Monuments of Ancient Egypt

We have almost completed our tour of Pharaonic monuments that line the banks of the River Nile. First stop was Luxor (Thebes) to visit The Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut. On the surface there is little to see at The Valley of the Kings except for the effects of the blistering heat on the hapless tourists. However, buried deep in the ground are the amazing tombs of the Pharaohs. The three tombs we visited were totally different, but equally amazing. The sculptures, paintings, and hieroglyphs are incredible. The painted hieroglyphs in one tomb covered almost every surface and looked like they were done yesterday. They were stunning, especially since they're 3500 years old. The detail of the carvings is equally impressive. The picture of the hand holding the 'key of life' is typical. The whole carving is probably 5-6 m high, but they took the time to include such detail as the finger nails and cuticles. While in Luxor we also visit Luxor Temple and the Temple of Karnak, which is the largest of all the Ancient Egyptian monuments. The columns that dot the entire complex are immense and were built to prove how great and powerful the current Pharaoh was.
We are now in Aswan, the most southern town in Egypt, and it's obscenely hot. Aswan doesn't have a whole lot to offer except a few hours sailing around the islands that dot the Nile. The main attraction is the Temples of Abu Simbel about 3 hrs south on the Sudan border. The huge temple was carved out of a hill/mountain 3500 years ago under the order of Rameses II. The main feature of the temple is the 20m high statues of Rameses II that guard the entrance. When Egypt built the Aswan Dam in 1960 the temple was to be submerged under what is now Lake Nasser. UNESCO solved this slight problem and cut the mountain and temple up into small pieces and moved it to higher ground. I'm not sure what is more impressive, the actual temple orf the fact that the whole thing was moved. Just outside Aswan is the Temple of Philae, probably the most beautiful of the temples in Egypt. Just like Abu Simbel, the Temple of Philae was relocated to avoid the rising waters of Lake Nasser. It is beautifully situated on an island in the middle of the lake, totally peaceful.
Next stop is Cairo for even more hustle and bustle. We have treated ourselves to the sleeper train, so will be traveling in semi-luxury.