Days 46-50, Sept 3-7, 2022

This is the 5th of 6 blog posts covering our Pharaohs and Pyramids River Cruise. If you missed our previous posts, feel free to review them here.

During our seven days cruising the Nile River, we visited 9 temples. And yes, we were templed-out by the last day. However, each site was unique, dedicated to a god and we learned that these ancient places harbor their own complex riddles that lie in wait to be solved. Many already have.

But first, in addition to the temple visits, we joined an excursion to a Nubian village. It gave us a feeling of traveling back in time to ancient Nubia, home to one of Africa’s oldest civilizations and still inhabited today:

In southern Egypt near Aswan and along the banks of the Nile, Nubian families carry on the traditions of their ancient Egyptian and African ancestors. Those ancestors moved here from Sudan some 8,000 years ago to begin farming along the river. They have darker skin tone and their own unique language that differs from the rest of Egypt. They were very warm and welcoming during our visit to one of their homes.

It was refreshing to see vibrant colors in and around the village, a nice contrast to the drab desert hue:

Temples along the Nile

The following stories are all of the temples we visited, and you may also get templed-out along the way. But each has its own character. Feel free to scroll through this section, but don’t miss the final one 😉

Along the banks of the Nile in Southern Egypt (Upper Egypt), ancient Egyptians built incredible temples in honor of their gods and pharaohs. These temples remain standing in various states of condition with their “doors” open, inviting us to discover the secrets and mysteries within.

Our Egyptologist/Program Director Mohamed, who was with us since Cairo, helped us to understand the stories behind the symbols carved into stone. He continued to blow our minds with his vast knowledge.

Dendera Temple

The construction of Dendera Temple is estimated at the 1st century BC. It’s one of the best preserved temples in all of Egypt, as it was submerged under desert sand for centuries. The walls, stone roof, columns, underground crypts and twisting stairways are all carved with hieroglyphs. The colors seen throughout are original and amazingly vibrant, considering that much of the inside was covered in soot from Bedouins and other desert peoples seeking shelter:

Our necks were aching as we looked up at the intricately decorated ceilings.

Esna Temple

This temple dates back to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, and is one of the last built in Egypt. It was dedicated to the god Khoum and several other deities. The part we see today is around one-fourth the size of the original structure and sits in a large pit created in the town. It was built 20′ below ground level and holds 15 centuries of desert sand and debris accumulated since it was abandoned during the Roman period.

It was a short walk from the Viking MS Antares to the temple as we passed through a Souk market and some very “determined to sell” vendors.

The roof of the hypostyle hall is still intact and supported by 24 columns, each intricately carved floral capitals:

Temple of Edfu

The Temple of Edfu is dedicated to the falcon god Horus, a central figure in ancient Egyptian mythology. To get there from the ship was a fairly wild ride on horse-driven carriages through busy, dusty and rough roads:

The structure was buried under almost 40′ of desert sand and silt from the Nile for centuries, which helped to preserve it in near-perfect condition:

Mohamed mentioned that the temple makes us aware of the continuous and active history of Egypt. Over time the site has been vandalized as part of widespread iconoclasm that resulted in the scratching out of faces:

Kom Ombo Temple

The Temple of Kom Ombo is considered unique because it is a double-temple dedicated to two deities; Sobek the crocodile-headed god, and Horus the falcon-headed god:

The double dedication was deliberate and architecturally duplicated, with two sets of courts, hypostyle halls, and sanctuaries:

It’s believed that engravings here are among the first representations of medical terminology and surgical instruments, and of a calendar:

Much of the temple has been destroyed by natural forces and builders who used its materials for other projects. Some of the reliefs were defaced by Copts who once used the temple as their church:

Arriving back at the ship hot and tired, it was always a pleasure to wipe off with a cold cloth, and then enjoy a snack and refreshment – all before even getting onboard! These little details make us select Viking for our cruises whenever we can:

Temples RESCUED from Rising Lake Nasser

UNESCO began an ambitious mission in 1960, as ancient landmarks including the temple complex at Philae were flooded after completion of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902. Thanks to their efforts and Egyptian governmental support, the Temple of Isis was painstakingly disassembled and rebuilt on higher ground on Agilkia Island:

The temple was originally built to honor the goddess Isis, and serves as an amazing example of the cult that was built around the story of Osiris and Isis.

Despite flooding and vandalism by early Christians, the temple is one of Egypt’s most spectacular sanctuaries. Many Coptic crosses and Greek inscriptions are found inside, revealing the transformation to a Christian place during the Byzantine age:

And last but not least, the Grandest of them all – the temples of Abu Simbel

For this excursion, I boarded a 45-minute flight from Aswan to the town of Abu Simbel. Steve took the Aswan Dam excursion and we exchanged stories and pictures afterward on the ship.

Building dams always has an impact on the environment and wildlife. Here in Egypt it also has an impact on cultural heritage. The two enormous rock temples of Abu Simbel that were built in the 13th century BCE took twenty years to construct. It involved carving and cutting into the face of massive rock walls to create statues of the royals. They were also buried in sand and forgotten, finally discovered in 1813.

Construction of the new Aswan High Dam during the 1960’s threatened to submerged the temples under the waters of Lake Nasser, the reservoir created by the dam. Because of their archaeological significance, they were deemed a UNESCO World Heritage site along with other monuments between Philae and Abu Simbel.

Thanks to financial support from a number of countries, the enormous temples were dismantled piece by piece and relocated to avoid damage by floods during the dam’s construction. It was an incredible feat that is almost as impressive as the construction of the temple itself. The campaign resulted in a complete relocation of the temples that was completed between 1964 and 1968, costing $40M at that time.

Rather than me describing the amazing project, I urge you to read this link. It’s a good description with pictures about how it was accomplished.

Most of the group immediately headed to the Great Temple of Ramesses II, so I chose to visit the Temple of Nefertari first:

This was the first time the statue of a wife, in this case Queen Nefertari, was carved the same size as the one of the pharaoh himself. It reveals how Ramesses II felt about his beloved queen:

Great Temple of Ramses II

Eleven pharaohs were named Ramesses, but Ramesses II the Great looms larger than any other. He was a master of self-promotion, honoring himself all over Egypt and and then leaving his grandest mark here in Abu Simbel with his temple:

The reassembly of the inside and outside of both temples appeared to be seamless, one of the modern marvels of engineering.

When observing them in person, these magnificent ancient temples sprang to life for us in a way they never could if displayed in miniature behind glass in a museum. We’re completely amazed by what humans and the ancient Egyptians in particular were able to create and build thousands of years ago!

Incredible!

Our 12-day Pharaohs and Pyramids River cruise in Egypt came to an end, but it has left an indelible mark in our memory and overstuffed our brains. The Viking crew was excellent as usual, and overall the trip exceeded our expectations despite the summer heat, ultra pushy vendors and a demanding schedule.

So far the trip of a lifetime, but we still have Jordan to go!

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Next up: Onward to a journey in Jordan!