Gebel Silsila

Jan 14th

Early morning on the bus

On our second day off, Dr. Bryan decided to take us on a trip to Gebel Silsila. I had never heard of it before, and I'm sure none of you have either, but it ended up being one of the coolest places of my time in Egypt. Gebel Silsila is an ancient Egyptian quarry  near Aswan (a few hours ride from Luxor) that also has a rock cut temple and a few shrines. The temple overlooks a clean Nile and the silence is a beautiful break from the overwhelming noise that is produced by the city of Luxor. For the first day so far, there was no honking, hassling or smog. THIS is the Egypt I had imagined. This is the Egypt the ancient Egyptians saw, and it really is stunning. We were alone and free to explore wherever we pleased. Places like this preserve my sanity and remind me how beautiful the country is beyond the cities.

Gebel Silsila from across the river

The rock cut temple, as you may have figured, is a building that is carved right into the rock, leaving very little room for error. There are few in Egypt, so it was interesting to be able to explore one. We also saw some rock art in the shape of giraffes, a cave full of bats, and the highlight of the trip: a wild cobra! Around the quarry area were shaped but unfinished ram sphinxes. It makes sense that the Egyptians would shape their larger monuments or stones before transport because the stones weigh far too much to carry in chunks.

Some of the shrines taken from the boat

COBRA!

Unfinished ram sphinx in the quarry

While everyone at home in New Jersey was making snow angels, I was making sand angels!

While I still have so many touristy things to see, I’m extremely glad Dr. Bryan took us here. I would have missed an amazing site had I come to Egypt with anyone else. We finished the night by happily celebrating through sugar-induced dancing in Luxor temple. It’s quite a different experience at night when the reliefs are lit and bats fly overhead.

Looking out on the Nile