We woke up the second day in Aswan very early – 4:30 AM – so that we could board a bus for a three hour ride to Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel is located south of Aswan on Lake Nasser. There are two temples there. The first is dedicated to the pharaoh Ramesses II, and the second is dedicated to Nefertari, his wife and queen. The temples are massive, and upon first looking at them you feel dwarfed.
The weather was extremely hot, too. Hovering close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the sun beat down and soaked all the energy out of me. The inside of the temple of Ramesses II was incredible, with hieroglyphs covering all areas and statues lining the main hall.
The Abu Simbel temples were actually removed block by block and repositioned when Lake Nasser was created. The creation of the Aswan Dam in effect created Lake Nasser, and the water level rose to a height much taller than the original location of Abu Simbel. For this reason a multinational effort ensued in which both temples were cut block by block, moved, and then reassembled. This massive undertaking took four years, from 1964 to 1968.
The Nefartari Temple was equally stunning, and despite the extreme heat it was an enjoyable morning.
After a few hours at the site we hopped on the bus again and made our way back to Aswan. We took a rest and later that night attended a sound and light show at Philae Temple on an island in Aswan. We took a short boat ride to the island and discovered there were only seven people total there for the show. Normally the show attracts hundreds to thousands. It is eerie but at the same time incredible to be at these incredible places and have nobody else there. The sound and light show was great, possibly more so because there was almost nobody else there.
We headed back to our hotel after the show and rested in preparation for a relaxing trip down the Nile on a felucca the next day.
Incredible shots!! Yours are almost as good as mine! ha! We should have a shoot-out!