Postcard from Egypt: Abu Simbel, November 9th

I can honestly say I thought it a bit extreme to fly from Aswan to Abu Simbel and spend one night to see yet another temple.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.  And I realized it as we were flying in, the moment when we could clearly see the temple at the water’s edge with the huge, seated figures of Ramses II carved directly into the hillside.  It was spectacular.

Our guide astutely waited to the end of the day to take us there, when the buses of daytrippers who’d driven three hours across the desert from Aswan had already left.  We had the place essentially to ourselves.

Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel

The site is even more spectacular when you take into account that Abu Simbel, like the Philae Temple in Aswan, was moved when the Aswan dam was built from a lower location that is now underwater.  But in the case of Abu Simbel, the entire face of the hillside out of which and into which the temple was hewn, was cut up in a grid pattern and moved along with it.  A concrete dome recreated the hill, and the face of the hill and the temple itself were fitted onto and into it.  The backside of the artificial hill is covered in desert sand.

We’re treated to an additional spectacle: the setting sun ignites the desert on the other side of the lake, and the waters of Lake Nasser reflect the colors of the sky in which a full moon is rising.

Sunset-Moonrise over Lake Nasser

We stay for the sound and light show.  There’s no dog of any kind involved, but we all agree it’s the best show of this kind we’ve seen in Egypt.  We’re reluctant to leave afterwards, as the temple lit at night is both beautiful and mysterious.  Undoubtedly, Ramses II intended it to have a certain awe-inspring effect, and it definitely still works its magic.

Night at Abu Simbel

Postcard from Egypt: Among the Dead, November 4th

Memphis, Saqqara and Giza

While modern Egyptian Muslims are preparing to sacrifice cows and sheep to the one true God over the next few days, we’re visiting memorials and resting places of a lot of ancient dead Egyptians.

We start at Memphis, the capital of the New Kingdom.  There’s nothing left of it save the odd sarcophagus or statue, with one notable suggestion:  a massive statue of Ramses II lies on its back inside an open-air building.

Ramses II with a friend, Memphis

The tomb of a high priest at Saqqara is much more interesting.  The walls are covered in bas relief with scenes of daily life – fishing expeditions, storing beer, animal husbandry, even a party with dancing girls, all rendered in charming detail.

Also in Saqqara, we see the first Egyptian pyramid – the Step Pyramid of Zoser, built some 4700 years ago.  It is, of course, a tease for what’s to come after lunch – the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.

The Great Pyramid of King Cheops is really big!  Some of us decide to pay the extra 100 Egyptian Pounds (less than $20) to go inside to the burial chamber.  It’s a 45 meter climb up a narrow passageway; at some points you have to be quite bent over to clear the ceiling.  The chamber is a dark stone room, devoid of decoration and empty except for an empty sarcophagus.  But the bragging rights for having done it are worth the price of admission.

The Group at the Great Pyramid, Giza

After a short ride on a flea-ridden camel – mine curved his long neck back toward me and scratched the top of his head on my right leg – and a look at the King’s reconstructed boat (which is pretty cool), we hustle down to catch the last sight before it closes – the Sphinx.

We just make it.  In the warm light of the setting sun, it’s quite photogenic.  And for some reason, despite the crowd, I get a very peaceful feeling there. There’s a quiet confidence to something that’s been where it’s been for the past 4000 years that makes any temporary concern seem trifling.

The Patient Sphinx, Giza