Egypt 2003

Departure from Aswan around 3:00 am in convoy of buses under military escort. 2h30 drive through the desert with a masterful sunrise.

Zoom in on the photo on the right and you will see that the pyramids are not only in Giza...

After passing the Tropic of Cancer, we arrive at Abu Simbel about a hundred kilometers from Sudan. Before, the Sun rises. Behind, the Moon sets.
Between the two, the 4 statues of Ramses II are enthroned. Hands on knees, they offer themselves to passing visitors and from the height of his 20 meters, Ramses watches, smiling, his timeless splendor rising on the horizon...

The Moon, too, is period!

The 4 colossi represent Ramses II: we see him young on the left (photo below), and older on the right (middle photo). At the top of the temple, 22 baboons represent the regions of the time (right photo).

At the bottom of the statues, the top of the skull (above and below) and the crown (below) of the second statue of Ramses

PANORAMIC

On the left the temple of Ramses, on the right the temple of Nefertari.

The temples of Abu Simbel were carved directly into the mountain on an order from Ramses II. A large temple for himself, a more modest one (but it's still worth a jewel...) for his wife Nefertari.

Before the emergence of Lake Nasser, the temples were 60 meters lower. UNESCO with all international aid allowed the rescue of the temple, a pharaonic task that lasted 5 years (from 1963 to 1968)! Everything was cut into 15-ton blocks and moved identically higher.

Lake Nasser facing the temples

The frescoes are superb and Ramses, omnipresent.. We see many war scenes (including that of the Battle of Kadesh) and scenes of offerings.

In the naos, the little extra of the temple... Four seated statues. This time, they do not all represent Ramses. From left to right, Ptah, the God of darkness, Amun, Ramses and Ra-Horakhty.

At the time of Ramses, twice a year, the sun came to illuminate through the temple, from left to right, the statues. All statues? No, the first was not touched by the sun since representing the God of darkness!!! These two dates are February 21 (Ramses' birthday) and October 21 (anniversary of his coronation).

Since the displacement of the temple, the two dates are February 22 and October 22, are current engineers less powerful or more humble than those of the time...??

Nefertari was Ramses' favorite wife, he considered her his equal. This second temple was built in her glory.

Ramses remains present in his wife's temple

Guardian of the temple with the key of life

Ra-Horakhty and Ramses

Behind the facades, the concrete vault supporting the two temples

After this short getaway, we had to resolve to leave Ramses and Nefertari and head north to Aswan.

The desert at night had offered us its sunrise. The desert by day shows us its water mirages...