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In this VFR - GPS Flight Plan we take off from
Asyut International Airport (HEAT) [Egypt], fly southwards following the course
of the Nile, overfly the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Luxor, Edfu and Kom Ombo, and
landing in the aerodrome of Daraw (HE23) [Egypt], that does not have ATC .
Find below a short extract and screenshots of the main points of the route. In this journey around Africa I have used the Cessna 172S (Skyhawk)
Taking off from the airport of
Asyut (Assiut).
Getting back to the Nile
Following the course of the Nile.
Overflying Sohag.
Sohag (Arabic: سوهاج ), also spelled as Sawhāj, Suhag and Suhaj, is a city on the west bank of the Nile in Egypt. It has been the capital of Sohag Governorate since 1960, before which the capital was Girga and the name of the governorate was Girga Governorate. It also included Esna Governorate (nowadays Qena Governorate).
Until the 19th century there was only a village in the area. In 1960, the capital of the Governorate of Girga was transferred from the city of Girga to Sohag and the governorate was renamed accordingly. It is unclear how long this site has been inhabited. There are several mummies that date back to Roman times in the village. In Coptic times a community of monks lived at the White Monastery in the area.
Sohag lies on a fertile agricultural plain on the western bank of the Nile, approximately 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) southwest of Akhmim. The city includes two islands; Karaman-ez-Zahur Island is larger and uninhabited, and ez-Zahur Island (جزيرة الزهور, Ǧazīrat az-Zuhur, "Flower Island") has some homes. (*1)
Sohag Midan and city hall By Roland Unger - CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Inside the Sidi Arif Mosque By Roland Unger - CC BY-SA 3.0 |
White Monastery By Roland Unger - CC BY-SA 3.0 |
We temporally leave the Nile
towards the Valley of the Kings.
The northwest flank of the massif where the Valley of the Kings is located .
The city of Luxor appears behind the mountains right before beginning the
descend to the Valley of the Kings, on the left.
Flying over the Valley of the Kings.
The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: وادي الملوك Wādī al-Mulūk), also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings (Arabic: وادي أبواب الملوك Wādī Abwāb al- Mulūk), is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, rock-cut tombs were excavated for the pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom (the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt).
The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes (modern Luxor), within the heart of the Theban Necropolis. The wadi consists of two valleys: the East Valley (where the majority of the royal tombs are situated) and the West Valley (Valley of the Monkeys).
With the 2005 discovery of a new chamber and the 2008 discovery of two further tomb entrances, the valley is known to contain 63 tombs and chambers (ranging in size from KV54, a simple pit, to KV5, a complex tomb with over 120 chambers). It was the principal burial place of the major royal figures of the Egyptian New Kingdom, as well as a number of privileged nobles. The royal tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues as to the beliefs and funerary practices of the period. Almost all of the tombs seem to have been opened and robbed in antiquity, but they still give an idea of the opulence and power of the pharaohs.
This area has been a focus of archaeological and Egyptological exploration since the end of the eighteenth century, and its tombs and burials continue to stimulate research and interest. Since the 1920s, the valley has been famous for the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, and is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. In 1979, it became a World Heritage Site, along with the rest of the Theban Necropolis. Exploration, excavation and conservation continues in the valley, and a new tourist center has recently been opened. (*1)
Al-Qurn dominates the
valley By I, Nikater - CC BY-SA 3.0 |
View of the central East Valley,
showing area around KV62 By Peter J. Bubenik (1995) - CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Tomb of Ramesses
III, KV11 By Luestling - CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Leaving the Valley of the Kings.
Flying over the city of Luxor. The temples of Luxor and Karnak are hardly
visible in FS2020.
Luxor (Arabic: الأقصر l-aqṣur) is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population of Luxor is 127,994 (2020), with an area of approximately 417 square kilometres (161 sq mi). It is among the oldest inhabited cities in the world.
The modern city includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Waset, also known as Nut and to the Greeks as Thebes or Diospolis. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-air museum", as the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs of the west bank Necropolis, which includes the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.
Thousands of tourists from all around the world arrive annually to visit these monuments, contributing greatly to the economy of the modern city. (*1)
Luxor Temple By - CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Abu Haggag Mosque By Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) - CC BY 3.0 |
Streets of Luxor
in 2004 By Blueshade - CC BY-SA 2.0 |
The city of Edfu.
Edfu (Arabic: إدفو also spelt Idfu, or in modern French as Edfou) is an Egyptian city, located on the west bank of the Nile River between Esna and Aswan, with a population of approximately sixty thousand people. Edfu is the site of the Ptolemaic Temple of Horus and an ancient settlement, Tell Edfu. About 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Edfu are remains of ancient pyramids.
The town is known for the major Ptolemaic temple, built between 237 BC and 57 BC, into the reign of Cleopatra VII. Of all the temple remains in Egypt, the Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most completely preserved. Built from sandstone blocks, the huge Ptolemaic temple was constructed over the site of a smaller New Kingdom temple, oriented east to west, facing towards the river. The later structure faces north to south and leaves the ruined remains of the older temple pylon to be seen on the east side of the first court. (*1)
Temple Edfou By Patrick.reb - CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Cruise ship at Edfu By I, Rémih - CC BY 3.0 |
The forecourt of
the temple, looking south-east By I, Rémih - CC BY 3.0 |
Kom Ombo and its famous temple, just before landing in the small aerodrome of
Daraw nearby.
Kom Ombo (Arabic: كوم أمبو), Ancient Greek: Ὄμβοι Omboi or Ὄμβος Ombos or Latin: Ambo and Ombi, is an agricultural town in Egypt famous for the Temple of Kom Ombo. It was originally an Egyptian city called Nubt, meaning City of Gold (not to be confused with the city north of Naqada that was also called Nubt/Ombos). Nubt is also known as Nubet or Nubyt (Nbyt). It became a Greek settlement during the Greco-Roman Period. The town's location on the Nile, 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Aswan (Syene), gave it some control over trade routes from Nubia to the Nile Valley, but its main rise to prominence came with the erection of the Temple of Kom Ombo in the 2nd century BC.
The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple. It was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC. Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period.
The building is unique because its 'double' design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods. The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with Hathor and Khonsu. Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris ("Horus the Elder"), along "with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister, a special form of Hathor or Tefnet/Tefnut) and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands)." The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis. (*1)
The double
entrance to Kom Ombo Temple By Olaf Tausch - CC BY 3.0 |
The Crocodile Museum By JMCC1 - CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Kom Ombo, column detail By Olaf Tausch - CC BY 3.0 |
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(*1) Credits: The descriptive texts are mainly an excerpt of those provided by Wikipedia. Visit Wikipedia to read the full descriptions.
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