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Controlled Refractions
United States
Приєднався 25 лют 2021
Immersive and informative cinematic explorations of interesting locations and activities that put the viewer in the middle of the action. This is as close as you can get to being there.
View from a Villa | Luxor, Egypt
Luxor, Egypt was once ancient Thebes, the seat of pharaonic power during the majority of Middle and New Kingdom dynasties. It is the site of many of dynastic Egypt’s most impressive monuments.
On Luxor’s east bank are Karnak and Luxor temples, along with most of the modern city’s population and larger buildings. On the west bank can be found the tombs, temples, and monuments of the Theban necropolis-the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the Tombs of the Nobles, Deir el-Bahri, the Colossi of Memnon, and many others.
The west bank of Luxor is less populated and is comprised mainly of agricultural land, the ruins of ancient dynastic sites, and smaller residential structures. Large hotels do not exist on Luxor’s west bank. There are a good number of small hotels and guest houses between the Nile and the Theban Hills, but for the more adventurous and imaginative traveler a private villa might be the more interesting choice.
The villa featured in this video is as secluded and tranquil as can be found in Luxor. From its location a short distance from the Nile’s west bank all of the ancient Theban sites can be reached in a matter of minutes by car or ferry. In addition, Abydos, Silsila, Dendera, and Edfu are within relatively easy driving range. Visits to these sites can be accomplished in half a day.
After a day exploring ancient Egyptian ruins there is nothing quite like returning to your own private villa. When the warm afternoon turns to a cool evening you can have a chef prepare your dinner in-house and can consume it at your leisure on the villa’s rooftop patio overlooking atmospheric scenery in every direction. When the sun vanishes behind the Theban Hills and darkness arrives you can see the lights of Luxor temple glittering across the Nile, smell within the soft evening breeze the odors of nightfall in Upper Egypt, and feel the warmth of the sunny day still radiating from the tile floor.
You do not know exactly what the next day’s adventures will bring, but you do know you are in a place like no other, with a history dating back over five thousand years, a history composed of solid ruins and shadowy mysteries.
And though Luxor is often accurately called the world’s greatest open-air museum, this ancient city along the Nile is a living city with endless activity, its current residents and their endeavors and enterprising ventures and schemes at times as interesting as Egypt’s storied past.
All of this is just outside your doorstep.
On Luxor’s east bank are Karnak and Luxor temples, along with most of the modern city’s population and larger buildings. On the west bank can be found the tombs, temples, and monuments of the Theban necropolis-the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the Tombs of the Nobles, Deir el-Bahri, the Colossi of Memnon, and many others.
The west bank of Luxor is less populated and is comprised mainly of agricultural land, the ruins of ancient dynastic sites, and smaller residential structures. Large hotels do not exist on Luxor’s west bank. There are a good number of small hotels and guest houses between the Nile and the Theban Hills, but for the more adventurous and imaginative traveler a private villa might be the more interesting choice.
The villa featured in this video is as secluded and tranquil as can be found in Luxor. From its location a short distance from the Nile’s west bank all of the ancient Theban sites can be reached in a matter of minutes by car or ferry. In addition, Abydos, Silsila, Dendera, and Edfu are within relatively easy driving range. Visits to these sites can be accomplished in half a day.
After a day exploring ancient Egyptian ruins there is nothing quite like returning to your own private villa. When the warm afternoon turns to a cool evening you can have a chef prepare your dinner in-house and can consume it at your leisure on the villa’s rooftop patio overlooking atmospheric scenery in every direction. When the sun vanishes behind the Theban Hills and darkness arrives you can see the lights of Luxor temple glittering across the Nile, smell within the soft evening breeze the odors of nightfall in Upper Egypt, and feel the warmth of the sunny day still radiating from the tile floor.
You do not know exactly what the next day’s adventures will bring, but you do know you are in a place like no other, with a history dating back over five thousand years, a history composed of solid ruins and shadowy mysteries.
And though Luxor is often accurately called the world’s greatest open-air museum, this ancient city along the Nile is a living city with endless activity, its current residents and their endeavors and enterprising ventures and schemes at times as interesting as Egypt’s storied past.
All of this is just outside your doorstep.
Переглядів: 238
Відео
Descent Into the Tomb of Ay | The Mystery of KV23
Переглядів 4,6 тис.Рік тому
In a remote corner of the Valley of the Monkeys-the West Valley in the Valley of the Kings-can be found mysterious KV23, the tomb of the pharaoh Ay, successor to Tutankhamun. Constructed over three thousand years ago, its chambers are hidden far beneath the Theban hills, connected to the surface by a long passageway cut through solid rock. In the burial chamber can be found Ay’s granite sarcoph...
Edge of Cairo | Driving the Outskirts of Egypt’s Megacity
Переглядів 1,1 тис.2 роки тому
Not everything worth exploring in Egypt is ancient. The city of Cairo is one example. Though this enormous sprawling metropolis is situated along a stretch of the Nile where large structures have been built since antiquity, and ancient stone blocks from the pyramids and other nearby pharaonic monuments were put to use building its medieval quarters, greater Cairo is for the most part a modern c...
Expedition to Abydos | Egypt’s Past and Present
Переглядів 6 тис.2 роки тому
Abydos may be the most mysterious ancient place in Egypt, if not the world. As old as the Nile civilization itself, it is the supposed burial place of Osiris, the god who was Egypt’s mythic first king. Its ruins, though filled with clues, never quite give up their secrets. Exploring it requires a journey by road, first across desert, then through towns and villages overflowing with the activity...
Strabo’s Well | The Secret of the Osireion Trailer
Переглядів 8592 роки тому
Behind the temple of Seti I in Abydos, Egypt is the Osireion, a mysterious subterranean ruin with a seemingly limitless supply of water. From the time of its discovery in 1902, it was clear this was the underground structure described by the ancient Greek historian Strabo. Strabo visited Abydos around 27 BC and descended into the Osireion. Prior to its unearthing in 1902 it had been commonly re...
Dahshur | Egypt's Other Great Pyramids
Переглядів 10 тис.2 роки тому
Almost everyone who visits Egypt goes to the ancient pyramid complex at Giza to inspect the Great Pyramid and its neighboring rivals, but very few venture to explore the equally impressive and far more secretive pyramids at Dahshur, located less than fifteen miles to the south. Unlike Giza, which sits alongside Cairo, one of the most populous cities in the world, Dahshur is situated beyond the ...
The Acropolis Before Dawn | Athens, Greece
Переглядів 6113 роки тому
Explore the environs around the Acropolis in the calm of predawn darkness, from the glittering cobblestone and marble of Dionysiou Areopagitou Street to the labyrinthine alleyways of Plaka. Don’t slip, and keep a sharp eye out over your shoulder. Only a clandestine operative (or a cat) would be out at this hour. Shot in full-frame 4K, this is what it would have looked like if you had been there...
Tomb of Ay | Valley of the Monkeys
Переглядів 13 тис.3 роки тому
Visit one of the most remote and least-visited tombs in the Valley of the Kings, once the resting place of the successor to Tutankhamun. Enter the burial chamber and examine it and the sarcophagus that once contained the pharaoh Ay’s mummy in large-format 4K, as if you were deep beneath the Theban Hills yourself.
Temple of Seti I | Abydos, Egypt
Переглядів 41 тис.3 роки тому
Explore the shadowy interior of Seti I’s temple at Abydos, the only large ancient Egyptian temple with an intact roof. It is one of the most mysterious temples in all of Egypt, made even more mysterious by the presence of the Osireion located just behind it. Shot in light-gathering large-format 4K that rivals being there in person, this exploration contains some of the longest duration moving s...
The Shunet el-Zebib | Abydos, Egypt
Переглядів 3,5 тис.3 роки тому
Explore a gigantic ruin that is older than the Great Pyramid. Located in Abydos, Egypt, this massive mud-brick enclosure is one of the oldest surviving structures on the planet. A royal cult enclosure, it was built during the reign of the Second Dynasty pharaoh Khasekhemwy. Experience it in full-frame 4K from an in-person perspective.
Silsila | The Stone Yard of Ancient Egypt
Переглядів 6 тис.3 роки тому
The monuments of ancient Egypt required tremendous quantities of stone, and much of it came from the vast sandstone quarry of Silsila, located along the Nile in one of the driest, sunniest places in the world. Shot in full-frame 4K, this walk-through exploration is experiencing it as if you were there.
Mortuary Temple of Seti I | Qurna, Egypt
Переглядів 6 тис.3 роки тому
Constructed for one of ancient Egypt’s greatest pharaohs, the temple of Seti I at Qurna was built to ensure that his name would live forever. Not often visited by tourists, it remains one of Egypt’s most atmospheric ruins. Shot in full-frame 4K, this exploration allows you to experience the site as a visitor would.
Sailing the Nile from Luxor Temple
Переглядів 3,9 тис.3 роки тому
The Nile river at Luxor is like no other place in the world, with tomb-filled desert hills set behind fields of green, monumental ancient temples, and picturesque vessels. Board a felucca at Luxor Temple and test the power of the wind against the current. Cinematically shot in large-format 4K, this is as close as you can get to being there, sailing one of the most fabled stretches of the Nile.
Hidden Egypt: Unusual and Mysterious Ancient Sites
Переглядів 43 тис.3 роки тому
The most interesting ancient sites in Egypt are not always the most visited. In quiet valleys, near the edge of small towns, and along remote stretches of the Nile can be found unusual and mysterious ruins. Cinematically shot in large-format 4K, this is as close as you can get to exploring a select group of these sites without having to brave the dust and heat of Egypt.