Today is Friday, and Jay, Elaine, and Yasmin have taken off to the west bank to visit monuments. They took the ferry and in Bairat hired bicycles to cycle to Deir el Bahri. |
Yasmin and Elaine head to the temple of Hatshepsut, ca. 1479-1459 B.C. at Deir el Bahri. This monument, a beautifully restored funerary temple, has been in the care of a Polish archaeological mission since the 1960s. Once a mass of rubble, the temple is now open on three levels. |
Before the reliefs depicting the divine birth of Hatshepsut, Yasmin stands and studies to follow the narrative. But thanks for the smile, Yasmin. |
On the recently opened third level, Elaine is busy snapping pictures of the processional reliefs. In ancient festivals, everybody participated, and Elaine is taking pictures of soldiers, musicians, and general townspeople who followed queen Hatshepsut’s procession to the Opet festival. |
Elaine and Yasmin on the third level of Deir el Bahri. What a beautiful sight. |
Outside the temple, Jay is snapped by Elaine. The photographer has finally succumbed to being photographed himself – once in a awhile. Thanks, Jay, for the wonderful photos all the time. |