The hippo is the goddess of fertility.
Some scenes from the flight.
The first two are irrigation canals leading from Lake Nasser.
The "pyramids" we saw as we landed are actually natural hills.
A mosaic at the Abu Simbel airport.
Our first sight of the monument to Ramesses II.
These statues were carved into the side of a mountain.
When they were to be flooded by the construction of the Aswan High dam they were cut free from the mountain and raised above the lake.
The face of each of the statues were some of the largest pieces weighing about 30 tons.
I hope you can get some idea of the size from the people in the pictures.
The statues are more than 65 ft tall.
A second set of statues at the site guards the entrance to a temple dedicated to Ramesses wife Nefertari. (Thanks Rod)
Inscriptions that were also moved to be saved from inundation.
Looking into the main entrance.
The next chamber is decorated with images of Ramesses II and various gods.
We had a hieroglyphic to English dictionary so we tried to translate some of what was recorded.
From our translation and what we were told the hieroglyphics describe his life and his close association with the gods.
Some of the side chambers.
We didn't measure them but the largest was about 15 by 60 ft and others about 10 by 50 ft.
They had been carved in the mountain so they had to be cut from it and moved to the new site when they were threatened with flooding.
Seams where they had been cut and reassembled were barely visible.
In one of the chambers the carvings were unfinished and you could see the more than 3000 year old charcoal sketches of the original sculptors.
There were few visitors when we were there so we could have a chamber to ourselves to try to get a feeling what it must have been like all those years ago.
Behind the monument you can see the modern construction that protects it from the elements.
