Abu Simbel – The Glory of Ramses II

Ramses II was Pharaoh of Egypt for a remarkably long 67 years during the 13 Century BC. He was one of the longest ruling Pharaohs ever and during his reign accomplished many great things, including what’s said to be the first large military battle between the Egyptians and Hitites called the Battle of Kadesh. During his reign it is said that Egypt prospered with growing power, wealth and status which made most people in Upper and Lower Egypt very happy.

Me and Mom in front of Abu Simbel

To commemorate the Battle of Kadesh and to intimidate his Nubian neighbors, Ramses II had the temples of Abu Simbel carved out of the side of a rock during a 20 year period beginning in 1264 BC. The first temple, dedicated to himself and god Amun, is a magnificent masterpiece with four extra-large (20+ meter high) statues of himself on the outside and a grand interior on the inside complete with another statue of himself along with three other Egyptian gods. The second temple, dedicated to his wife Nefertari, is not quite the size of the first, but still impressive with six large statues decorating the outside.

Mom and Pamela in front of glyphs at Abu Simbel

Pamela and Mom in front of the Temple of Nefertari

We don’t think a trip to Egypt is complete without seeing these grand temples, some say the masterpieces of Egypt. That being said it does take a bit of work getting to the temples. They can be reached overland from the Southern Nile city of Aswan or via air from Cairo. We did the overland route from an Aswan hotel. Unfortunately due to the temples close proximity to Sudan overland access for tourists is restricted to secure convoys that leave very early in the morning. Armed police in the first and last bus. Sometimes in the middle bus. The convoys first started after an attack on tourists many years ago. Since then there have been no reported incidents but the convoys continue as a revenue source for the police.

Here’s the timeline of our visit to Abu Simbel:
3:15am: Alarm goes off (Ugh, too darn early)
3:45am: Depart hotel with a breakfast box of bread, cheese and hard boiled egg. Yumm!
4:00am: Convoy of buses and minivans meet on the side of a road near police station. Sit around for a while watching the guides, drivers and police smoke cigarette after cigarette.
4:30am: Once someone deems enough buses have arrived it’s time to depart.
4:30am to 7:30am: Approximately 300 kilometer drive South through the desert. The sun came up around 6:30am.
7:45am: Arrive at Abu Simbel with everyone else. All tourists go in the same direction towards the main temple.
8:00am to 8:30am: Guide lecture on Abu Simbel
8:30am to 9:45am: Free time to explore the temples and take photos.
9:45am: Back to the bus going through the gauntlet of touts and shops Some of the touts at the exit to Abu Simbel are horribly rude and unnecessarily pushy. One even said some very disrespectful things to Pamela.
10:00am: Once everyone is back the convoy departs. It could take a few minutes to round everyone up, it could be several hundred people.
10:00am to 1:00pm: Same drive back through the desert. You do pass through the Tropic of Cancer on your way up and down but I didn’t see a sign for it. There were quite a few burned out old cars, trucks and buildings. No bathroom breaks either….so don’t drink too much.

Guys with guns waiting for the convoy to start.

Vans on the convoy

If we were to go back to Abu Simbel we would probably fly from Cairo straight to Abu Simbel then take the convoy back to Aswan. This would then get around taking the overnight train from Cairo to Aswan and avoid the early morning convoy. In either case we were super-glad to have seen the temples of Abu Simbel and consider it one of the highlights of our trip down the Nile.

Pamela in front of the temples of Abu Simbel

Mom and I in front of the Temple of Nefertari

All our pics from Abu Simbel can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/AbuSimbel?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave

Selcuk – Small Town, Big Charm

The Library of Celcus at Ephesus

The small town of Selcuk was the 3^rd stop on our Turkey tour. Made famous for the ancient ruins of Ephesus the town is also home to the Temple of Artemis, St. John’s Basilica, Seven Sleepers and some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. We spent two nights at a hillside pension/hotel/hostel called ANZ House. Harry, the Turkish owner, spent quite a bit of time in Australia (18 years) hence the hotel name and also owns a carpet shop down the road. The town of Selcuk used to be a lot busier but since the arrival of cruise ships to a nearby port, most of the tourists now come by boat and only stay for the day. Walking around the streets at night you get the sense that it used to be quite a lively place but now just a few people are around. The benefit for us was there were no problems finding a dinner table and every shopkeeper was more than willing to chat with us for a while.

Ephesus
Pamela and I caught a taxi to the top gate of Ephesus at a cost of 10 Turkish Lira ($6 USD), we could have walked the four kilometers but weren’t 100% sure where we were going. At the top gate we made our way through the gauntlet of touts and shopkeepers, bought our 20 Turkish Lira ($12 USD) ticket each and got into the site with about a million other people, mostly tourists from the cruise ships. The sites at Ephesus are pretty well signposted in English but you can purchase an audio guide for an additional 10 Turkish Lira ($6 USD). A word of warning, make sure you go to the toilet prior to entering the park as there aren’t any inside the two kilometer long park. We both didn’t and had to wait until the end, three hours later.

Ancient amphitheatre once capable of seating 25,000

The ruins of Ephesus are said to be one of the best preserved examples of an ancient Mediterranean city.  In the 1^st century BC Ephesus ( during the Roman Era) was home to over 250,000 people making it one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean world. Ephesus was the slave trade center of the Mediterranean for almost 200 years. This allowed the city and many of its inhabitants to grow very wealthy. As you walk through the ruins be prepared for monstrous tour groups stopping and starting all over the place. If you manage to dodge the groups then you’ll get some great photos and read some interesting stories about the site. My personal favorites were the Library of Celcus, large amphitheater with seating for 25,000 and the Temple of Hadrian. While we were visiting the theatre a trio of American singers/tourists broke out into a chorus line center stage, not a real treat.

St. John’s Basilica
St. John’s was built by Emperor Justinian I in the 6^th century AD on the believed spot of John the Apostles Tomb. If still standing, St. John’s Basilica would be the 7^th largest Cathedral in the world.  We visited these ruins about an hour before sunset and stayed to watch the sunset, we definitely recommend you do the same. The ruins which sit at the top of a hill in Selcuk will cost you 5 Turkish Lira ($3 USD) each to get in. Outside you might run into touts trying to sell you real/fake ancient coins. Dodge them and walk through the old gates and into the ruins. Once inside the ruins check out the various older rooms, check out St. John’s supposed tomb, I say supposed because nobody really knows if he was really buried there, and last but not least stick around for the sunset. We did and it was well worth the price of admission. As the sun goes down you’ll be able to get some great pics of St. John’s, the city of Selcuk and the hill of Ephesus.

St. John's Tomb

Enjoying the sunset at St. John's Basilica. The Selcuk Citadel in the background.

Some of the remnants of the Basilica

The Temple of Artemis
We had a short visit to the temple dedicated to the Greek goddess of fertility. This place was an Ancient Wonder of the World when the temple was standing, think 500 BC. Unfortunately all that’s left of the 127 original columns is one single column which has been rebuilt by historians. The temple was destroyed in approximately 400 AD. You really have to use your imagination when considering the grandeur this site once held as now it’s just a single column and some old foundation. Admission is free and we’d only recommend stopping here if you’re passing by, which most people do on the way to and from Ephesus.

The lone column at The Temple of Artemis

Other Things to do in Selcuk
Unfortunately we only had a couple days in Selcuk so we couldn’t do all that much. We can say that a trip to the Seven Sleeper tombs is worth the extra little drive from Ephesus, while there you can order a fresh gozleme (Turkish pancake)  and watch the ladies make it right in front of you. Additionally a trip to Selcuk would not be complete without a stop at the Ejder Restaurant. Quite possibly the best restaurant in Turkey, the family run restaurant will cook your kebab on the small fire right in front of you. The pide is awesome and the service and hospitality are typical Turkey great.

The best kebab anywhere. That's the cook behind me.

Watching gozleme being made near the Tomb of the Seven Sleepers

All our photos from Selcuk can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/SelcukEphesusStJohnSBasilica?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave