Tag Archives: Egypt

Egypt

Kom Ombo Temple

We went to see the Kom Ombo Temple  which is located 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Aswan near the Nile River.

Temple of Kom Ombo

This temple was built in the 2nd century BC and is unique because its ‘double’ design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods.  We explored the temple admiring the features including some interesting hieroglyphs  and carvings.

Carvings on the wall in the Temple of Kom Ombo

Ray touching some of the hieroglyphs inside the Temple.

After walking through the temple and exploring the different rooms and areas, we decided to visit the Crocodile Museum section of the Temple. Inside the museum we saw some mummified crocodiles.

Mummified crocodiles inside the museum at the Temple of Kom Ombo

It was common to have mummified crocodiles as well as other animals during that time period. The ancient Egyptians  thought that crocodiles were mighty and depicted God Sobek. Cats were respected in ancient Egypt: They were characterized as nimble, maternal and poise.  The ancient Egyptians frequently donated mummified animals to temples because of their sacred qualities. The animals were thought to be gifts to the gods.

A large mummified crocodile at the Kom Ombo Museum

Mummified Crocodiles in the Museum

The history is quite interesting, basically the Egyptians believed that crocodiles depicted the God Sobek. The crocodiles were seen as both strong and mighty, to be feared and respected. The crocodile was known for being powerful. They would depict this in their statues, carvings and hieroglyphs.

Image of a man with a crocodile head.

We explored the museum and found it very informative. The Egyptian culture and history has many interesting components. We enjoyed the visit to this Temple and Museum.

“الإحساس بالفكاهة هو القطب الذي يضيف التوازن إلى خطواتنا ونحن نسير على حبل مشدود للحياة.”

Egypt

Temple of Philae, Aswan Egypt

We took a boat ride to see the Philae Temple now located on the island of Agilkia in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam. It is below the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, in Egypt.

Boat ride to the Island of Algilkia

As we approached the Island we could see the Philae Temple.

View if the Philae Temple from the boat as we approached.

We landed and began our walk towards the Temple. The closer we got to the Temple the more impressive it became.

Shelley and Ray in front of the main entrance to the Philae Temple.

The Temple of Philae was originally located near the First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt. The y were being  flooded as a result of the initial construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902.  The UNESCO Nubia campaign dismantled the Philae Temple site and moved them stone by stone to the nearby Agilkia Island, before the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam. The Philae Temple has been relocated exactly as the original location.

The other wall of the main entrance with carved images in the stone.

We walked through the entrance which was spectacular and massive in size. Through the entrance we walked into a large courtyard with columns running the full length of the courtyard.

Shelley and Ray in the courtyard of the Philae Temple in Egypt

The columns in the courtyard were finished with a flower style leaf at the top.

Pillars in the Philae Temple

We walked throughout the courtyard admiring the smaller temple buildings. It was truly an emotional experience being able to walk in the Temple and touch the walls of such historic buildings.

Ray at the Temple of Philae in Egypt.

 

Shelley at the Temple of Philae in Egypt

We went inside the Temple of Philae and saw stone carvings and hieroglyphs on the walls.

Close up of hieroglyphs on the stone at Philae Temple.

Christianity seems to have been present at the Temple of Philae by the fourth century. Apparently at which point it coexisted with traditional Egyptian religion. We came across an Christian alter which was fashioned in the Temple.

Christian Alter in the Temple of Philae, in Egypt

Below are some of the spectacular Temple ruins or structures in the Philae Temple.

Ray in the Temple of Philae in Egypt.

It was a spectacular sight to see the Temple and walk through the ruins.It so rewarding to know that these historic Temples were not lost as a result of the Aswan Dam. UNESCO saved this history from being lost forever and we were fortunate enough to actually visit them.

“احرص وتذكر أن تعيش كل يوم على أكمل وجه ،”

Egypt

Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt

We booked a trip to Egypt through a Spanish travel agency. We began out adventures by flying to the city of Aswan in Egypt to take a cruise on the Nile river.

On the plane heading to Egypt

We landed at the airport and met with our Guide. He spoke perfect Spanish and Arabic but absolutely no English.  His name was Aladino and he was our guide for the entire trip.

Shelley, Ray and Aladino in the Sahara Desert

We began our trip by  going to the cruise boat and getting settled in to our room. The cruise ship was called, “Grand Princess”  and had four levels plus a large deck on top with a pool and bar. Our room was quaint and simple but comfortable.

Our room on the Grand Princess cruise ship

Our guide Aladino told us that the first excursion was at 3:30 A.M.  We managed to get a few hours of rest before heading to the lobby to meet our guide. We boarded a bus and headed for our first of many Unesco World Heritage Sites in Egypt. This site was called “Abu Simbel Temple” which is located in the village  of Abu Simbel in Aswan Governorate .

We arrived before dawn and walked to the temples. The first sight of the temple was amazing and a surreal experience for us.

Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt

As we walked closer it became even more amazing just how big the stone sculptures were. The four statues representing Ramesses II are 20 m (66 ft) high. They represent Ramesses II seated on a throne and wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Entrance between the statues of Ramesses II

We went to the base and admired the statues before heading inside the single entrance into the temple. Once we were inside we saw more statues of Ramesses II in columns.

Column statues of Ramesses II inside the Temple of Abu Simbel

This was an amazing first experience for us to be able to walk within the Temple and to actually touch these amazing historical artifacts.

Shelley and Ray inside the Temple of Abu Simbel
Other statues within the Abu Simbel Temple

We explored the inside of the temple admiring the carvings and statues. We noticed that the sun was beginning to rise and we saw a beautiful dawn.

Sun Rising seen through the entrance to the Abu Simbel Temple

We left the Temple and went to look at the second temple located there. They serve as a lasting monument to the king and his queen Nefertari, and commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.

The small Temple of Abu Simbel

We entered into the smaller temple and explored the interior. It was equally impressive and contained many stone carvings.

Ray at the front of the small Temple of Abu Simbel
Carving inside the small temple of Abu Simbel
Carving in stone inside the smallTemple of Abu Simbel

We explored the twin temples and discovered that these two temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. What we did not realize until the tour was that these temples were moved to this new location.

The relocation of the temples were necessary or they would have been submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile.

The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 under an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir.

A view of the back side of the Temple which was relocated to the village of Abu Simbel.

We found the tour to Abu Simbel very interesting. There were so many unique and amazing artifacts to see in the Temples. The tour was completely in Spanish. There was no english during our entire trip to Egypt. It was a great way for us to practice and improve our Spanish.

“أتمنى لك يومًا رائعًا واحتضان الحياة”