Up at first light watching the balloons over the Nile With Luxor Temple in the foreground.
Luxor Temple is a large
Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the
River Nile in the city today known as
Luxor (ancient
Thebes) and was founded in 1400 B.C.E.
Known in the
Egyptian language as
ipet resyt, or "the southern sanctuary", the temple was dedicated to the
Theban Triad of
Amun,
Mut, and
Chons and was built during the
New Kingdom, the focus of the annual
Opet Festival, in which a cult statue of Amun was paraded down the Nile from nearby
Karnak Temple (ipet-isut) to stay there for a while, with his consort Mut, in a celebration of fertility – whence its name.
The earliest parts of the temple still standing are the barque chapels, just behind the first pylon. They were built by Hatshepsut, and appropriated by Tuthmosis III. The main part of the temple - the colonnade and the sun court were built by Amenhotep III, and a later addition by Rameses II, who built the entrance pylon, and the two obelisks (one of which was taken to France, and is now at the centre of the
Place de la Concorde) linked the Hatshepsut buildings with the main temple.
To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Tuthmosis III, and Alexander. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_Temple
better photos are on myegypt website luxor area temples at the bottom of the page.click on the photos to enlarge
All the next shots are on the road that runs alongside the temple,
The Pharaos chariot is in the city not sure what its doing here or how it got here there is no draw bar attached so maybe they are going to have a chariot and bike race?
The sugar cane trike could be a bit of a sore point with the rider.
Good shade from the midday sun for this street dog
which trike you want one will put a spring in your movement.
The butcher had a new side of beef in not in the uk here what you see is what you get flies and all.
One of the strange things I find here is people who go begging only do it cos some fool tourist will feel sorry for them and give them money, the real poor down and outs do not beg because a local will always give them something like a cup of tea or a breakfast or a pound to get his own.
They think they can spell as long as it sounds ok
Posted by nilelife at 05:04 
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