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On
the Road |
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| We
hit the road quite early in the morning for the three-hour drive
to Abu Simbel but spirits were high nevertheless. |
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Roadside
Diner |
The
Desert Highway |
|
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| Abu
Simbel is a stunning piece of political propaganda. Built by
Ramesses II and dedicated to the great gods of the New Kingdom—
Amun, Ptah and Re (along with Ramesses himself)— it was
designed to demonstrate the might and power of the pharaoh to
those living upstream. |
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The
Great Temple of Ramesses II |
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| Instead
of a pylon, the face of the cliff was cut away and the rock
carved into enormous seated images of the pharaoh looking down
to the river. Truly awesome. |
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The
Sanctuary with (l-r) Ptah, Amun, Ramesses and Re |
Osiride
Pillar |
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| The
interior of the temple was laboriously carved out ot the hillside.
There were pillared halls with attached statues of Osiris and
galleries with painted reliefs. At the rear of the temple were
four seated statues of Ramesses and the other three gods. Twice
each year, the rays of the rising sun shine straight down the
main axis of the temple and illuminate them. |
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Gayle
taking her best shot |
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| Just
to the north of Ramesses' temple is a smaller one built in honour
of the goddess Hathor and Nefertari, his queen, whose colossal
statues accompany those of her husband on the temple façade. |
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The
Temple of Nefertari & Hathor |
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Inside
the Hathor Temple |
Ramesses
offering flowers to Nefertare (as Hathor)
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Maureen,
Bayla, Merril,Gayle, Ellen, Udo, Margarit & Karen |
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The
Last Stop |
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