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The next morning we went to the Market near Gezira Village. |
We were amazed. It was like stepping back in time. |
None of us had ever experienced anything like this before. |
Spices, vegetables, fabric, goats, sheep, pots, pans, baskets, |
there was just an unending number of things for sale. |
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And the people. There were people everywhere-some buying, some selling. |
This market was one of the unexpected experiences of our trip. |
It was a truly unforgettable experience. |
Our next stop was the Mortuary Temple of Ramses II. Commonly called the Ramesseum, it is especially famous for the remnants of a 1100 ton granite statue of Ramesses II. |
The statue won its fame as the subject of a poem by Shelley titled Ozymandias. In the photo above, a group of workers heave a limestone block into place as part of current restoration efforts. |
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Here Deborah gauges the size of her hand against the hands of the fallen granite colossus. |
The restoration crew use the same methods to move the heavy stone blocks that the ancients did. |
The first court is bounded by Osiride statues of the king. |
These next two photos were taken while we were being given a tour of recent excavations. Hassan |
knew the archeologist in charge of the site. After the tour we were invited to have tea. |
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Here is Estelle in a nook behind a pillar. |
And here's Jason posing in the same nook. |
Here's Deborah in a cranny. |
I was amazed at the remnants of the original colors left on the pillars. |
Here is the fallen colossus seen through the pillars of the hypostyle hall. |
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Here is Hassan posing with the kids. |
Here the king is flanked by Amun on the left,who holds out the Ankh of life to him, and Sekmet on the right raising a protective arm. |
This is a photo of restoration work in the first court. The top half of the statue on the left is in the British Museum. |
A restored granite portrait of the king in the first courtyard |
One last photo of the fallen colossus. |
