Pre-pharaonic sites

[Miriamkhalifa]

Hey...

Are there any good pre-pharaonic sites open to visitors? If so, can you tell me about your visits to them? Pictures welcome

[Glyphdoctor]

None because basically there would be virtually nothing to see unless you count prehistoric rock art in the desert or the Valley of the Whales. If you are interested in the former, I think I have some links I can post for photos.

[Miriamkhalifa]

None because basically there would be virtually nothing to see unless you count prehistoric rock art in the desert or the Valley of the Whales. If you are interested in the former, I think I have some links I can post for photos.

That would be nice! So from that era, what is to see, one finds in the museums?

[BBLUX]

The rock art is in situ, that is out in the desert where the rock formations occured. Some of it is amazing. I have not been to see it...yet, but the Cave of the Swimmers comes to mind down in the Gilf Kibir. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Swimmers
This involves a serious multi vehicle desert drive lasting several days each way.


The Valley of the Whales is a site which contains the fossilised remains on prehistoric whales http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Al-Hitan
These can be accessed with a normal vehicle from Cairo but would probably take 2 days with an overnight stop.

[Winged Isis]

A friend did the Gilf Kibir trip and absolutely loved it, except for the stupid, annoying young policeman sent with them! I have seen their photos and it is on my bucket list for Egypt now.

Luxor Museum and Aswan Nubian Museum have some displays and items, Mirry.

[Miriamkhalifa]

A friend did the Gilf Kibir trip and absolutely loved it, except for the stupid, annoying young policeman sent with them! I have seen their photos and it is on my bucket list for Egypt now.

Luxor Museum and Aswan Nubian Museum have some displays and items, Mirry.

Thanks for the good advice people!

WI: I wanted to go to the nubian museum TWICE and it was closed both times... I think in 2005 and 2007... About time I try again??

[Miriamkhalifa]

Now I have looked at your links BB and my bucket list is getting loooongeeeer!

[A-Four]

To me The Nubian Museum is trully fantastic, I have not been there for a few years now, but I promise you the building itself is stunning, and a fantastic credit to upper Egypt, try to study as much as possible before you get there, the place itself is cool and relaxing, but the thing I love most about this place, is that towards the end of these displays, is an area set aside, showing the interior of a home of modern Upper Egyptian family, of say 50 or 60 years ago. This is where I saw an Egyptian family, the father explained to his young son an 'old' way of cooking. Another young family asked if I minded to take a photo of them next to a most majestic statue of Ram II I had ever seen.

For me the most beautiful items were three Nubian kings crown, and one who studies the 18th to 20th Dyn in Egypt must study these kings carefully, as what happened there was to have a serious effect on the then rulers of our present day Upper Egypt, that most people even today fail to realise.

Give at least three hour time here, pref - in the evening when less tourist are present.

Enjoy. A-Four.

[A-Four]

With regards to pre - dynasty sites, just North of Luxor is the very famous Naq I,II and III areas, but I assume are presently 'officially' closed, ..........but them again 'officially' they always have been.

[DIANA]

I love the Nubian Museum too A-Four. Trouble is every time I go there I find that a lot of the show cases are not lit and I have a great deal of trouble seeing the objects properly. Also some of the museum guards are not very professional and last time I was there one of them kept asking me for a tip. This amazed me.
However I think it is an excellent museum in a wonderful setting and I always try to visit it when I am in Aswan.

[Brian Yare]

At the Nubian Museum, look for the Nabta Playa stone circle in the gardens. It was relocated there after interference from New Agers a few years back.

Rock art is easy to access at various sites, but I don't know how much is predynastic. I've visited el-Kab and Sinais, as well as the bits relocated to New Kalabshah.

[Miriamkhalifa]

New age what, Mr. Yare??

[Winged Isis]

Where the heck are my posts going? They're not all getting on here!

I'll try again as this should have appeared yesterday just before Diana's....

Good advice from A4: read your Lonely Planet first, Mirry. In the Nubia Museum, there is a pit burial from 35-3000BC with skeleton and grave goods, and some petroglyphs. Many people don't realise there are also things to see in the gardens outside, such a Fatimid Cemetery. Go to Google IMages for some good photos of the displays.

But I beg to differ on the magnificence of the Ramses statue, if you mean the giant Old Thunder Thighs one in the centre, A4! It is clunky, disproportionate and lacks any refinement, skill or beauty. Perhaps you mean a smaller one somewhere else? I much prefer the one of Horemakhet.

I have been three or four times now at different times of the day, and usually stay at the Basma Hotel across the road, and have always found it open, so you have had bad luck, Mirry.

The comment re low light is true, which makes it hard to get decent photos (the last time I was in there (January 2009) you were still allowed to take them. No idea what the rule is now.

[Brian Yare]

Miriam

"Travellers" who should not have been there seriously disrupted the very important site of Nabta Playa, which is off limits, in a military zone, some 50 km west of Abu Simbel.

As it was not deemed appropriate to protect the relics on site they were transferred to Aswan.

Brian

[Kevininabydos]

This site has info on the Nabta Playa circle: http://www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk/egyptnabta.htm

and this one has a better photo of it in it's original position and of it's new siting in the Nubian museum gardens at Aswan: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=22092

Abydos' pre/early-dynastic area is out of bounds but it can be visited with written permission from Cairo (though apart from the 2nd dynasty
enclosure of Khasekhemwy [named Djadjay on the kings list in Seti 1st Temple in Abydos] there is really nothing above ground to see.)