Ramses Temple in Abu Simbel

After a multi-hour drive through the desert in southern Egypt, heading into the sunrise, I reached the Temples of Abu Simbel, which Ramses II had built for the triad of gods Amun-Re, Re-Harachte, and Ptah in the 13th century BC in the solitude of Nubia. Here, I was filled with great admiration for the colossal stone statues, which look reverently upon their ancient home, which has since disappeared a few hundred metres away into Lake Nasser. It’s not just the millennia-old structure with its intricate architecture and painting that amazes the observer. A look “behind the scenes” reveals the mountain as a concrete dome construction, bridging the gap from the ancient Egyptians’ art of building to our technological age, connecting both.

All images from the ‘World Pictures’ Edition