We took a boat trip from Aswan to see the Philae Temple, another that had to be moved due to flooding after the Aswan Dam was built.
We also returned in the evening for a “light and sound show” (which I am not sure was worth the time; it was largely a “conversation” between the river and the gods, with lighting just illuminating whoever was speaking) …
An interesting start to the day, going to a quarry where stones for the Egyptian pyramids and temples were carved (and then sent on the River Nile downstream to the construction sites); there’s a partly carved obelisk there which was abandoned when cracks appeared in the stone, giving us insight into how the work was done maybe 3,500 years ago!
The temple complex Abu Simbel is famous for having been moved when the Aswan Dam reservoir drowned the original location (there’s an interesting video about it); we had a three hour drive from Aswan, starting about 5am!
We arrived at Abu Simbel with many other people but the space is large enough that it didn’t feel too crowded (other than the lines to enter the interior); what amazed me was that there are TWO temples there, for Ramesses II and for his wife Nefertari! It’s incredible to first catch a view of the huge carvings:
I also took some photos of inside:
M&I / GBMINI 