Locations in Ramses’ Revenge

Ramses’ Revenge - Book 10 - hi-res Egypt remains on the red list for travel from the UK while the pandemic still rages across the globe. This means we Brits can travel there in an emergency only. So I have been consoling myself with my photo albums, revisiting past trips. Many of the awe-inspiring archaeological sites and ancient monuments on both banks of the Nile have provided locations for key scenes in my travel series following Meredith Pink’s Adventures in Egypt. There are now ten books in the series. They are modern mystery-adventure stories, all with an ancient Egyptian mystery at their heart. So if you, like me, are missing the opportunity to travel freely, you might like to join me on this spin through some of my favorite places in the mystical land the pharaohs.

I have now reached the last in this series of travelogues as I am now on book 10 in the series. Published in early June this year, 2021, Ramses’ Revenge is Merry’s most recent adventure.

The majority of the action takes place at the impressive temple of Medinet Habu on the West Bank near Luxor. This was the mortuary temple, or “Mansion of Millions of Years” of Pharaoh Ramses III. It has long been known that Ramses III was the victim of a Harem Conspiracy, led by one of his wives, to replace him on the throne with her son. But it was long believed that the pharaoh survived the attempt on his life – although dying soon afterwards. Then, in 2012, the CT scan on his preserved mummy revealed a deeply slit throat, a wound so vicious it must certainly have killed him instantly. My story seeks to unravel the circumstances surrounding this violent chapter in Egypt’s royal past. It provides the identities and motivations of some of the key protagonists in the ancient murder-mystery.

Medinet Habu is the best preserved of the truly ancient temples. It dates from the early 20th Dynasty of the New Kingdom, some 1,100 years BCE. Its fantastic state of preservation is largely thanks to its use as the headquarters of the West Bank necropolis in ancient times, meaning it wasn’t dismantled so its stones could be re-used in other building projects, which was the fate of many of the memorial temples dating from this period. Much of the original color can still be seen, audit’s possible to get a sense of what the temple would have looked like when brightly painted and intact. There are some fantastic wall carvings, many showing Ramses III’s successful war campaigns against the ‘Sea Peoples’.

Troops marching to battle, north rear pylon, Medinet Habu Temple

Original color in Medinet Habu Temple

First courtyard, Medinet Habu Temple, Ramses III

Ramses III smiting enemies, main pylon, Medinet Habu temple

Ramses III, Medinet Havu Temple

Hypostyle Hall, Medinet Habu Temple

Colonnade, Medinet Habu Temple, showing original colour

Colonnade, Medinet Habu Temple

Ramses III wall relief, Medinet Habu Temple

Forecourt and First Pylon, Medinet Habu Temple

Eastern High Gate, Medinet Habu Temple

Fiona Deal Medinet Habu Temple Forecourt

Medinet Habu Temple Forecourt

Fiona Deal, Medinet Habu, temple of Ramses III

Southern perimeter wall and palace of Medinet Habu, temple of Ramses III

Fiona Deal, Open Court at Medinet Habu, temple of Ramses III

The Eastern High Gate, Medinet Habu Temple of Ramses III

Here are some typical scenes of the local people going about their business; scenes Merry sees every day as she has made a home in Egypt.

Gurna, West Bank, Luxor

Luxor road scene, West Bank

Riverbank scene in Egypt

Nile cruise in Egypt

River Nile fishing at dusk

River scenes in Egypt

Riverbank scenes in Egypt

River scene in Luxor

One of the key scenes in the book takes placate Karnak, where the action unfolds in the Barque Temple of Ramses III and the Temple of Khonsu, which was commissioned by Ramses III.

Fiona Deal outside Khonsu Temple, Karnak

Inside Khonsu Temple, Karnak

Fiona Deal inside Khonsu Temple Karnak

Reconstruction, Karnak Temple

Karnak Temple, Luxor

Barque Temple of Ramses III, Karnak

Mudbrick ramp, Karnak Temple

As ever, it wouldn’t be a Meredith Pink book without a visit to one of Luxor’s iconic hotels. This time, the charming Al Moudira Hotel, tucked away discreetly on the West Bank in the foothills of the Theban Mountains.

Author Fiona Dealt The Moudira hotel, West Bank, Luxor

Al Moudira hotel grounds, West Bank, Luxor

Al Moudira hotel, West Bank, Luxor

There is also a visit to the Valley of The Queens, where it’s possible to see tombs of sons of Ramses III who died before their father. The wall reliefs show the pharaoh introducing his dead son(s) to the Gods and Goddesses of the ancient Egyptian Pantheon.

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One of the sons of Ramses III

And so, my series (so far) and my photographic tour through favorite memories and locations for key scenes in my books has come to an end. I plan soon to start writing book 11, with more planned for the future.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my pictures, and that you might consider joining Merry & Co on their adventures in Egypt. If so, I suggest you start with the first in the series, Carter’s Conundrums.

Fiona Deal, Author of Meredith Pink’s Adventures in Egypt, fiction books all available on Amazon. To join Merry on her adventures please click on each picture for the link.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Carter's Conundrums

Cover of Carter’s Conundrums. Book 1 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Tutankhamun’s Triumph.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Tutankhamun’s Triumph. Book 2 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Hatshepsut’s Hideaway.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Hatshepsut’s Hideaway. Book 3 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Farouk’s Fancies.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Farouk’s Fancies. Book 4 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Akhenaten’s Alibi.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Akhenaten’s Alibi. Book 5 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Seti’s Secret.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Seti’s Secret. Book 6 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Belzoni’s Bequest.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Belzoni’s Bequest. Book 7 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Nefertari’s Narrative.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Nefertari’s Narrative. Book 8 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Ramses’ Riches.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Ramses’ Riches. Book 9 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

Location pictures from Farouk’s Fancies

I am taking a trip down memory lane, looking at treasured photographs of my travels in Egypt, since it’s not currently possible to visit for real due to the global pandemic. Many of the fabulous places to see in Egypt have formed the backdrop location for key scenes in my fiction series following Meredith Pink’s Adventures in Egypt. Merry is good at getting herself into scrapes. She’s also good at unlocking secrets from ancient Egypt’s mysterious past. Set in the present-day, I think of my books as ancient mysteries wrapped up in modern adventure stories.

Book 4 in the series, Farouk’s Fancies, moves the action on from where we left Merry at the end of Book 3. She is now living onboard a dahabeeyah. These are traditional Nile sailboats, pioneered by Thomas Cook when he first started taking paying tourists to see the splendors along the Nile. He took the basic design from prototypes carved onto the tomb and temple walls in Egypt. Smaller and more intimate than the modern cruise boats, they are able to visit more sites along both banks of The Nile, offering an alternative for discerning travellers.

Dahabeeyah on The Nile

Much of the action in Farouk’s Fancies taken place in the wonderful Winter Palace Hotel. Dating from the 1880s, this is where the Earl of Carnarvon stayed while he and Howard Carter were searching the Valley of the Kings for Tutankhamun’s Tomb. I don’t imagine much has changed in the public areas since their day. I imagine they could walk into the Lobby through the big wooden revolving door and still recognize it and feel very much at home.

Merry attends a lecture held in the huge Victorian Lounge, given by an author who is setting out his theories about how Pharaonic Egypt links to the Old Testament of The Bible.

Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor

Victorian Lounge, Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor

Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor

There is a mystery attached to an illusive old lady who lives in a suite of rooms at The Winter Palace, leading off one of the lofty corridors.

Corridor, The Winter Palace Hotel

When a visitor to Luxor goes missing, Merry and her companions meet in the beautiful grounds of The Winter Palace hoping he might put in an appearance.

Gardens, Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor

Gardens and pool, Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor

Gardens, Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor

One of the key scenes in the book takes place in The Western Valley, a remote branch of the famous Valley of the Kings. Merry is good at marching in where angels would fear to tread, and this is no exception! There are a few royal tombs in the Western Valley, including that of Pharaoh Ay, who came to the throne after the death of Tutankhamun.

The Western Valley

The action shifts back to The Winter Palace hotel, where Merry inadvertently spends a rather uncomfortable afternoon outside on a window ledge, from where she has to be rescued.

View from The Winter palace Hotel

The Lobby of The Winter palace Hotel, Luxor

The Grand Staircase in the Lobby of The Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor

Corridor in The Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor

The Lobby of The Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor

Finally back on board the dahabeeyah, Merry realists she has all the pieces to wrap up this latest puzzle. I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at my Egyptian photo album, and that you might consider reading my books, all available on Amazon. If so, I suggest you start with Book 1, Carter’s Conundrums.