The open air museum contains fragments of the temple
from all periods of its past, from the Old Kingdom to
the Coptic period. In the top photograph you can see
the blocks stretching into the far distance. It really
is a staggering collection of pieces!
from all periods of its past, from the Old Kingdom to
the Coptic period. In the top photograph you can see
the blocks stretching into the far distance. It really
is a staggering collection of pieces!
4 comments:
I am always left wondering where the missing blocks went at a site like this. Even when so thoroughly ruined, the remaining fragments are more impressive than many Roman villas in the UK. I had some contact with the French team at Karnak a few years ago: the benches they were building there had damp courses to guard against the rising water table. I hope these do as well.
CJB
Impossible to say at Tod. The site has been well organized and the open air museum is beautifully laid out, but there are no information boards and nothing to say what work has been completed (either in terms of excavation or conservation). There was quite a bit of healthy vegetation at ground level, which might argue for a high water table, and the village itself is mostly at a higher level surrounding the site.
It feels a little eerily like the land that time forgot - my father and I had the place to ourselves and the guards left us to wander uninterrupted. It is a remarkable place.
Next time I stay at Luxor, I shall have to go! My wife and I have done the taxi trips to Edfu and Esnah which were quite an adventure in themselves, travelling as you have to in a police-escorted convoy.
On my first visit to Karnak, which I was researching for a thesis on Ptolemaic architecture, I had the whole temple to myself it seemed at midday in August. It was rather hot but I was too absorbed to notice. The West Valley of the Valley of the Kings is also empty and it is eerie to walk to Ay's tomb alone and in silence under the eyes of "She who loves silence". CJB
The convoys are no longer operating (they ceased in 2010, if memory serves) so as long as you can sort out a reliable driver and remember to buy your tickets at Luxor Temple before you go, it should be quite painless. Tod itself (the village) is an absolute maze, but everyone there will know where the temple is even if your driver doesn't.
I know what you mean about the west valley - a really strange but good experience if you have come directly from the main area.
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