Karnak
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And at this point, mission nearly complete, I ran out of storage space (this is 2006 we are talking about here)
The following pictures that cover some of the remaining time at Karnak were taken with Melissa's camera, all but a couple, by Melissa
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I can't even remember this one, but it is beautiful, in my opinion |
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And wouldn't you know it, way out back, where hardly any humans tread these days, I run into two priestesses of Karnak |
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Another testament to the immense wealth and importance of Karnak, there was a third, albeit, now broken obelisk |
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Frequently, at the base of oblisks, one sees baboons. These creatures had some special meaning to the ancient Egyptians. They can also be found above the colossal statues of Rameses II at Abu Simbel, the northern edge of the empire. |
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Like all temples, there is a sacred pool or pond. This one was still filled from it's own source of water. You can see the steps, two on each side, that would be used for rituals. |
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Now for some fun that must have intrigued visitors to the temple for several thousand years, the scarab |
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The gullible would walk around it, a certain number of times for love (or luck), and more for fertility |
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Single girls, especially, had better keep count, or they may end up in trouble |
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Caught with my...well, luckily they were up, but in deep conversation with Melissa, sneakily shot by her sister. We did walk from Karnak toward the Nile, and then it was simply a left turn and heading back toward Luxor town. It took a while, but not a problem. |
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By the time we got back the sun was setting. Another one of those things most tourists do not do - walk along the Nile for an hour or so. |
3D