AboutJane Akshar Expertise I have extensive knowledge of tourism in Egypt, specifically Luxor, and Egyptology in general. I can answer questions on travel, hotels, restaurants as well as about the sites and dealing with the locals. I can tell recommend deserted sites where you are the only tourist, local guides who will take you walking over the hills, reliable drivers, taxis, donkey and camel men, sailing and motor boat captains.
I can answer questions on Egyptology(up to the end of the New Kingdom) as I have been involved with Egyptology for over 40 years and have contacts in the Antiquities department and with many of the Archaeological teams in Luxor.
Experience I have been coming to Egypt as a tourist since 1979 and moved to live in Luxor in 2003. I love to help people fall in love with Egypt. I guide guests around the sites in Luxor and run a small tourism business renting flats (apartments) to tourists. I am married to an Egyptian and have a bilingual teenage daughter. I write regular feature articles for Tour Egypt and run a News Blog on Luxor.
Organizations AEITB "Association of Egyptian Travel Businesses on the Internet"
Publications www.touregypt.net
www.luxornews.net
wikipedia.org/wiki/KV63
www.kv-63.com (photos)
Archaeological Diggings Magazine
The Cultured Traveller
Egyptian Cultural Heritage Organisation (ECHO)
The Undoctored Past
Education/Credentials 8 O levels, OND in Science, City and Guilds in Computing, 10 years Egyptology with the University of London Extra Mural Dept
Question How were the pyramids built? Without machinery how did they get those heavy rocks to the top?
Answer This is actually the subject of much scholarly discussion and you can get some great books on the subject try the Complete Pyramids Mark Leden or I S Edwards Pyramids. But basically the answer is firstly they used the Nile to transport the stone from the quarry to building site. If the Nile did not reach the site they would dig a channel. Having got the stone to the site they used mudbrick scaffolding to produce ramps that went to the working area and then they moved the stones on rollers lubricating the rollers and stone with liquid. You can see examples of this in the Pharaonic Village and just yesterday at the Ramesseum I saw them moving stone along the ground using rollers.
