Aswan & back through Luxor

When we were in Aswan we went to the Nubian Museum, where they had saved some ancient wall paintings that would have been flooded by the High Dam when it was built. They built a fake cave and imbedded the paintings and carvings in its walls. It was really amazing to think that some person thousands of years ago just carved these things in their walls.

Here is a water buffalo type animal,



and an elephant.



Then we went to the Aswan Museum which was located on elephantine island in the middle on the Nile of shore from aswan. We saw a few sarcophagi and some mummies! The first mummies of our trip!






Even mummy toes!




And a mummy gazelle!






Here are Eric's feet and a view from the Island looking out onto the Nile...hard to believe we were there.




This is the Nilometer, it was cut into a cliff on the east side of Elephantine Island and was used to measure the flooding of the Nile. Then using this they would estimate the crop size and then decide how much taxation the farmers could most likely bear. It is inscribed with Greek, Latin, Arabic, and hieroglyphs so each generation of rulers found it useful and just cut their numbers in the side as time went on.




After Aswan we retreated back to Luxor again. We saw some amazing things in Aswan but we also felt very worn out by all the “sales men” and amazing attempts to rip off tourists. So it was good to be back in Luxor where at least we knew a few places to escape such things. And where we had met a friend who worked at a restaurant that never once tried to over charge us!

A few pictures from the Temple of Luxor.
This the entrance.



We thought this was interesting because when Alexander the Great came through he took over the temple and had some of the walls covered in some sort of plaster and then painted over. Here you can see where a bit of that old plaster if left and the original egyptian designs are taking over again.



This seemed to be a great example of how precise they were with everything they carved or built. This is also the back of huge seated statue.


This seemed to be a great example of how precise they were with everything they carved or built. This is also the back of huge seated statue.