It’s official!! Avenue of Sphinxes Opening

[newcastle]

It’s November 25th.....this year presumably


https://fb.watch/9mcKvJa6a9/

https://fb.watch/9mcUrsVdDE/

[HEPZIBAH]

Impressive piece of footage. It could almost (note I say almost) tempt me back for another visit.

[Teddyboy]

"....this year presumably"

I nearly fell off my chair!

[newcastle]

"....this year presumably"

I nearly fell off my chair!

On closer inspection, the official video clip does mention 2021....so we can probably assume it’s this year....though I wouldn’t bet the farm on it

[BBLUX]

Announced in Egyptian media as being on the 25th November 2021

[Who2]

Is that written in stone ?.........

[newcastle]

Herewith more details and lots of pictures :

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 531&type=3

[Teddyboy]

That all looks very impressive, newcastle. And the view of the lasers from our roof terrace certainly is as well. (As is the sound of the music, booming over all the other sounds of a busy, horn sounding, dog barking city!)
What I find quite disappointing, though, is that the whole of the Luxor Temple area is now shrouded in tent fabric, keeping everything out of sight and off limits to the general public.
Are these expected international dignitories really so scared of being murdered? (What happened to "Al- hamdulillah"?) Surely their fear tells us something about their own assessment of their public standing, more than anything else, methinks!

[newcastle]

I imagine most of us have been puzzled by the Egyptian mentality from time to time.

I doubt the exclusion of the general public has anything to do with security....it seems to be an attempt to makes the whole event a choreographed spectacular which can be relayed around the world, both at the time and subsequently, as an advert for Egyptian tourism.

They don’t think there’s much to be gained by admitting the general public....and, in this, they’re probably right. The shilly- shallying over the date must have seriously compromised the list of potential ViPs....surely we’re looking at ministerial/ambassadorial level at best.

Going back to the issue of security, disrupting such an event would , of course, be a massive coup for the likes of the MB....but I don’t see it myself and haven’t heard a whiff of this being a concern.

[newcastle]

Well ...as D-Day approaches, it looks as if Luxor is going into total lockdown. Quite impressive for a medium sized town.

Apparently.....no river traffic, no tuk tuks, all roads near the temples closed.

People with roofs or balconies overlooking the route to stay indoors.....although how they’ll police that remains to be seen. I’ve heard “Covid” being given as the reason for discouraging mass attendance. A joke too far methinks.

It’s going to be televised live around the world....rather like Pharaoh parade....but no information I can find as to which Egyptian channel(s) it will be on.

[Teddyboy]

I've just returned from an expedition to Awameya. What a palaver, I have been almost blinded by the sun reflecting off all the epaulette pips.
The tent fabric screening which runs behind the Temple along Sharia Karnak is hardly required as you cannot see anything beyond the high van bodied wagons parked along the roadside, a minimum of 22, one after the other! And be careful of waking along there, yes it's one way traffic as we know, but the police vehicles from out of town don't seem to realise that, and come tearing along the wrong way, in convoy.
There must be no other Policemen left anywhere else in Egypt! The place is alive with them. (I thought that I would never see so many police officers again as I saw when President G W Bush came to visit Mr Bliar at Sedgefield, but Luxor may well have surpassed even that.)
Ibn Khaled Whaled Street is closed, as is the Corniche. It's causing havoc with the arabeyas; people (including me!) being taken where they don't want to go, and then having to walk a half a mile after paying their fare; they're none too happy. Of course, the poor driver gets it in the neck every time!
I've also never see so many men in good quality looking suits, either. Station Street is awash with them, mostly looking or pointing up to the rooftops, and shouting at each other or into their walky-talkies. It's manic!
The singing practice seemed to go on all night, last night. Every time one of us was awake, we heard it.
Honestly, I cannot wait for it all to be over, and get back to some sort of (Egyptian) normality.

[HEPZIBAH]

Guess this isn't a good time for a last minute visit and stay at the Emilio then.

Edit to add... I am amazed that there are still so many [silly] foreigners/ex-pats in Luxor that think they are going to be able to see some of the show/festivities... whatever you want to call it. Reading comments on various other social media pages is almost pitiful in some cases.

[newcastle]

From the Luxor Times.....which indicates where you might find the live stream of the event :

The Sphinx Avenue …

Exclusive coverage of the celebration of the opening of the Sphinx Avenue and the recreation of the Opet festival.

Celebrating Luxor and its history through the memories of the locals.
News, views and interviews … stay tuned!

Coverage schedule

On here and on Luxor Times YouTube channel
https://bit.ly/3cDMSMM
There will be a series of posts and videos starting shortly on different aspects of the history related to the Sphinx Avenue and the celebration.

On Thursday 25th, there will be livestreams from Luxor Temple and other locations for the official celebration and parade starting from 5pm local time. (3pm GMT - 10am US Eastern)

On Friday 26th, an exclusive walkthrough the Sphinx Avenue from Karnak to Luxor Temple. The full length of the avenue.

Follow Luxor Times for livestreams on our YouTube channel and Facebook page. Make sure you turn notifications on to get notified every time we go live or post something new.

[Teddyboy]

"foreigners/ex-pats in Luxor that think they are going to be able to see some of the show/festivities..."

Perhaps they know something (or someone?) that we don't? I've been completely out of the loop for 2 years, and was never really in it in the first place!

(I've just been too slow to get a great shot of three attack helicopters, flying in formation over our hovel!)

[newcastle]

And for those of you without access to Internet or TV.....

LUXOR HOTELS TO DISPLAY AVENUE OF SPHINXES CEREMONY ON MASSIVE SCREENS

*To catch up on everything and everyone happening on the #SceneNOW download our new #SceneNOW app available on iOS and Android or through this link: https://linktr.ee/SceneNow*

Between plans to create more accessible routes to the governorate and establish hospitals to serve as centres of medical tourism, Luxor is quietly undergoing a sort of touristic renaissance, one which hopes to take full advantage of the growing surge of travellers into Egypt this winter. On Thursday, November 25th, Luxor's touristic ambitions will reach an indisputable crescendo with the grand reopening of the Avenue of Sphinxes, and the spectacular ceremony that is due to accompany it. And to ensure that nobody would need to miss it, hotels across Luxor are going to display the full ceremony on giant screens. These screenings will be held in accordance with all precautionary measures against COVID-19.

Celebrating the renovations that have been performed on the Avenue, as well as the Karnak and Luxor Temples on either side of it, Thursday's showcase will recreate an ancient Egyptian ceremony called the 'Opet Festival', which took place every year to represent the connection between the gods and the people of Egypt.

The Cultural Tourism Marketing Committee will broadcast the event on its official page, and has revealed that 82 international and professional media outlets will have access to the ceremony.

[HEPZIBAH]

I'm wondering (yes, been doing a lot if that recently) how many expats know about these big screen events, and how they are going to get to them anyway.

Just read that you can't cross the Nile now by ferry, so I would assume the small boats are off limits too. Not sure if this is a temporary stop for a short while or if it done now in preparation for tomorrow. (Personally guessing it's just for a few hours tonight for rehersal purposes.) I can only assume that it will be impossible to cross the Nile by ferry for most of tomorrow.

[Teddyboy]

They've been rehearsing night after night for the past few weeks, Hepzibah. The lasers have been left on, like the West Bank lights, all night too. Sometimes, the music and singing have been almost deafening up here in our eyrie.

[HEPZIBAH]

Yes, I know there has been a lot of rehersals taking place, but I would have thought that today would a much more 'joined up' rehearsal day, double checking all the technical aspects etc. A full dress rehearsal type thing which would include the display of illuminated boats on the river. would also assume that the security regime would also be getting tighter with more layers both visible and invisible. Perhaps I assume (guess) too much.

[newcastle]

There’s been quite a lot happening regarding rehearsals going by some of these pictures :



I suppose the organisers are torn between ironing out logistic issues and letting too many cats out of the bag.

Considering all the trouble they’ve gone too, not to mention the disruption for the locals, one can only hope it goes off well and is a great success.

I, for one, will be glued to the screen....assuming I can locate a channel showing it!

[newcastle]

More photos of preparations....