Friday, April 12, 2013

Luxor, Egypt and the Great Temple of Karnak! AWESOME!

We ate lunch at a large hotel in Luxor that fronted the Nile.  It is slightly more affluent here but only a little although it is beautiful by the Nile.......






We stopped to see the Temple of Luxor.......






Then proceeded to another of my bucket list destinations, the Temple of Karnak.  These are pictures of areas surrounding the temple prior to entering......





And this is a statue of Ramses II.  The small sculpture in front is his daughter....




Then we entered the Temple of Karnak and it is spectacular!!!



Built by Seti I and Ramses II, it is a wonder to behold.  My pictures do it zero justice.



The place is immense......



The pillars were not built in sections like the ones in Greece which are stacked one upon another.  These were built in sand, higher and higher until they reached the desired height , then the sand was removed exposing the pillar...



All surfaces have intricate carving....

 
 
 
 




It was built in 1450 BC and I was amazed that parts still retain their original color.  These pictures are of the underside of the structure build and placed at the top of the pillars and therefore were not exposed to the sun......

 
 
 
 
 
One of the pillars still has some of its original color so you can imagine what this place looked like....
 
 
 
The pillars of the temple have walls surrounding them that are covered with all manner of Egyptian art.......

 


 






The temple itself has other out buildings and obelisks that were also part of the entire complex.....

 
 


But the centerpiece of the area is this great temple!!! Wow!





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