Abu Simbel

Early start this morning (3am), destination: Abu Simbel, well known for the mammoth salvaging exercise in the 1960s to prevent the two temples (commissioned by Ramses II) from disappearing into the man-made Lake Nasser.

The original temples were carved out of the mountain on the west bank of the Nile. The creation of the world's largest artificial lake, Lake Nasser, led to the flooding of many antiquities and the near extinction of the Nubian race. Some temples did in fact disappear beneath the lake. Abu Simbel was one of the temples that was disassembled, and subsequently assembled on a higher ground. The incredible engineering rescue feat took 4 years and $40 USD. They literally cut the temples into 2000+ blocks and then reconstructed inside a specially built mountain further away from the banks of Lake Nasser. The original site where Abu Simbel temples stood has since also disappeared under Lake Nasser.

Tourists visit Abu Simbel in large guarded convoys of buses with security checkpoints every so often. The buses hooned down the 2 lane desert highways as if it was one long one way road -- it wasn't.

The temples themselves were a self created homage to Ramses II. Ramses II definitely had megalomanic tendencies. Not only did he have many large statues of himself, he also portrayed himself as a god by commissioning artworks that included Ramses II in the company and on equal footing with other gods. The carvings at Abu Simbel also depict Ramses II as a friend and ally to the Nubians. This I believe is one of the oldest example of political propaganda. Add in Ramses II's playboy ways (although not confirmed, it has been said that Ramses II had more than 60 wives.

We are now on a sleeper train to Cairo. Goodbye to Melodie for all the good times.