Rameses legacy in Abu Simbel

Our friend Rameses certainly made sure that he would be remembered for all eternity! Here at the end of the (Egyptian) world, we find two more monuments extolling Rameses strength & power, but these would have to be right up there in terms of quality & preservation...thanks to thousands of years hidden in the sand! The first is a temple dedicated to the three patron gods of Egypts major cities. At its entrance are 4 colossal, 20m high statues of a seated Rameses, wearing the crown of upper & lower Egypt. Inside is a very masculine temple, with more huge statues,& the walls lined with images of his victories in battle & his faithfulness to the gods. The smaller Temple is in honor of his beloved wife Nefertari & is dedicated to my favorite; Hathor. Consequently, it is a more feminine styled temple. In it we find Hathoric square shaped columns & wonderful scenes of Nefertari giving gifts to Hathor. We were amazed at how well preserved everything was, especially given that the temples were made in the 13 century BEFORE Mary had a twinkle in her eye!! Our initial introduction to this impressive site, was last night, as it became the back drop for the Sound & Light show. It was spectacular, & not only included aspects of its Ramesean history, but also the more recent carefully engineered, removal from its original site, up a few hundred metres to its current site. Its relocation courtesy of the Dam project! The sound & light show made us all the more enthusiastic about our visit there today & we were not disappointed. We also made a startling discovery, which...now that I am making it public...may devastate the world...well, the french part of it at least. We discovered that Gustave Eiffel's tower in Paris, was NOT an original idea! Nor was it a singular unit! Because we weren't allowed to take photos, I had to whip up a very quick sketch in my pocket sketch book, to prove to you, that the Eiffel towerS (plural), used to be handed on a platter to the god anubis as sacrificial offerings!!!!! It just goes to show that very few ideas are truly original!!!!!