Final Views of Egypt

We had lunch at this charming restaurant (with attached motel) near Abu Simbel.

The restaurant's interior.



Steve, Norman, Bob, Rick, Abby, Marian, Heba, David and Nancy.



Back in Cairo for the last night, we stayed in a modern hotel adjacent to this enormous mall.

This was the evening scene across the street.



A last view of Cairo from the plane.





And a last view of Egypt.



Abu Simbel

This was actually the last photo I took of the temples of Abu Simbel, sitting in a little bit of shade and enjoying the quiet view. The few tourists who were with us had already left. These two temples were saved from the rising waters behind the Aswan Dam by disecting them into huge blocks and reassembling them farther on shore - a huge engineering project.

One familiar tourist in front of the temple of Pharaoh Ramses II. 

This is the temple of Queen Nefertari.

A view of Lake Nasser from the temple site. Those are hills in the background, not pyramids.

Sailing the Nile on a Felucca

Yes, McDonald's is everywhere!

Preparing to board our felucca.

The co-captain. His family has been sailing feluccas for tourists for generations.

Looking upward at the sail, complete with patched-on flag.

Another boat just like ours.

Two people in a different river craft.

I have no idea what these structures on the shore are.

Unfinished Obelisk in Ancient Quarry

This area near Aswan provided much of the stone for the Egyptian temples and tombs, being carried up the Nile to its destination. This obelisk is cracked and was therefore abandoned in the exact site where it was being carved.

This Muslim cemetary was seen below from the top of the quarry.

Another view of the obelisk.

Aswan High Dam



The information board with an overview of the site.



In front of the dam.



The works behind the dam.

 


The Nile in front of the dam.

 

Philae Temple

To the left of the rocky outcropping is the site where the temple of Philae originally stood - it was moved to its present location as the waters of the Nile rose behind the Aswan High Dam.

Our first glimpse of Philae.

Steve is sitting in front of the outer temple.

The entrance to the main temple.

The goddess Hathor is carved on these columns.

Norman of our tour group found his ancestor's name among these carved on this inner wall. He had been an officer in Napoleon's army of conquest.

The temple was used in more recent times as a Christian church.

Nubia

The homes in the area of southern Egypt known as Nubia are more colorful and reflect a diffent aesthetic, with African influences.

The white building is a restaurant or hotel.

Our group traveled on this small boat across the Nile to the temple of Philae.

A view from the boat.

On the left can be seen the upper Nile dam built by the British about a century ago.



One of the many ancient structures seen bordering the Nile.



The dock at Philae was occupied by the usual vendors, although less aggressive.  I bought several necklaces.

Kom Ombo and Crocodiles

This is our group, going by horse-drawn carriage to the temple of Edfu. This is one excursion that I missed.

Here is the entrance to the area of the temple of Kom Ombo, taken from the deck of the ship. This temple was constructed in the second century BC, by the Ptolemaic Pharaohs.

The primary entrance to the temple.

An inner courtyard.

Wall carvings.

I especially liked the bee.

Several hundred crocodile mummies were excavated at Kom Ombo, revered as a symbol of a God. The Crocodile Museum has preserved dozens of them, wrapped and unwrapped.