti, the traditional method of mounting plaited coconut fronds on a wooden frame. Inside the rooms, white mosquito nets veil carved mahogany four-poster beds. Just beyond the hotel gardens, a deserted beach of seven miles stretches southward. Along this beach and in the sand dunes and scrub just inland, I began my search for Lamu wildlife. Madagascar Bee-Eaters, normally a migrant to Kenya from Madagascar, began to appear. I also found White-Fronted Plovers, Carmine Bee-Eaters, migrant from Ethiopia and Somalia, Blue-Naped Mousebird, and African Fish Eagle all around Shela. Most of my time, however, was spent surveying Manda Island, which is roughly the same size as Lamu, but largely uninhabited. Manda is also an important sanctuary for many birds, mammals, reptiles, butterflies, and other animals. Elephant can be found, but they are very few and tend to be shy and secretive. My four full days spent wandering around Manda revealed 96 different bird species. This is striking because of the small size of the island, but the number reflects the diversity of the varied habitats, which includes wetlands, mangroves, grasslands, and Acacia scrub. Dry-country birds to be seen include various Golden-Palm Weavers, Amethyst Sunbirds, Bare-Eyed Thrushes Sulphur-Breasted Bush-Shrikes, Ethiopian Swallows, and Speckled Mouse birds. Wetland species to be seen include various Terns, Egrets, Herons, Ibises, and migrant Sandpipers and Plovers. Undoubtedly my survey is not inclusive, so it's likely that there are 50 more bird species waiting to be recorded. And if you accomplish all that, there are many sites of historical interest to visit including the Takwa ruins and the Lamu Fort