Pictures of 04.22.00 -- Luxor -- the town and the East Shore Temples

We woke up very early today (430 AM our time) to get to our flight from Cairo to Luxor. Once we got here, we went for a walk around town where we discovered both old ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220001 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220002 and new ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220003 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220137 styles of writing. We apologize here gentle viewer, for the large number of hieroglyphics you will see on these pages. There is no apology for the road signs of Egypt. This being Egypt, we saw a lot of people practicing perfect posture ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220004
Next we stopped at a shop where the proprietor gave us a warm welcome because he (and every other shop keeper in the country) loves Americans ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220005 He even offered to give me 10,000 camels for my wife.
Then there were the obligatory phone booth pictures ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220006 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220007 While in the market ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220009 we noticed this obelisk ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220008 in one direction and this McDonald's ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220010 in the other -- signs of the way things are here. We also met Mohammed (and his friend) ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220011 and promised that if we took a horse and carriage ride, we would hire him.
In the afternoon, we went to the temples at Luxor. We started with ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220012 the Karnak Temple ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220013 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220017 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220018 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220019 which is guarded by a row of sphinxes ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220014 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220015 which were modified by Ramses 2 to show his head. ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220016 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220020
This was the scene as we entered the temple ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220021 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220022 and saw our first hieroglyphics ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220023 and the ramps that supported the adding of layers to the walls ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220024 Next we saw the statues of Ramses ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220025 guarding the entry ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220026 and with his favorite wife Nefertari ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220027 below.
Then more hieroglyphics ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220028 after which we went to see the 162 columns that held up the temple. Of course many of these had hieroglyphics on them ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220026 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220027 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220028 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220029 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220030 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220031 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220032 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220033 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220034 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220035 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220036 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220037 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220038 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220039 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220040 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220041 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220042 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220043 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220044 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220045 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220046 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220047 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220048 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220049 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220050 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220051 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220052 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220053 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220054 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220055 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220056
gentle viewer -- we apologize for having taken quite so many photos but the scenery was unbelievable and everyone had to take their favorite few photos. Even these photos, of which we are quite proud, do not capture the grandeur of the place as we saw it
From here, we saw the obelisks ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220057 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220060 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220061 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220062 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220065 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220066 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220067 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220068 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220070 one of which was on its side and the famous beetle (walk around 7 times and your wish comes true) ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220063 but we couldn't escape more pictures of hieroglyphics ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220058 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220059 until we took a picture of Suzanne ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220064 taking this picture ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220069
Then it was time to go to the temple of Luxor where we were again greeted by Ramses 2 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220071 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220072 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220073 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220074 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220075 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220076 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220077 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220078 sometimes with obelisks, sometimes with the dreaded hieroglyphics and sometimes with just his head on. From here, we entered and saw the mosque that had been built on the site ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220079 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220086 then more Ramses ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220080 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220081 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220082 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220083 more hieroglyphics ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220084 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220085 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220087 and then a statue of King Tut and his bride ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220088 then more statues ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220089 more columns ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220090 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220091 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220092 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220093 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220094 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220096 and a painting from the Christian times ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220095 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220097 followed (of course) by more hieroglyphics ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220098 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220099 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220100 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220101 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220102 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220103 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220104 one of which depicts Alexander the Great's attempts to get his wife fertile with offers to the Egyptian gods.
We ended by having Jane do a montage of photos showing our path out. As you'd expect there are columns and statues and hieroglyphics. She also captured lots of pieces of the temple waiting to be classified and assembled -- the world's largest jigsaw puzzle ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220105 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220106 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220107 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220108 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220109 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220110 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220111 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220112 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220113 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220114 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220115 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220116 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220117 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220118 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220119 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220120 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220121 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220122 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220123 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220124 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220125 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220126 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220127 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220128 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220129 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220130 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220131 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220132 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220133 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220134 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220135 ../../../Sabbat/Pics/04.22.00Luxor//P4220136