My Journey to the Land of Pharohs in Ancient Egypt

[00:00:00]On December 28th, 2025, my wife and I left LAX Airport and headed to Egypt. We had an overnight stay in Zurich, Switzerland.

[00:00:14]The next day, on the 29th, we landed in Egypt at Hurghada Airport.

[00:00:23]Right here. We stayed at the Desert Rose Resort in this exact building here. On January 1st, 2026, I spent the first day of the new year in this building being sick from food poisoning or water poisoning or both. It got me at both ends and that was not fun. On January 2nd, we took a trip to Luxor.

[00:00:52]Luxor is a 4 and 1/2 hour drive from the Desert Rose Resort one way. Along the way, I couldn't help but notice that this portion of the stark desert had no plant life, but it had its own form of beauty. It may not appeal to everyone, but it appealed to me.

[00:01:09]Once we arrived in Luxor, the first place we visited was the Karnak Temple, right here. They say construction of this temple began around 1971 BC and continued on until 30 BC. That's a construction build over 1,941 years. I wasn't sure what to expect, but seeing it with my own eyes impressed me beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

[00:01:35]The perfection of the geometry, the size of the objects, and the artwork were incredible.

[00:02:03]>> I had no words to accurately describe what had been accomplished here.

[00:02:08]At the same time, I truly understand what it means when they say pictures don't do it justice.

[00:02:15]A place like this can only be completely appreciated when it is seen in person.

[00:02:31]After our time in Karnak was complete, we went to the Valley of the Kings, just a short distance from Karnak.

[00:02:39]Just outside the Valley of Kings was Hatshepsut's Temple.

[00:02:51]They say she was not buried here, and she commissioned this temple as a place to honor her memory of the god she worshipped, Amun.

[00:03:04]It is believed she was actually buried nearby in the Valley of the Kings.

[00:03:10]The Valley of the Kings being such a huge tourist attraction, it seems that thousands of visitors come here every day during the cooler months.

[00:03:20]It's a slow-moving line to get into the tombs. But once you're in, you see the grandeur of Egyptian artwork dedicated to the pharaohs that were buried here.

[00:03:30]This particular tomb was for the pharaoh Ramses III. He ruled Egypt for 31 years, from March 26, 1186 BC to April 15, 1155 BC. He had three wives. He appointed his son Ramses IV as successor. However, his secondary wife wanted her son to be successor, so her and her son plotted against Ramses III and had him assassinated. It is said his assassination was done with a knife across his throat.

[00:04:02]Not all of the tombs were open for visitors, but enough of them were open to satisfy my curiosity. However, eventually I do want to go back to walk into every tomb. I saw the tomb of Ramses I who ruled from around 1292 BC to 1290 BC. He was pharaoh for about 2 years. Research suggests that he was already an old man when he took the throne and he died from natural causes.

[00:04:28]In his tomb you can see that it was cut out of 100% limestone because limestone was the abundant natural bedrock in the burial ground. Limestone was also chosen for its softness for carving and its stability for permanence. In this video you can still see the carvings in the limestone 3,315 years later. You can also see the sarcophagus that Ramses I was found in.

[00:04:56]This thing is huge.

[00:05:08]We also went into the tombs of Ramses V and Ramses Ramses V ruled from 1148 BC to 1144 BC. After 4 years they believe he was already an old man when he became pharaoh and that he died from disease because when his mummy was unwrapped he showed a body riddled with disease.

[00:05:30]Ramses VI ruled from 1144 BC to 1136 BC.

[00:05:37]This smashed sarcophagus that Ramses VI was once in was destroyed by grave robbers.

[00:05:59]>> The most famous tomb that was opened was the tomb of Tutankhamun, also known as King Tut.

[00:06:06]I had to go inside to take a look.

[00:06:08]I wasn't sure what to expect.

[00:06:12]It was a short walk to the tomb and lying in plain sight in a glass coffin was the unwrapped mummy of King Tut.

[00:06:25]Tutankhamun ruled from 1333 BC to 1324 BC.

[00:06:33]They believe he died around the age of 18 or 19. His tomb was found November 4th, 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter.

[00:06:43]They found him in this portion of the tomb.

[00:06:46]He was covered by several layers of structures. The majority of these structures are kept at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

[00:06:57]Right here.

[00:06:59]Back at the Valley of the Kings, when they made it to this portion of the tomb, they found this giant box.

[00:07:11]Inside this giant box was this smaller box. Oh, no. This is Isis.

[00:07:23]Inside this box was still a smaller box.

[00:07:35]And inside this small box was yet even a smaller box.

[00:07:42]Inside the smallest box they found this sarcophagus that is still in the tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

[00:07:52]Inside this sarcophagus they found this outer coffin.

[00:08:16]Inside the outer coffin they found this middle coffin.

[00:08:42]Inside the middle coffin they found the innermost coffin with the mummy of King Tut.

[00:08:49]He was wrapped in bandages and his mummy was adorned with the objects you see here.

[00:08:57]And his head was covered with the gold death mask which is the most famous known article in his tomb.

[00:09:07]They say King Tut was wrapped inside these exact bandages with these gold sandals and toe covers on his feet and these gold fingers encasing his fingers.

[00:09:25]In this x-ray photo you can see the gold sandals and gold toe coverings.

[00:09:30]You can also see the black pitch-like substance that was used on his body right here on the bandages.

[00:09:36]It was a black disinfectant poured over the body and into cavities to ensure preservation of the body. Inside the famous gold mask, this black resin can be seen looking from behind and over the left shoulder. You can also see evidence of the black resin on the back of the right shoulder here in this photograph that I took.

[00:09:59]X-rays showed several things.

[00:10:01]He had a cleft palate suggesting he was the offspring of inner breeding.

[00:10:06]The X-rays showed evidence of tuberculosis and schistosomiasis.

[00:10:11]Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by freshwater worms that come from water snails infected with the larvae. These larvae penetrate the human skin and can damage the liver, the intestines, and the bladder. X-rays also showed he had Aleppo boils. Aleppo boils are caused by parasites that are transmitted by sandfly bites. They also showed he may have had a clubfoot. The X-rays also showed he probably had Marfan syndrome. Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes disproportionately long arms, legs, and fingers. It can have a high-arched palate causing crowded teeth. Flat feet and scoliosis are also common with Marfan syndrome along with severe nearsightedness. The X-rays showed evidence he was hit on his head and kicked in the chest by possibly a horse.

[00:11:03]His knees had been injured.

[00:11:06]He had a compound fracture of his left femur.

[00:11:09]Inside the compound fracture, they found resin that is only used for burials, which would suggest that he had this compound fracture at the time of his death. Also, this evidence suggests that he may have died from an accident in a chariot race. This could also explain why he died at the young age of 18 or 19. The most famous artifact found in his tomb is the gold mask. However, there was much more to see, but the crowds were so large it was difficult to see everything. I would have needed at least two full days at the museum to see everything.

[00:11:46]And overlooking the museum from the south are the great pyramids of Giza.

[00:11:52]Of course, being so close to the museum, we had to visit the pyramids and ride a camel.

[00:12:05]Just me and my camel riding by the pyramids.

[00:12:09]The pyramids are far more impressive in person than in photographs or videos.

[00:12:13]This is another case of photos don't do them justice.

[00:12:17]I'm sitting on the pyramid.

[00:12:23]It's hard to see it, but there's a pyramid over there.

[00:12:29]Right there. This is the Great Pyramid of Giza. They say it was built 2600 BC and it took 26 years to complete. It was the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu. It is the largest of all the Egyptian pyramids. The pyramid I was sitting on is called the pyramid of Khafre. Pharaoh Khafre ruled from 2558 BC to 2532 BC. It is believed construction of this pyramid took place between 2570 and 2544 BC. If this is accurate, then this pyramid was completed 12 years before Khafre passed away. Some sources believe it was built during his reign from 2558 BC to 2532 BC. Our tour guide was moving us through quickly, so I didn't get to see everything I thought I would see. I also realized that you would need an entire day at the pyramids to see everything there is to see. That means I will have to go back at some point in the future and visit everything I want to see because I already know it will be completely worth it.

[00:13:33]So, there you have it. My brief visit to some of the ancient sites in modern-day Egypt right here on the Forrest Haggerty Channel.