Abydos and Dendera

It seems that not many folks visit Abydos and Dendera from Luxor. It is a long day (We left at 8:00 and got back to the hotel about 6:00) and the roads are really pretty bad. So you get bounced along a lot.

But it takes you through an interesting part of the country - sugar cane fields, mostly - and the temples are significant. And empty. So you can spend some quality time with them if you want. We saw one woman, probably about 65 years old, making supplications to Isis in the Dendera Temple. Good for her!

This is the route (more or less):

And when you weren't next to the river, this is what it looked like:

 A lot of brown:

This is the Temple of Seti I in Abydos:

 I like these snake heads:

 And more columns:

 Colors still in tact:

 To give you a sense of scale:

Thoth as an Ibis headed God:

Food offerings. Note the pomegranate!

The ceilings were always well colored:

Here are these scallop marks again. I did not hear a good explanation for what they are from.

 Hothar Temple in Dendera. One of the best preserved temples in all of Egypt. But so little viewed that our guide used this trip as an opportunity to take photos!

 A Hothar baby rattle

It was also a Coptic Christian church

 That's Bess. The God of Fun. Of which we were having.

 Tayeb with Bess

 Us with Tayeb

That guy was about to ride up to that cane truck and grab some sugar cane as a snack!