A River-markable View!

Jenesa and I continue to be "in-de-Nile" about all of the cool things we've been seeing on this trip.  This morning we set sail on a traditional felucca across the mighty Nile to visit the Temple of Isis.  This temple is important for its dedication to the goddess Isis in ancient Egyptian religion, its cultural and architectural significance, and its preservation through relocation.

The Temple of Isis was originally located upon the island of Philae, which meant "the end" in Ancient Egypt language and marked the southernmost boundary of the historic nation.  The temple at Philae was on the verge of being lost under water when the high Aswan dam was built in the 1960s. 

Fortunately, the temple was rescued by a joint operation between the Egyptian government and UNESCO. In an engineering feat to rival the ancients, the entire island was surrounded with a dam and the inside pumped dry. Then every stone block of the temple complex was labelled and removed later to be assembled, like a giant jigsaw puzzle, on the higher ground of Agilka Island. The project took ten years and has saved one of Egypt’s most beautiful temples from certain destruction.

It was one of the last temples dedicated to the goddess Isis, who reportedly had mystical powers. It was believed that her knowledge of secret formulae had brought life back to her husband Osiris; that her spells had saved her son Horus from the bite of a poisonous snake; and that she was the protectress of all who sought her.

I know what you're thinking!  After all of these temples don't they all start to look alike?  Well....yes and no.  Honestly, there hasn't been a moment during this trip that I have NOT looked forward to seeing a new temple.  They have all been pretty amazing to visit......even in 109 degree heat!

After returning from the temple our next stop was the best DAM part of the day!  Our tour group visited the Aswan High Dam, which took 11 years to construct, and spans two miles at its crest.  This $1 billion dam ended the cycle of flood and drought in the Nile River region, and exploited a tremendous source of renewable energy, but has had a controversial environmental impact.

The giant reservoir created by the dam was named Lake Nasser in honor of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the former President of Egypt, who was instrumental in the construction of the Aswan High Dam.  The formation of Lake Nasser required the resettlement of 90,000 Egyptian peasants and Sudanese Nubian nomads, as well as the costly relocation of the ancient Egyptian temple complex of Abu Simbel and the Temple of Philae (Isis Temple).

Our final stop of the afternoon was to the Unfinished Obelisk in downtown Aswan.  Obelisks are iconic monuments and masterpieces of ancient Egyptian engineering. They are found throughout Egypt and usually stand in towering pairs in front of entrances to temples.  This one is still lying in the original granite quarry where construction first began in the 18th dynasty by Queen Hatshepsut.

Construction was abandoned on this obelisk because of flaws in the stone and the presence of multiple fissures (cracks). Had it been finished, it would have weighed 1200 tons, and stood at a height of around 126ft, taller than any other ancient Egyptian obelisk.

The location that holds the obelisk is considered to be an open-air museum.  We were given the opportunity to hike up into the quarry to get a closer look at the obelisk.  Who doesn't like climbing around on giant rocks?  Most of our tour group found it way too hot to explore the quarry in detail, but I was definitely planning to get my money's worth at this place.

The red arrow above shows you where the largest fissure (crack) appears through the obelisk.  If you are at all interested in how the Egyptians constructed these massive stone structures please visit the How To Build An Obelisk page for more information.  I know some (most) of you don't care....

***QUIZ TIME!   The United States has the world's tallest obelisk.  It stands 555 feet tall.  Where is it located in the United States?  (The answer can be found at the bottom of the How To Build An Obelisk page)