Monuments to visit Nile Valley

The main temple at Abydos was built by Seti ^I (1318-1304 B.C.), and was reworked and completed by his son, Ramses II, who completed most of the decorative bas-reliefs. Long before them, other monarchs had built temples to Osiris on the same site. Together with the Osirion Cenotaph, they form part of a coherent complex dedicated to the cult of Osiris, enclosed by mud-brick walls and accessed via a main pylon to the northeast, or a secondary pylon to the southwest, now overlooking the desert.

First pylon and courtyard, second pylon and courtyard. Nothing remains of these first two courtyards, apart from their architectural foundations. At the far end of the second courtyard is the first portico, preceded by twelve square columns. In this portico are 2 openings and 5 niches; in fact, Sety^I had opened 7 doors and Ramses II had 5 filled in. They led to the five inner chapels.

First and second hypostyle halls, chapels. 24 columns support the ceiling of the first hall, opening onto the second through seven doors. 36 columns support the ceiling of the second hypostyle hall, formerly an offering room, which is divided into two levels. The second level houses 7 chapels, arranged side by side. The central chapel is wider than the others and was dedicated to Amun; to its left, the chapel of Ré, Ptah and the monarch; to its right, the chapels of Osiris, which gives access to other rooms that span the width of the temple, Isis and Horus.

Logistical" rooms. Two doors in the second hypostyle hall lead to two rooms used to store sacred barks, five rooms containing the treasury, and a set of 5 rooms that served as a sacred slaughterhouse; note that jars are sealed to the floor and that gutters were dug to facilitate the draining of blood.

A staircase leads to a promontory outside the temple, giving access to the Osirion-cenotaph.

Osirian festivals have always been celebrated at Abydos, featuring the confrontation between the two brothers Set and Osiris, Isis's search for the body parts of her brother and husband, and the reconstitution of the body. To this day, some visitors to Abydos worship the Osirian cult.

The dromos (Greek for "path") is a 3.3 km-long path used by the sacred boats in the Opet ceremony procession to reach the Nile via the sacred lake and canal, paved with large boulders and lined with lion-bodied sphinxes. Some bear a ram's head, others a human head. At the time, there were over 1,000 sphinx statues in the alley. The two temples of Luxor and Karnak can be reached on foot along the ancient alley in less than 1 hour (if it's not too hot). Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979.

The first Aswan Dam was built between 1898 and 1902 at the request of the British Governor. The aim was to regulate the flooding of the Nile in order to make better use of agricultural land. Similarly, the end of the flood allowed the development of Cairo, without fear of flooding. This first dam was raised twice. It was after its elevation that the island of Philae was submerged. Under the aegis of UNESCO, the temple of Philae was moved to the island of Agikia between 1972 and 1980.

If you drive along the road to Gourna, you'll see two pillars which, as you approach, turn out to be two gigantic statues, the largest remains of the funerary temple built for Amenhotep III on the left bank. Originally carved in a single block, they reach a height of around 20 m on their plinths and represent Amenhotep III in a seated position, hands on knees, the position of peace. His mother and wife are depicted smaller at his feet. They originally adorned the entrance to the king's huge funerary temple.

Nothing remains of the temple - which explains their unusual presence in the middle of a sugarcane field - even though it was gigantic, stretching 700 m to the foot of the Theban Mountain. Shaken by an earthquake at the very beginning of the Christian era, the northern statue began to emit a sound due, it seems, to the heating of the stone exposed to the sun, a whistling sound that the Greeks attributed to Memnon, the mythical king of Ethiopia, son of Dawn, who inspired numerous pilgrimages and gave his name to the site. For two centuries, until Septimius Severus had the statue restored, depriving it of its distinctive sound, the Colossi of Memnon were a major tourist attraction. Among their famous visitors was the emperor Hadrian, whom Marguerite Yourcenar, in Memoirs of Hadrian, imagines resting in the shadow of the statue. Excavations are still taking place on the site, in the shadow of the colossi if you will.

Still welded to the rock from which it was to be extracted, it rests with its entire mass (1,200 tonnes) and length (42 m) on its granite bed. Abandoned as it was and left unfinished because of cracks that appeared in some places, it would have been the largest obelisk known once erected. The surrounding area is a former quarry where the workers used to work to remove the enormous blocks of stone that looked like temples, palaces or deities.

The work was insane, judge! You had to start by hammering the rock with a stone as hard as dolorite, until a sufficiently wide and deep notch was made. Wooden wedges, previously soaked in water, were driven in, and as they dried, the wedges expanded and shattered the rock. The operation was carried out on three sides. Depending on its use, it was roughened on the spot, sometimes even almost finished. It was then placed on a wooden sledge and taken down to the river by a special ramp. It was made of rubble, on which the masons sealed several layers of bricks covered with a thick layer of silt kept wet and slippery.

The felucca, in charge of transporting the blocks, landed a little before the receding water level near the bank. Once aground, there was time to load the felucca. At the next flood, the boat was afloat and set sail for the delivery. Unloading was carried out in the same manner.

Only a few ruins remain of the ancient city, located in Kom el-Ashmuneïm, 8 km from Tuna el-Gebel. But new discoveries suggest that Tuna el-Gebel will not remain in the shadows for long. In 2017, the Egyptian authorities reported the discovery of a necropolis with numerous funerary wells dating from the end of the Pharaonic period (26th dynasty and after) and the beginning of the Ptolemies in the mid-4th century. In the region of Tuna el-Gebel, opposite Amarna, and 60 km south of Minya, the Egyptian mission is continuing the excavations .

The kiosk of Kertassi is a small temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor or the goddess Isis. It was located 40 km south of New Kalabcha, until it was moved in 1960 by the Egyptian antiquities department during the rescue of the Nubian temples. It was to serve as a stop for the procession of the sacred boat in the Ptolemaic period, of which it is probably a contemporary. The columns of this kiosk have either papyriform or hathoric capitals. Maybe he's a contemporary of Trajan's kiosk at Philae.

This temple built by Augustus was dedicated to the gods Serapis and Isis. It was located 50 km to the north before it was relocated due to the Aswan Dam construction project in 1960. This temple was never completed, and has no inscription, so it is difficult to attribute it to the Romans. It is of modest dimensions, and consists of a hypostyle hall with fifteen columns. A terrace is accessed by a spiral staircase, which remains unique in Egyptian architecture. The temple was transformed into a church.

The temple of Dakka has been moved 40 km from its original location. It dates from several eras, including Ptolemaic and Roman. It was dedicated to Thoth.

Pylon: Augustus had it built in a disproportionate way in front of a rather modest temple; it is dug multiple chambers.

Portico: In the purest Ptolemaic style, the portico is openwork in its upper part, giving access to a classical pronaos, followed by a rectangular vestibule.

Sanctuaries: two sanctuaries follow each other, one from the Arkamani period, the second from the Augustan period.

The temple was built by Ramses II, called here "the beloved of Amon". It was originally located 4 kilometers east, where Lake Nasser is now. The temple known as "Ramses-love of Amun" served as a resting place for the sacred boat on its way down the Nile. Inspired by the lion-bodied stone sphinxes guarding the central aisle, it was named Ouadi es-Seboua, the Valley of the Lions. The temple has a progressive classical structure with three pylons.

First pylon: has disappeared, but gives access to a first courtyard lined with sphynxes with human heads topped by the double crown of Lower and Upper Egypt.

Second pylon: has disappeared, but gives access to a small courtyard lined with falcon-headed sphynxes in front of which stands a statue of Ramses II; a stepped staircase extends the courtyard and leads to a terrace.

Third pylon: is still standing; one notices a monumental statue of Ramses II, on the left, flanked by his daughter Bentanat; the pylon is decorated with bas-reliefs narrating the victories of Pharaoh.

Third courtyard: surrounded by ten Osirid pillars leading to a portico by an inclined ramp.

Hypostyle hall: small hall consisting of twelve monumental pillars, overlooking a vestibule serving two side chapels and a three-part sanctuary. If Amun-Ra is worshipped there, the great gods of the time of Ramses have a special place there. The temple was transformed into a church as the representation of Saint Peter on the bas-reliefs of the sanctuary attests.

The oldest temple in Nubia, built in Dynasty 18, contains beautifully coloured bas-reliefs made under Thutmes III and IV and under Amenophis II.

Hypostyle Hall: it is reached by crossing a grey brick pylon built by Seti I to protect the temple; Thutmes IV is represented there; in front of the portico, it is Thutmes III who is represented on the walls of the temple.

Vestibule and sanctuary: it is mainly Amenhetep II who is represented on the bas-reliefs and in the sanctuary.

This small rock temple is located in the same place as the Kalabsha temple. It was built by Ramses II to be one of the first buildings used for public relations purposes. It is entered through a courtyard where Pharaoh's battles against the Nubians on the left and against the Libyans and Asians on the right are depicted. The vestibule is decorated with Ramses II presenting offerings to Hathor and Khnum. The sanctuary is decorated with Ramses facing Ra and Khnum. The small temple of Beit El Wali is in many ways fascinating.

The fortress occupies a cliff overlooking the Nile, dominating the site of Aniba, seat of the governor of the province. The first vestiges of the reign of Amenophis I are dated. The present remains are a mixture of a Coptic cathedral and an Ottoman fort commanded by Selim I. For three centuries, the descendants of the first Ottoman soldiers lived in these places, until 1811. The Aswan High Dam transformed this place into an island and drowned its surroundings. Qasr Ibrim is the only site in Lower Nubia to have survived the Nile floods.

Partly buried, the temple was built by Ramses II and was dedicated to Ra. It is remarkable for some of its colourful representations.

First hypostyle hall: it is accessed by crossing a pylon; at the back four Osirid pillars support some ceiling elements.

Second hypostyle hall: six columns supporting a reconstructed ceiling. Ramses II stands in front of a splendid ished tree. Then follows the sanctuary flanked by two side chapels. The chapel on the left is remarkable for the representation of the sacred bark of Amon.

This is one of the stops on a dahabieh cruise.

On the west bank of the Nile: numerous graffiti and stelae show the importance of this place of worship where, as the flood raged, Hâpy and the elephantine triad, considered to be the masters of the river, were celebrated. Three sanctuaries built by Merenptah, Seti ^I and Ramses II have survived in part, and the ceilings still retain their colors.

On the east bank of the Nile: impressive sandstone quarries, stelae and ex-voto statues.

At the top of this hill of granite blocks where hieroglyphics and pharaonic drawings can still be seen very clearly, a stele tells of a particularly difficult episode in the reign of Djeser (3rd dynasty) in the year 19. On this rock, recognizable by the fault that crosses it in the middle from left to right, about 40 lines of hieroglyphs evoke the terrible drought that had been raging for seven years to the despair of the king and the population. Here is an excerpt: "I was in sorrow on my throne.... My heart was in such great sorrow because the Nile had not come in time for seven years. The grain was scarce, the seeds were dried up, all we had to eat was in meager quantity. "The priests believe that the angry god Khnum, who is holding back the waters of the Nile, is responsible. To appease him, Djeser is seen making offerings to the god. The scriptures detail the dream of the most important priest of the kingdom in which the deity appears and promises the return of the water. The next day, the king passes a decree to renovate the temple of Khnum on Elephantine Island and to furnish it more regularly with offerings.

Panorama of the old dam. Climbing on this rocky hill (forget the flip-flops, by the way) also gives a better understanding of what the Nile and Nubia looked like before the Aswan dam wanted by Nasser. The first flat island just in front of it was then under water.

Halfway between Cairo and Luxor, Asyut was the starting point for the caravans that went to the oases. Formerly called Lycopolis, the Greeks commemorated the cult of Oupouaout, who was seen as the protector of the city. This deity is represented in the form of a canid. The burial caves, which can be seen on the site, are dug into the mountain walls and are thought to contain the tombs of the pharaohs of Dynasties IX, X and XII, such as Chety I and II. The tomb of Meir contains the tomb of the Princes of Qusseia.

Built between 1964 and 1970, this impressive dam has pharaonic dimensions: 3,600 m long, 111 m high, 980 m wide at the base, reduced to 40 m at the top. It was President Nasser's project, carried out with the help of Soviet Russia. Today, it produces between 5 and 7% of the country's energy with 12 generators. It was built to manage the Nile's high water levels, prevent flooding and create a water reserve. It has been blamed for reducing the Nile's silt content. Its construction caused major displacement of the population and archaeological sites.

Early in the morning, the square turns into a gigantic cattle fair where, in a feverish atmosphere, the merchants count their tickets and engage in a noisy bidding war. A sale of leather whips, skillfully woven, is organized. The camel market itself is held twice a week, on Saturdays and Sundays, and the rest of the week the place is transformed into a market of cows, sheep, goats... Introduced by the Greeks, camels are not among the animals originally used by the Egyptians.