Day 10, saturday 21 april 2012.

Today's program: Kalabsha temples, the High Dam and the Philae temple.

Kalabsha temple.

First we visit the temple of Kalabsha, the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the god Mandoelis. To get there we first need to embark, because this temple is located since the construction of the High dam in Lake Nasser.

The temple of Kalabsha is in 18 months, from September 1961 until the spring of 1963 dismantled, moved and reassembled. 1600 sandstone blocks that sometimes weighed 20 tons eachare 30 km north rebuilt. The Kalabsha village now submerged, was here and it was an important place because here was a passage of the Nile Valley in the Desert. They could also come from the Desert to the water, here was the way to Taffeh and the priests of Philae were here a long time the boss.
There was here a special deity, Mandoelis of Talmis, it was a sun god and fertility god.
We meet him in the temple dedicated to him was built on the site where first been a temple of Amenhotep II had stood.
The Ptolemies have the temple built and also Emperor Augustus has spend time to it.

However, the temple has never come off there are a lot of rough and unfinished inscriptions.
There is also a relief in the temple of Amenhotep II who sacrifices to the god Min and Mandoelis but which he probably did not know.
Also there is an inscription of St. George, the dragon slayer personified by King Silko a king of the 5th century. Unfortunately, the front gate of the temple is gone, this is given as a gift to the Germans for their help. And this now stands since 1973 at the Museum of Charlottenburg in Berlin.

Clik on the ticket for the pictures.

Ramses II had no less than 7 temples in Nubia, and there is Beit el Wali also one of them. This temple is partially carved into the rocks and dedicated to Horus and the gods of Elephantine Khnum, Satis and Anoekis.
Again, a Coptic church is made ​​here but fortunately little damage is done.
In 1964 it was the turn of this temple to move he was still quite high above the water and in 1965 it was rebuilt next to the temple of Kalabsha.
There are beautiful images on this temple, but it also does show that the Nubians Ramses II feared and they came with many sacrifices to the temple, pockets full of gold, forests ostrich feathers, piles of leopard skins, elephant tusks in abundance and variety of domesticated animals on the line such as hunting dogs, monkeys, a giraffe, an ostrich, antelope and cattle with very long beautiful horns.
This they brought them all as tax. Inside the temple are many beautiful colors to admire. And in the back are images of the gods of Aswan.

It's actually a very small temple. It dates from the Ptolemaic period and was demolished in 1960 by Egyptian antiquities service and rebuilt in 1963 next to the temple of Kalabsha, it is dedicated to Isis and Hathor.
It is about the same time built the temple of Philae. It is only 8.5 square meters and has only 1 room the columns with floral capitals are beautiful. In the past the small temple lay on a high plateau above the Nile. And even with the construction of the Old Aswan Dam the temple came to lay very low.
In Kertassi where the temple came from, were large quarries which lay around the temple. There are also several beautiful tombs but unfortunately, with the construction of the first dam they already have been lost and ended up under water.

This temple was half hewn into the rocks and unfortunately it was not possible to completely rescue this temple. From the part which was in the rocks, Unesco has the important reliefs carved and brought to a safer place. The temple was built by Setau here he ruled the region for Ramses II, but he could also have been a very good friend of Ramses II and Nefertari _. He was viceroy. The temple is certainly not pretty, the reliefs are very rude and also the sculpture seems shabby and it's so good to see that it was created by local artists.
The temple is dedicated to the imperial god Ptah of Memphis. And he was called Per-Ptah, the house of Ptah.
In 1964, the reliefs are cut and the reconstruction of the outer part was in 1964-1965 next to the temple of Kalabsha.

Near Kalabsha, is the High Dam, which we also honour with a short visit.

The first dam was built by the British and was completed in 1902. They were still taking into consideration the rhythm of the river. And let the water with the fertile silt freely pass, less from an ecological understanding than out of the fear that the tubines would be silted up.
Since the construction of the High Dam, with the reservoir behind the situation has changed. The sludge does no longer get through. And the farmers are now dependent on fertilizer.

Click on the ticket for the pictures.

The farmers in the north also suffer the consequences of the new dam. The soil salinity as more and more.
On the other hand, the continuity of the high dam and its associated water supply, make several harvests per year possible. And the urgent need for electricity much better can be provided. The construction of the dam is in the course of time increasingly become a politically contentious issue. When the U.S. no longer honor their financial commitments wanted to do, Gamel Abdel Nasser appealled to _ the Soviets. The monument of the Sovet-Egyptian friendship is a stylized lotus flower with a viewing platform on top. And gives a panoramic view from above.

Then we drive to the temple of Philae, the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. This temple is in connection with the construction of the High Dam moved because it otherwise would face under water, therefore this temple is only accessible by boat.

Temple of Philae.

Click on the ticket for the pictures.

At 1600 hours we were back at the hotel. After a nice shower it was time to go to the other side for a few beers and a bite to eat and then to bed on time because the alarm, this time at 3 o'clock the next day to go to Abu Simbel. See you tomorrow.