Dark sights in Africa
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Valley of the Kings
Once called the Great Necropolis of Millions of Years of Pharaoh, or the Place of Truth, the Valley of the Kings has 63 magnificent royal tombs from the New Kingdom period (1550–1069 BC), all very different from each other. The West Bank had been the site of royal burials from the First Intermediate Period (2160–2025 BC) onwards. At least three 11th-dynasty rulers built their tombs near the modern village of Taref, northeast of the Valley of the Kings. The 18th-dynasty pharaohs, however, chose the isolated valley dominated by the pyramid-shaped mountain peak of Al-Qurn (The Horn). The secluded site enclosed by steep cliffs was easy to guard and, when seen from the Theban…
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Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
The sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Pyramids of Giza live up to more than 4000 years of hype. Their extraordinary geometry and age render them alien constructions rising out of the desert. The Sphinx sits nearby, a 50m-long feline character carved from a single block of stone.
There are swarms of visitors to the site, attended by swarms of camel and horse touts, but they fail to destroy the wonder. If you want a peaceful view of the pyramids, it's best to take a horse ride in the area at around 17:00 - you won't see them close up, but it can be a lot more atmospheric than battling around close to the monuments.
The Pyramids at Giza are the planet's…
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Northern Cemetery
The Northern Cemetery is the more interesting half of a vast necropolis known popularly as the City of the Dead. The titillating name refers to the fact that the cemeteries are not only resting places for Cairo's dead, but for the living too. Visitors expecting morbid squalor may be disappointed; the area, complete with power lines, a post office and multistorey buildings, is more 'town' than 'shanty'.
Some estimates put the number of living Cairenes here at 50,000; others, at 10 times this number. As Max Rodenbeck notes in Cairo: The City Victorious, some of the tomb dwellers, especially the paid guardians and their families, have lived here for generations. Others have…
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Fatimid Cemetery
Behind the Nubia Museum is the vast so-called Fatimid Cemetery, a collection of low mud-brick buildings with domed roofs. Although most tombs are modern, some of the mausolea clustered towards the back of the cemetery go back to the Tulunid period (9th century).
The old tombs are in bad shape and when the original marble inscriptions fell off after a freak late 19th-century rainstorm, they were taken to Cairo without anyone recording which tomb they had come from. As a result, the dates and names of tomb owners have been lost forever. The tombs are covered with domes built on a drum with corners sticking out like horns, a feature unique to southern Egypt. Some domes near…
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Giza Pyramids
The sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Pyramids of Giza still live up to more than 4000 years of hype. Their extraordinary shape, geometry and age render them somehow alien constructions; they seem to rise out of the desert and pose the ever-fascinating question, 'How were we built, and why?'.
Centuries of research have given us parts of the answer to this double-barrelled question. We know they were massive tombs constructed on the orders of the pharaohs by teams of workers tens-of-thousands strong. This is supported by the discovery of a pyramid-builders' settlement, complete with areas for large-scale food production and medical facilities. Ongoing…
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Mausoleum of Al-Ghouri
On the south side of Sharia al-Azhar, opposite the khan, the grand Mosque-Madrassa of Al-Ghouri, with its red-chequered minaret, and the elegant Mausoleum of Al-Ghouri together form an exquisite monument to the end of the Mamluk era. Qansuh al-Ghouri, the penultimate Mamluk sultan, ruled for 16 years. At the age of 78, he rode to Syria at the head of his army to battle the Ottoman Turks. The head of the defeated Al-Ghouri was sent to Constantinople; his body was never recovered.
His mausoleum (dating from 1505) contains the body of Tumanbey, his short-lived successor, hanged by the Turks at Bab Zuweila. The mausoleum, which has been under restoration for a number of…
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Kaole Ruins
Just south of Bagamoyo time slides several centuries further into the past at the Kaole ruins. At its centre are the remains of a 13th-century mosque, which is one of the oldest in mainland Tanzania and also one of the oldest in East Africa. It was built in the days when the Sultan of Kilwa held sway over coastal trade, and long before Bagamoyo had assumed any significance. Nearby is a second mosque dating to the 15th century, as well as about 22 graves, many of which go back to the same period. Among the graves are several Shirazi pillar-style tombs reminiscent of those at Tongoni, but in somewhat better condition, and a small museum housing Chinese pottery fragments and…
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Madrassa & Mausoleum of Qalaun
Built in just 13 months, the 1279 Madrassa & Mausoleum of Qalaun is both the earliest and the most splendid of the three buildings on this street. It was still closed for restoration at the time of research. The mausoleum, on the right, is a particularly intricate assemblage of inlaid stone and stucco, patterned with stars and floral motifs and lit by stained-glass windows.
The complex also includes a maristan (hospital), which Qalaun ordered built after he visited one in Damascus, where he was cured of colic. The Arab traveller and historian Ibn Battuta, who visited Cairo in 1325, was impressed that Qalaun's hospital contained 'an innumerable quantity of appliances and…
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Cemetery
The main point of interest is the curious Cemetery where Sidi Aïssa and his family are buried. It's a series of eerie white tombs with conical structures, almost like turrets, pointing towards the sky.
As the story goes, Sidi Aïssa was a Malakite Muslim who converted to Ibadism after a dream in which he saw three cemeteries. The first was surrounded by flames and smoke and, he believed, was that of the Jews; the second was a Malakite cemetery which emitted groans of pain; and the third cemetery, which he believed was the cemetery of the Ibadis, was bathed in a serene light. After an argument with Melika's chief, Sidi Aïssa shut himself away, refusing to receive guests,…
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Tomb of Sayyed al-Shazli
In addition to the many traces of Pharaonic and other ancient civilisations, the Eastern Desert is also home to numerous Islamic tombs and shrines. One of the best known is the Tomb of Sayyed al-Shazli, a 13th-century sheikh who is revered as one of the more important Sufi leaders. His followers believe that he wanted to die in a place where nobody had ever sinned. Evidently such a place was difficult to find, as the site was a journey of several days from either the Nile Valley or the coast.
Al-Shazli's tomb - which lies about 145km southwest of Marsa Alam at Wadi Humaysara - was restored under the orders of King Farouk in 1947, and there is now an asphalt road leading…
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Tomb of Sheikh Abadir
Shrines devoted to local holy men or religious leaders are even more numerous: over 300 inside and outside the walls - no-one has yet managed to count them. Many are very peaceful, beautiful and well-kept places open to both sexes and all religions.
The Tomb ofSheikh Abadir is near the southeastern point of the Old Town. The sheikh was one of the most important preachers of Islam in the region and his tomb still attracts worshippers seeking solutions to daily struggles: financial concerns, illnesses, family crises and infertility. If their prayers are answered, many devotees return to make gifts to the shrine: usually rugs or expensive sandalwood. The tomb has become an…
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Commonwealth War Cemetery
On the eastern side of town, along a side road that leaves the main highway at the Greek war memorial, is the Commonwealth War cemetery. It’s a haunting place where more than 7000 tombstones sit on a slope commanding a sweeping view of the desert. Soldiers from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, Greece, South Africa, East and West Africa, Malaysia and India who fought for the Allied cause lie here. As you enter, a separate memorial commemorating the Australian contingent is to your right; look here for a small plaque with a relief map giving an insightful overview of the key battlefield locations. The memorial is supposedly visitable outside of regular hours via a…
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Complex of Sultan Ashraf Barsbey
From Qaitbey cross the square and continue north. The cemetery has an almost villagelike feel with small shops, cafés and street sellers, and sandy paths pecked by chickens and nosed around by goats. After about 250m the street widens and on the right a stone wall encloses a large area of rubble-strewn ground that was formerly the Complex of Sultan Ashraf Barsbey.
Though not as sophisticated as the one topping the Mosque of Qaitbey, the dome here is carved with a beautiful star pattern. Inside there is some fine marble flooring and a beautiful minbar (pulpit) inlaid with ivory. The guard will let you in for baksheesh (ask the ever-present children if he's not around).
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Tomb of Baqet
Baqet was an 11th-dynasty governor of the Oryx nome (district). His rectangular tomb chapel has seven tomb shafts and some well-preserved wall paintings. They include Baqet and his wife on the left wall watching weavers and acrobats - mostly women in diaphanous dresses in flexible poses.
Further along, animals, presumably possessions of Baqet, are being counted. A hunting scene in the desert shows mythical creatures among the gazelles. The back wall shows a sequence of wrestling moves that are still used today. The right (south) wall is decorated with scenes from the nomarch's daily life, with potters, metalworkers and a flax harvest, among others.
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Tomb of Said Ali Hamdogn
Shrines devoted to local holy men or religious leaders are even more numerous: over 300 inside and outside the walls - no-one has yet managed to count them. Many are very peaceful, beautiful and well-kept places open to both sexes and all religions.
Southwest of Gidir Magala is the Tomb of Said Ali Hamdogn, a former religious leader of the town. The tomb looks a little like a miniature mosque without the minaret. Local legend has it that below his tomb there lies a well that can sustain the whole city in times of siege. The sheikh who lives here will probably show you some fragile ancient Islamic manuscripts. He expects a tip.
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Madrassa & Mausoleum of An-Nasir Mohammed
Built in 1304 by a Mamluk sultan both despotic and exceedingly accomplished. The Gothic doorway was plundered from a church in Acre (now Akko, Israel) when An-Nasir and his army ended Crusader domination there in 1290 - note how the word 'Allah' has been inscribed at the point of the arch. The lacy pattern on the carved stucco minaret, a North African style, reveals more foreign influence.
Buried in the mausoleum (on the right as you enter but usually locked) is An-Nasir's mother and favourite son; An-Nasir Mohammed is interred next door in the mausoleum of his father, Qalaun.
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German & Italian War Memorials
About 7km west of El Alamein, what looks like a hermetically sealed sandstone fortress appears on a bluff overlooking the sea. Inside this silent but unmistakable reminder of war lie the tombs of German servicemen and, in the centre, a memorial obelisk. About 4km further on, the Italian memorial has a tall, slender tower as its focal point. Before reaching the German memorial, you'll notice on the left side of the road what appears to be a glorified milestone. On it is inscribed in Italian Mancò la fortuna, non il valore - 'We were short on luck, not on bravery'.
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Khanqah & Mausoleum of Sultan Beybars al-Gashankir
The Mamluk Khanqah & Mausoleum of Sultan Beybars al-Gashankir is distinguished by its stubby minaret, topped with a small ribbed dome. Built in 1310, this is one of the city's first khanqahs (Sufi monasteries). Thanks to a multipart 'baffled' entrance, it is serene inside. Beybars al-Gashankir is entombed in a room that shimmers with black-and-white marble panelling and light from stained-glass windows.
He ruled for only a year, then wound up strangled - his name was excised from the building façade by order of his successor.
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Tourbet el-Bey
The Tourbet el-Bey has the green fish-scale domes typical of mausoleums. Inside is a mishmash of tiles and intricate stucco, built during Ali Pasha II's reign (1758-82). Many subsequent Husseinite beys (provincial governors), princesses, ministers and trusted advisers ended up here. The male tombs are topped with strange, anonymous marble renditions of their preferred headgear, be it turban or chechia (small, red felt hat), with the number of tassels showing their importance.
The enthusiastic, French-speaking guardian is knowledgeable.
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Alte Gefängnis
Swakopmund brims with numerous historic examples of traditional German architecture. The impressive 1909 Alte Gefängnis was designed by architect Heinrich Bause, and if you didn't know it was a prison, you'd swear it was either an early East German train station or a health-spa hotel.
In fact, the main building was used only for staff housing while the prisoners were relegated to less opulent quarters on one side. Note that it still serves as a prison and is considered a sensitive structure, so photography is not permitted.
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Abydos
As the main cult centre of Osiris, god of the dead, Abydos was the place to be buried in ancient Egypt. It was used as a necropolis from predynastic to Christian times (c 4000 BC–AD 600), more than 4500 years of constant use. The area now known as Umm al-Qa’ab (Mother of Pots) contains the mastaba tombs of the first pharaohs of Egypt, including that of the third pharaoh of the 1st dynasty, Djer (c 3000 BC). By the Middle Kingdom his tomb had become identified as the tomb of Osiris himself.
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Thomas Sankara's Grave
Thomas Sankara's Grave is on the depressing and ill-kept eastern outskirts of Ouagadougou, and is one of a number in the area belonging to high-profile supporters of his government. There's not a lot to see, but it's a poignant reminder of a more hopeful time in Burkina Faso's recent history and a site of enormous political significance. The grave is about 6km east of the city centre.
To get there, charter a taxi for the hour, although some drivers won't take you because roads close to the grave are in a dire state.
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Tombs of the Nobles
The high cliffs opposite Aswan, just north of Kitchener’s Island, are honeycombed with the tombs of the governors, the Keepers of the Gate of the South, and other dignitaries of ancient Elephantine Island. Six of the tombs are open to the public. The tombs date from the Old and Middle Kingdoms and most follow a simple plan, with an entrance hall, a pillared room and a corridor leading to the burial chamber. A set of stairs cutting diagonally across the hill takes you up to the tombs from the ferry landing.
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Cemetery
This cemetery contains the grave of the African sorcerer, Le Sitarane, is still a popular pilgrimage spot for Réunionnais who believe in gris gris or black magic. The grave is on the right-hand side at the west end of the cemetery and is covertly used for black magic rites by people looking to bring misfortune upon others. It's usually covered with many offerings, from glasses of rum, candles and pieces of red cloth, to neat and tidy rows of cigarettes and even the occasional beheaded rooster!
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Tomb of Khnumhotep
Governor in the early 12th dynasty, Khnumhotep's detailed 'autobiography' is inscribed on the base of walls that contain the most detailed painted scenes. The tomb is famous for its rich, finely rendered scenes of plant, animal and bird life. On the left wall farmers are shown tending their crops while a scribe is shown recording the harvest. Also on the left wall is a representation of a delegation bringing offerings from Asia - their clothes, faces and beards are all distinct.
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