Abu Simbel

With some extra time back in Egypt we decided to see a few sites that were too far flung to visit before leaving for Jordan. The Abu Simbel temple was first on the list. To get there we crossed the Sinai again, back up to Cairo, back down to Aswan and another four hours further south almost to the Sudan border. It was a long haul but worth it!

Dedicated to Ramesses II, this temple greets you with four 20-metre tall seated colossal statues of the great king carved into the rock

Positioned around him are various members of his very large family

The first room inside the temple is a great hall with another eight colossal statues.

Exquisite carvings of scenes of Ramses II’s victorious military campaigns covered the walls

Adjacent is the temple dedicated to Queen Nefertiti, Rameses II’s favourite wife. She is portrayed almost as tall as her husband which is a rare honour and an indication of his regard and love for her

A number of side rooms are decorated with scenes of rituals of the king, queen, and various gods.

Being in this place and seeing these things is surreal! It’s still hard to wrap my head around the fact that these are not reproductions – that they are the real deal. The actual 3000+ year old Egyptian carvings in temples of the pharaohs.

We were able to pitch our tent right outside the temple grounds on lake Nasser for a few nights (which was very cool) but it was too windy to cook any food. So it was back to cliff bars and bread for a few days. Back in Aswan we enjoyed more street food of chicken and lamb shish-kabob with tomato zucchini soup and salad. I am getting very spoiled on this trip.

Our next destination is deep into the Western desert at the Bahariya Oasis. From there we hope to do some hiking in the black and the white deserts. We won’t overdo it as my Achilles have finally settled down and I don’t want to anger them again. Especially so close to when we are heading home.

8 responses »

Rhonda Thomas on March 14, 2022 at 1:27 pm said:

What beautiful pictures. I can’t wait to hear all about it when your back. Enjoy the rest of the journey my friend.

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- arlenekeith on March 14, 2022 at 1:37 pm said:
  
  Thank so much Rhonda! Also, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. I was thinking about you on the eighth but didn’t have data to text you. I hope your special day was wonderful. See you soon my friend!
  
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Sherri on March 14, 2022 at 3:21 pm said:

Can tell by the pics just how awesome the temple is. Continue to stay safe.

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- arlenekeith on March 14, 2022 at 3:48 pm said:
  
  And the pictures don’t even remotely do it justice. It was pretty darn awe-inspiring! Thanks Sherri! ❤️
  
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Gary Drummond on March 14, 2022 at 3:31 pm said:

I am in awe. Yes the food looks delicious.

Gary D

On Mon, 14 Mar 2022 at 09:19, The Flip Side of Fifty wrote:

> arlenekeith posted: ” With some extra time back in Egypt we decided to see > a few sites that were too far flung to visit before leaving for Jordan. The > Abu Simbel temple was first on the list. To get there we crossed the Sinai > again, back up to Cairo, back down to Aswan and a” >

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- arlenekeith on March 14, 2022 at 3:49 pm said:
  
  It really is pretty incredible. You would absolutely love it here! And I know you would love the food 😃!
  
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Susan FReeman on March 14, 2022 at 5:21 pm said:

Absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing, stay safe.

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- arlenekeith on March 14, 2022 at 8:44 pm said:
  
  It’s my pleasure Susan. Thank you for reading!
  
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