Archaeology, Luxor Style!

While idly chatting to some of the neighbours in Adam's coffee shop this morning, I learned that the excavators on the Kabesh Road (just across from the Emilio Hotel ) had brought up a large box! One chap had actually seen it being lifted out, and reported that it was about a metre square. Of course, to hear them rabbiting on, it was full of gold! But eventually he said that it was taken away unopened.
They are working at full pelt, as the Dear Leader is coming soon to open the Kabesh Road. He's reported to be bringing with him a dozen or so "World Leaders", so they had better get their skates on!

And, they are!!!!

None of your namby-pamby pointing trowel and paint brushes, like the foreigners, for Zahi's men. Get the big hats and the big buckets, it's time for the men to play, real men, Egyptian men!

If you click twice on the first picture, you should be able to pick out the same procedure going on in the distance, between the two tipper trucks.

As a measure of the size of the bucket on the machine: it took six of them to fill this tipper. The machine operator is quite a hand , I stood and watched him deftly work around that two inch cable without damaging it. Very clever. It's a pity he didn't see what was coming next though!

Yes, you got it in one, a water main. A water main of about six inches in diameter, I would judge.

As you will see if you click on the video, the hole in the ground was filling up a lot quicker than it was dug out. I was quite taken aback by the sight of the gaffers, watching the water flow and scratching their heads (and of course, being Egyptian, other parts as well!). No-one seemed to be in the slightest bit bothered!

Down our Street.

We went to the Etap this evening, before 6pm so we would get the free cake with our tea and coffee. (I know, you don't need to tell me that we're skinflints!) Got to the bottom of Youseff Hassan Street, and was confronted by the "new road" slicing though the spare ground where the Savoy Hotel used to be.
I did notice something going on there a few days ago, but wasn't really taking any notice, just daydreaming as usual! If you look to the left of the road, you can see all the new lamp posts as well. After our visit to the Etap, we walked along the Corniche, to have our usual gaze of envy at the steamship Sudan, and saw that these street lights were actually lit.



Also, across the junction of Youseff Hassan Street and Karnak Street, there are lines of powder spread across the road. On closer inspection it's obvious that they are delineating the lines for the ongoing Kabesh Road excavations. Looking to the right as we crossed the junction, I noticed that they have also marked out the positions (or expected positions) of the next Sphinxes to be uncovered. These markings are in exact alignment with the Easternmost row of Sphinxes, or should I say Sphinkes, like the Egyptians)

I was reading somewhere that the Minister of Culture (or someone important) was coming to see the Sphinx Avenue 'opened' in March this year. I think they had better get their fingers out!

Out with the Old.....Part 2

The other week I took the following picture of the demolition of the old Mosque, which the Police Station used to stand next to, just off Sharia Karnak. Of course it stands on top of the Kabesh Road (Sphinx Avenue)and so must be removed.....hence "Out with the old......and in with the older!

Click on the picture to make it bigger.
The minaret lasted for another couple of weeks but now it has also gone. All that's left is the Sheikh's tomb. I expect that it might be allowed to stay, and even be tarted up as it is to the side of the sphinxes and might be another little point of interest for the tourists.

Click on the picture to make it bigger.
I cannot say that I will mourn the passing of that particular Mosque as it was one which added to the cacophony of simultanious calls to prayer which assailed the "Our Luxor" roof terrace on Friday lunch times, when the wind was in the West.