All of us who love to travel these days get even more excited about all the virtual trips made possible by the Internet. And to these experiences we are now adding a virtual tour of historical sites in Egypt, from tombs to monasteries.
Now you can explore the tomb of Queen Meresank III, the tomb of Menna the scribe, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Orthodox Red Monastery, the mosque and madrasa of Sultan Barquq, the tomb of Ramses VI, the catacombs of Kom El Shoqaf and many other attractions. In order to provide the most realistic experience possible, they allow you to walk around the facilities and at the same time click on "hot spots", which are then displayed in detail.
Tomb of Queen Meresank III.
Tours of the tomb of Queen Meresank III. and the scribe Menne also include basic data, which you can access by clicking on the circles, which also appear during your walk around the attraction.
Queen Meresank was the granddaughter of King Khufu, the Builder The Great Pyramids. Her tomb is beautifully preserved with carved and painted scenes depicting her life and was discovered by Harvard archaeologist George Andrew Reisner in 1927. One of the striking features of the tomb is ten large female statues, carved along the north wall. Experts believe that these statues represent the queen, her mother and her daughters. Also interesting are the south and east walls, which actually contain names of ancient Egyptian artists, which is a rare example, as many artists of the time remained unnamed. You will go down a 5-meter spiral staircase to her tomb, where you can see a reconstructed image of the chamber, and the actual coffin is kept in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Tomb of Menna
The tomb of Menne, discovered in 1886, is located in the Theban Necropolis. It is one of the more popular destinations and better preserved tombs of the 18th Dynasty. Menna was said to be an elite scribe who oversaw the pharaoh's fields and the temple of the sun god, Amun-Ra. Menn's wife can be seen in almost every scene of the tomb chapel, and some scenes include their five children.
Interestingly, it was Menna's face intentionally injured in all tomb scenes. According to Egyptian belief, the soul of a person inhabits the scene and "deactivates" it by destroying the face. They are among them the scenes of his funeral procession, the rituals performed on his body after mummification, as well as scenes showing him enjoying fishing and hunting in the afterlife. In one scene, Menno's heart is weighed against a feather before Osiris, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, indicating that if he has a good heart (by doing good deeds) he will pass into the afterlife.
Ben Ezra Synagogue
The Ben Ezra Synagogue is believed to be a Coptic Orthodox church sold to the Jewish community in 882. It is one of the oldest synagogues in Egypt, and was named after Abraham Ben Meir Ibn Ezra, a Jewish scholar and philosopher. It is said that singoga marks the place where Moses is said to have prayed to God to remove the plague that attacked the Egyptians.
It is in the center of the synagogue bem or pulpit from where prayers are read. The holiest thing in the synagogue is Heikal (Holy chest with Torah scrolls), decorated in Arabic style and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The Ten Commandments are written on it in Hebrew. Geniza (repository of ancient documents that mention God's name) Ben Ezra, known today as the Cairo Genizah, is kept by libraries all over the world.
The Red Monastery in Sohag
One of the most important monasteries from the early period of Christianity is the Red Monastery in Sohag. It got its name because of its exterior, which is mostly made of red brick. The monastery, founded by Saint Pishoy in the 4th century, has experienced two major fires. So only the church and the wall in the south remained. The church is decorated with frescoes depicting biblical scenes with Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the four evangelists and the apostles.
Sultan Barquq Mosque and Madrasa
You can also enjoy a virtual tour of Sultan Barquq Mosque and Madrasah. It was founded in 1348, and is mainly known for its architectural and decorative elements.
Egypt's Minister of Culture and Tourism unveiled a virtual tour of the World Heritage Day (April 18) the tombs of Wah-Ti of Saqqara. Tomb considered to be one of the most important discoveries of the decade, belongs to the "purification" priest from the 5th dynasty.
Other virtual tours include the catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, from the time of Roman domination, and which are considered one of the most beautiful and best examples of the intertwining of Egyptian and Greco-Roman culture. You can also view the tomb of King Ramses VI.
