December 14 -- Abu Simbel: Temple of Ramses II (by Lou)

We've come to Abu Simbel on the southern border of upper Egypt to see the great Temple of Rameses II while partaking of Nubian culture and hospitality.  The Nubian presence in Egypt extends roughly from the cataracts in Aswan to 40 km south of where we are in Abu Simbel, the entry point of the old kingdom.  The prolific pharaoh Ramses II used it as a place to assert his religion and power by building the colossi, and when it comes to old kingdom period pissing contests, Rameses II wins....or, at least he did up until the Aswan dam was built.  A world effort was made to save this and other temples of his making from the rising waters between here and Aswan, and the results are what we saw today.  Originally carved out of the solid rock cliff of the Nile, the temples here in Abu Simbel were cut into 40 ton slabs and moved to high ground and set on their original orientation.  Much of the surrounding cliff surface was also moved allowing them to be viewed in as natural a state as possible.  Both original creation and reclamation are astounding achievements.  As we arrived early in the day, you'd think we'd be off and running to get our first look at these great structures but hey, relax.  This is not in the hustle-bustle of Cairo; we're in Nubia.

Abu Simbel is a small, isolated town of about 5000. Tourists fly in or take buses from Aswan just for viewing the temples then scoot away after a few hours.  Roger booked us here for 3 days and once again, he nailed it.  Our hotel is in a traditional Nubian mud brick structure with domed or vaulted ceilings.  Open, breeze-swept terraces overlooking gardens and an estuary of Lake Nasser are where guests take lunch or tea.  It's five guest rooms are staggered along a warren of open hallways and public rooms decorated in typical Nubian decor.  We were greeted warmly and offered hibiscus tea while our bags were whisked away along with any thoughts of rushing out of this glorious setting but I digress, having just caught myself writing about yesterday, Roger's part of the blog.  You can see how quickly the relaxed mood here was embraced and we felt no qualms putting off touring such a major temple site.  Besides, it's all about the light, right?!

Up at the crack of dawn, we walked toward the shore of the Nile, now Lake Nasser, to behold the massive temple of Rameses II fairly glowing in the early morning sunrise.  The ancients oriented the temple in order to insure that this morning light penetrated the innermost walls.  The four, seated colossi are images of one of the greatest pharaohs of all, Rameses II, surrounded by his wives and children.  Over the doorway in a niche stands a relief in the form of a figure, Harakhte, representing the Sun God Ra who ultimately deifies the pharaoh.

 Hieroglyphs along the terrace declare Ramses' presence, and relief images on the sides of the thrones depict Nile gods of upper and lower Egypt.  Nubian and Asian prisoners proclaim his supremacy over the region.  Staggering  as the face of the monument is, interior carved and painted reliefs are equal in power.  Four figural columns backed by decorated square columns flank each side of the main hall walkway, while spectacular life-sized reliefs cover the chamber walls.  Life-sized representations of Ramses depict the pharoah making and receiving offerings, but I was particularly taken by the Battle of Kadesh wall, telling the story in four parts, showing the chaos of chariot fights and the battle which, needless to say, Rameses wins.  Ultimately, he declares himself god.  Are we surprised, no.  Are we in awe?  Big time!  Are we going back at sunrise tomorrow?  You bet.

Back at the hotel after our temple visit, our talented and gregarious chef conjured up breakfast of a wonderful foule and a bowl of chopped tomatoes in yogurt which we scooped up with homemade pita bread.  Wedges of a hard salty goat cheese, something like a hard feta, were quite yummy.  Then came the falafel.  Second helpings on the falafel, please.  Egyptians typically eat a big breakfast and hearty dinner, skipping lunch.  Such a big breakfast and early rise brought on for us the need to take a nice long nap before writing the blog out on the warm breezy terrace where chef consulted our desires for dinner while bringing us Turkish coffee.  Grilled beef ensued accompanied by roasted vegetables and pita and hummus, all washed down with a bottle of Omar Khayyam red.  Did I mention that we're in Muslim country?