11 - 17 October 2001
Issue No.555
|
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 11 - 17 October 2001 Issue No.555 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
A personal service
A Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan is always popular, since it takes in some of the most beautiful temples on the upper Nile, not the least of which is Esna, where Al-Ahram Weekly photographer Sherif Sonbol captured these images of Esna's central market and the finely-carved capitals of the Graeco-Roman temple of Khnum. However, non-Egyptian readers -- particularly those with cars and plenty of energy -- might like to know that they can visit historical sites along the upper reaches of the Nile under their own steam, thus avoiding the inconvenience of waiting to join a convoy of security- accompanied vehicles.By applying to the Motorcade Police in Luxor they can, for the reasonable sum of LE500, have their own friendly police escort from site to site, and even off the beaten track.
Other historical sites between Luxor and Aswan besides Esna are the temples of Dendera, Edfu and Kom Ombo. The temple of Hathor at Dendera is dedicated to one of Egypt's best loved deities. Its well-preserved ceiling in the Great Hypostyle Hall includes representations of the twelve signs of the Egyptian zodiac: the lion, the serpent, the balances, the scorpion, the archer and the goat in one section; the crab, the twins, the bull, the ram, the fish and the water carrier in the other. The temple of Horus at Edfu contains some of the finest art and architecture of the Ptolemaic period. The "double temple" of Sobek (the crocodile) and Horus (the hawk) at Kom Ombo is built on a traditional pattern but, uniquely, with an invisible division down the middle. Separate doorways extend its entire length, through halls and ante-chambers, ultimately leading to the two sanctuaries of the two gods.
The temple of Esna lies below the present ground level and is approached down a flight of steps. The capitals are elaborate and finely decorated, and the temple is of historic interest as the emperor Decius (AD 249-251) was the last ruler whose name appears in a royal cartouche.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page