Destination Qena and the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. This is a late period, Ptolemaic era temple which is remarkably well preserved. Medhat has us looking at the outside of the Temple and its outstanding decoration before entering the great hypostyle hall. The walls, columns and ceiling have recently been cleaned of the soot and dust of ages, revealing vibrant colors and decorations. Blue, everywhere blue dominates the scenes carved and painted on the ceiling. Elsewhere a stairwell takes us to the roof of the temple and the small open air shrine where the statue of the deity would be brought up to be 'recharged' in the sun once a year. Even gods and goddesses needed to have their solar batteries recharged I guess. Another stairwell, this one narrow and decidedly claustrophobic, takes us to one of the twelve known crypts located under the temple. Space is restricted but the carved reliefs are perfectly preserved, having escaped the wholesale ransacking done by the early Christians. Of note is an interesting scene that is interpreted by some as the proof that the ancients had developed "light bulbs" and could produce light at will. I rather think that the large devices depicted look like surf boards and the dudes are waiting for a good swell...
Another stretch of road going north takes us to Abydos, domain of Osiris and location of what is perhaps for the the great artistic highlight of the entire tour: the temple of Seti the First. This represents the high-water mark of the artistic perfection of the 19th dynasty. The raised relief decoration - some retaining much if its original color - is beyond compare in the finesse of its execution. I am in awe. Actually, I am on overload. I take as many photos as I can (no flash allowed), knowing that I may not come back here. The inside of the temple is simply enormous. In addition to the great hypostyle hall, there are seven main shrines, plus a number of additional cultic rooms, mini temples within the temple, and also the famed list of kings, where the fine carved limestone shows Seti having his young son Rameses read from a roll of papyrus the list of pharaohs that have preceded him. The list is far from all inclusive; it has been heavily edited to suit the political necessities of the day. Omitted are Hatchepsout, AkhenAten, Tut, Ay and Horemheb.
I could easily spend several days studying this marvelous temple. Alas, we must go on to the next stop, which is the similar, but much dilapidated temple of Rameses. This must have been a jewel in its heyday, built of the finest limestone, sandstone and even black and pink granite.
Is there such a thing as seeing too much beauty in too little time? I am afraid I have reached that point.
Traveling through the countryside in this predominantly rural and agricultural stretch of the Nile Valley reveals a very different Egypt than what I have seen in Aswan and Luxor. Smoke rises from the fields with the acrid and yet sweet smell of burnt sugar: indeed, sugar cane is a huge crop here, and everywhere we see farmers loading donkeys, motorcycles, trucks and narrow-gauge rail cars with the tall stalks destined to the refinery. Not much tourism here. Camels, water buffalos, donkeys, goats and sheep are 'parked' in front of people's homes like one would park a car in the United States. Many, especially children, smile and wave at us as we drive by.
Oh and speaking of camels, I am now certain they come from outer space. As anyone who has seen "The Empire Strikes Back" will attest, camels are alien creatures!
We are on the Hotep, a Nile cruise boat moored in Sohag/Akhmim in Middle Egypt.
Room 105.
I am on sensory/artistic overload. Better go to bed now. Tomorrow is another day, which will take us, given a couple of interesting stops on the way, to Tel El Amarna, site of the great city AkhenAten built for himself and his court when things got ugly with Amun in Thebes (modern day Luxor).
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