Egypt - Colossi of Memnon

These are a couple of statues that used to sit at the front of a temple. The temple is no more but this is a compulsory stop on the west bank of the Nile. Apparently, when the Romans turned up, there were holes worn in the rock that whistled. It freaked them out so much, they filled the holes in.

That area at the back is what's left of the temple.
Of course there's a market.
And this is a rice-paddy just off to the side.

Egypt - Ramases III Temple

Yeah, I know, another bloody temple (2 more to after this).

The tour included a number of options so we left them up to Mahmoud - because he's the MAN. He chose this for us and, as it goes, it was one of my favorites. Lesson? Listen to the man.

There's the pylon - nothing usual about that. Though, if you look carefully, you can see a dog having a poo.
The pylon carvings are really good - and happily christian-vandalism free.
Not the largest temple around but very well preserved.
Though poor Rameses has taken a bit of a beating.
All the carvings are in really good condition.
Dunno what it is but it's pretty.
Lots of animals. Fish, too.
But what was really good about this temple was the colour.
Kim found all this in a little room off to the side.
It was stunning.

Egypt - Hatshepsut's Temple

This is one of the most spectacular temples in Egypt. Hatshepsut was a fiesty chick. She was Pharo when women didn't really do the job - managing to take and then secure the job. She was also a big builder, this being her biggest achievement. And she also completed and recorded a trade mission into sub-Saharan Africa. You go girl...

The whole complex. Her idea was to connect this temple to her burial chamber - the other side of that cliff is the Valley of the Queens. Geology buggered up that idea but at least she had a go.
There she is. If she looks a bit blokey, that was on purpose.
Horos keeping watch.
Kim on the ramp up to the second level.
OK, at some point - after the temple was built - the local bigwigs got hacked off with all the tomb-robbing so they go all the remaining mummies from the Valley of the Kings, put they into these Sarcophagi and reburied them here. When discovered, this was a big source of Pharo's mummies for the museums.
Hatshepsut feeding the cow god Hathor.
Some of the original colour is very well preserved.
This was to be the back entrance to her burial chamber if it had all worked out.

Egypt - Valley of the Kings

We went into 3 tombs in the Valley of the Kings including Tutankhamun. No photos in the whole valey here - and that's actually enforced.

The closest the camera got. This mountain dominates the area and it's shaped a lot like a pyramid which must have helped the Pharos choose the site in the first place.

Egypt - Tombs of the Nobles

After the Workers, it was the Nobles. These were more like court bigwigs and did things like oversee the Pharo's land, etc. No piccies inside here, either.

A village was built over the site and some of the houses ended up with a tomb in the cellar.
Kim, out on the town.
Old wheels, obviously. What they doing here? Dunno.
Lots of tombs are built into the rocks.
There was obviously a lot of work in cutting them out.

Luxor - Tombs of the Workers

Some of the best tombs that we saw were those of the workers. This was a village where the people who dug out the tombs of the Kings lived. They are quite small but beautifully painted. Unfortunately, you can't take photos, thus...(but here's a link to some piccies)

The village itself. It was a faitly large town.
Layout of one of the tombs.

Egypt - Luxor

There's a lot going on around Luxor. Not only do you have two major temples in the town itself, these is the whole Valley of the Kings / Queens / Nobles / etc. on the other side of the Nile.

Entrance to the main market. The whole centre of town seems to be taken up with this.
Didn't find it very easy to smoke - but you have to have a go.
Might have been xmas decorations.
Another on of those Edwardian grand hotels.
Another one of Mahmoud's suggestions. This is a top restaurant for local food. I had to type the pidgeon.
OK, you see a lot of these all over Egypt. When someone goes on the Haj, they paint the trip on their house. A sort of raspberry at all the poor people.

Egypt - Edfu Temple

Edfu Temple. This one's on a grand scale and is very well preserved (was buried under a village). Oh, and I had a fight!

This is a big complex. Up to the right is the remains of the village.
The usual pylons with Pharo cutting off the usual heads.
This was dedicated to the hawk god; Horos. And here he is.
In Egypt, things often come in pairs and it's all about uniting upper and lower Egypt. Here's a couple of columns, one with papyrus (lower) the other with palms (upper).
The sight of the fight. There was a real crowd trying to get photos of this so everybody had to wait their turn in a bit of a press. I felt this pushing from behind, really instistent, and said 'wait'. Push, push again, and I said 'wait' again. She was having none of that, said 'I've waited long enough' and pushed right through, knocking people out of the way, so I said 'You are so rude', and then she threw a punch at me. Blimey. I beat a hasty retreat after that - no need to get arrested. She was a Chinese Australian according to one of our party - he should know as he is the same (probably some sort of secret handshake) so she really ought to know better.

Anyhoo, this is the original alter at the back and a reproduction of a ceremonial boat in the front. The latter is full size and was carried around the temple on festival days - probably covered in fruit and stuff.
A snake. Not of the trouser sort.
The perimeter wall had carvings all over it.
And there's us having a little breather.

Egypt - Kom Ombo

Kom Ombo is one of the temples you drop into along the way. It's not the biggest or the most spectacular but it's worth a visit.

Some of the original colour is still on the carvings.
Same for the columns.
Every temple has a hypostyle hall - a ceiling held up by columns - and this one is pretty much in tact.
A carving of surgical instruments - apparently not all that different to what are used today. Without the lasers, obviously.
The Nilometer. This measured the height of the water and was used to get an idea as to what the annual floods were up to.
Some gods. Probably having a natter.
This is a calender of relgious festivals - when, which one, what you were expected to bring along, etc. It's handy because it has a numbering system and, therefore, was useful in interpreting heiroglyphics.