We left Aswan well before dawn and drove for about three hours across the desert. I took a series of shots during the sunrise.
The flatness of the desert combined with the curvature of the earth makes for an interesting illusion that the sun is actually rising up from the desert with clouds behind it.
More modern ruins
A gas station?
Shot of Lake Nasser at the Abu Simbel site.
Plaque commemorating the project that moved the two temples to higher ground to prevent its inundation by the rising water of Lake Nasser behind the Aswan High Dam.
Our first look at the great temple to Ramesses II, AKA Ramesses the Great
A shot of the temple and me taken by a fellow traveler. All four of the large figures (67 feet high) represent Ramesses II.
The Great Temple is dedicated to Egypt's state dieties of the time, Ra-Harakhty, Ptah and Amun
Detail of the left-most statue. The second statue was damaged in a earthquake in ancient times. The head and torso are on the ground at the statue's feet.
The smaller figures around the legs of the big Ramesses figures are still larger than life size. They depict his main wife, Nefertari, the queen mother Mut-Tuy; his first two sons Amun-her-khepeshef, and Ramesses; and his first six daughters Bintanath, Baketmut, Nefertari, Meritamen, Nebettawy, and Isetnofret
This is the bas-relief above the entrance. It shows two images of the king worshiping Ra Harakhti
Twice a year, Feb 21 and Oct 21, the rays of the rising sun reach straight back through the entrance to light up the devine figures at the rear of the temple, 200 feet into the mountain.
The top of the facade is a row of 22 baboons worshipping the rising sun.
Shot of Lake Nasser north of the temples.
This shot of the temple entrance give and idea of how large even the smaller figures around the legs of the Pharaoh are compared to life size.
Early visitors left their marks in the relatively recent 19th century.
This is the smaller of the two temples at Abu-Simbel, the Temple of Hathor. It was dedcated to Hathor, the goddess of love and to his wife, Nefertari.
The six large statues of this temple are 33 feet high, and all represent Ramesses II and his queen, Nefertari. The smaller figures are of the royal children.
A shot of both temples taken from the north.
Another shot of both temples taken from near the western shore of Lake Nasser.
Wide shot of the Temple of Hathor.
Lake Nasser from the temple site
Detail of the southern most figure of the Great Temple.
Detail of the third figure
Detail of the northern figures. These are about 65 feet high.
Bas relief panel near the temple
Reliefs near the temple include depictions of the Pharoah beating his enemies.
In the evening, we were back on the ship, cruising along the Nile. This is a series of sunset shots over a period of seven minutes just after five PM.
A long shot with a barely visible felucca near the opposite shore.
