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Farewell from Abu Simbel temple on Nasser Lake
Four seated monumental statues of pharaoh Ramesses II facing lake Nasser. You would already have guessed, I am looking at Abu Simbel temple. This is my last step before crossing the border into Sudan. One last time, Egypt will fill my eyes with wonders. Abu Simbel site, it is the colossal temples of Ramesses II (1279-1231 BC) and of his wife Nefertari. But also a quiet Nubian town on Nasser lake and the departing point to Wadi Halfa in nearby Sudan. The high dam of Aswan flooded large areas of Nubia in Southern Egypt and Northern Sudan in the 1960s. Unesco saved several major archaeological sites such as the Abu…
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Inside Luxor temple and the tombs in the Valley of Kings
Luxor and Karnak are among the biggest temples of Ancient Egypt. Both temples are located in Thebes, the former capital of the empire, now called Luxor. The scale of the constructions here is incredible. Not only did the Egyptians build these wonders out of the ground. They also constructed inside the surrounding mountains the greatest royal necropolis. At least 150 kings and queens are buried in the region. Empires rise and fall. So did the empire of pharaohs. After 30 centuries of domination, the rule of pharaohs declined. A new power emerged with the development of the Roman empire and then the birth of Islam. Yet, Ancient Egypt remains one…
