YET TIME FEARS THE PYRAMIDS…, a photo from Luxor, Inland

Photographer's Note

... YET TIME FEARS EGYPT…

It is said that "Man fears time, yet time fears the Pyramids!" Those colossal edifices, linked inextricably to Egypt, date back to the "Old Kingdom," 4500 years ago.

In 1997 I had been giving lectures on Egyptology on the ‘Silver Wind,’ a ship belonging to the Italian-owned Silverseas Cruise Line. The cruise had commenced in Mumbai, India, visited Dubai and Aden, before entering the Red Sea (from there, it went on to Haifa, Cyprus and Istanbul). When the ship visited the Egyptian Red Sea port of Safaga, an announcement was made regarding a “Silver Seas Experience” — a surprise shore excursion for all the passengers to the storied ruins of Luxor, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and the Tomb of Queen Hapshetsut. The 300+ passengers on board were transported 3 hours each way by a convoy of buses for an overnight excursion to the site in Upper Egypt, which is, of course, a misnomer. The Nile flows north to the Mediterranean from Upper Egypt in the South to Lower Egypt in the North.

The New Kingdom, centered around Luxor and Karnak (or ancient Thebes), dates back to over 3000 years ago. The extraordinarily well preserved hieroglyphic carvings seen here decorate a monumental slab at the entrance to the temple dedicated to the trio of Gods Amun, Mut and Chons in Luxor. The carvings depict scenes of the military victories by the armies of Ramses —most significantly in the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites from central Anatolia (as it was, this was a somewhat dubious claim; history does not reveal Ramses’s victory, but more likely that a stalemate occurred in the battle). Originally six colossal statues of Ramses flanked the main entrance to the temple complex — four of them seated, and two standing, but only the two seated have survived. Visitors can also see a 25 meter (82 ft) tall pink obelisk carved of granite, originally one of a matching pair (in 1835 one of the two obelisks was taken to Paris, and erected in the center of Place de la Concorde). The remaining obelisk and one of the seated colossal statues of Ramses were seen in a pair of photographs, Fisheye on Luxor and Luxor in Silhouette, posted last year in February and October, respectively.

This photo was shot with a 35-70 mm Nikkor lens, mounted on a Nikon N-90. I used a circular polarizing filter and Kodachrome-64 slide film. Recently I scanned this slide for posting at Trekearth. In lieu of a tripod, I used a low wall to steady the camera.

Warm regards to my Trekearth friends.

isabela_sor, vincz, Henryk_Bilor, MLINES, robertosalguero, snunney, jasmis, jhm, kdialyna, TGULUMSER, ChrisJ, JCG, Uhu, Wandering_Dan, Cretense, Photo65Net, stelli, stego, Silversnow, gunbud, zmey, trekks, Emile, Angshu, John_F_Kennedy, feather, evanrizo, Silvio1953, maglex, Dyerco, kiwi_explorer, nikosrio, Didi, Wanda1, delic, alvaraalto, Bluejeans, axiotea, daddo heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

isabela_sor (47748) 2008-04-19 13:39 [Comment]

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vincz (19113) 2008-04-19 13:45

Wow... beautiful one with this low POV. I love the blue sky on top. Great note.

Tobias__Ortmann (2638) 2008-04-19 14:05

Hi another very good shot great picture from agyp
Great sharpness and details
well done
Toba

Rooster_kool (860) 2008-04-19 14:11

Nice shout with blue sky. It shows detail sharpness and thank with your helpful note

danyy (0) 2008-04-19 14:26

Hello Bulent,
une grande qualité dans cette prise de vue qui va permettre aux égyptologues de se régaler de tous les détails.
Les lumières et leur angle étaient parfaits pour faire surgir les moindres aspérités.
Best regards.
Daniel.

emka (157280) 2008-04-19 15:05

Hi Bulent,
Interesting photo from Luxor. I visited Luxor and Karnak in 1991. I was so impressed by the Egyptian art for a long time. For me the most incredible thing was that it was at once perfect, even when it was some thousands years old. Nothing primitive. When they learned? Fascinating country, Egypt.

Warm regards

Malgorzata

mesutilgim (0) 2008-04-19 15:12

Selam sevgili Bülent,
Çok iyi bir yan ışık yakalamışsın. Röliyefler adeta üç boyutlu bir görüntü kazanmış.
Açıklamalar da her zamanki gibi mükemmel.
Tebrikler
Selam ve sevgiler
MESUT ILGIM

SteveH (8220) 2008-04-19 18:39

Hi, intresting POV used on this column, gives not only an idea of the intricate carvings, but also the scale, reaching upwards. Great title, as you suggest, Egypt has beaten time. cheers, Steve

MLINES (12516) 2008-04-19 22:31

Hi Bulent. Very interestingand concise notes about the artwork we see. The clarity is very good and the detail excellent. Many say Egypt is a wonderful place to see, especially awy from crowded Cairo! Good series. TFS. Murray.

robertosalguero (292) 2008-04-20 0:57

Hello Bulent,

The details created by the Egyptian are remarkable. Their alphabet and way of communication was very interesting. Nice image with the tilted pillar taken from a low angle. The image is a bit dark but overall very good. Thanks.

Roberto

snunney (130967) 2008-04-20 1:04

Hello Bulent,
A magnificent capture of this monumental stone showing the hieroglyphs and carvings to perfection. I like the inclusion of the strip of dark blue sky at the top which provides a pleasing contrast with the tones captured in the stone itself.

yedirenk (11244) 2008-04-20 1:15

Bülent bey merhaba,
Detaylar ışık ve doku enfes görünüyor.kadraj çok etkileyici.emeğinize sağlık.selamlar.

Cevdet

meltemi (0) 2008-04-20 1:26

Hello Bulent,
absolutely stunning image, beautiful details in the play of light and shade against the ruins. It adds a lot of drama and gives me the impression that it wants its story to be heard. The blue sky provides nice contrast for the old carved stones in your well-framed photo; excellent detail in the stone work and your light managment has given good color throughout. I read your note with great interest as always, thanks for it.
Warm Regards.
Stella

jasmis (58653) 2008-04-20 1:39

Superb perspective and amazing quality. Interesting note, as well. Really impressive presentation.
Regards.

jhm (211734) 2008-04-20 3:01

Hello friend Bulent,

Again a very instructive note, I learn always very a lot
The details are simply great,and because of the good angle the obelisk seems more impressive statue.
Not easy for take, you did very well.
Thanks for sharing.

Have a nice sunday,
John.

kdialyna (3148) 2008-04-20 3:31

Excellent choice to make the photo this hour of the day with the side light making the monument to look absolutely relief.
The blue and bright color of the sky makes very nice contrast with the rest, dark and warm colors of the photo.
My best regards
Kostas

TGULUMSER (13252) 2008-04-20 3:36

Hello Bulent Bey,
You presented the magnificance of temple very nice with the detailed notes and an excellent POV. The light management is wonderful revealing the beauty of the figures,
Best regards, wish you a nice week,
Tulay

ChrisJ (171366) 2008-04-20 5:47

Merhaba Bulent

A very informative note with a superb upward pov & excellent lighting showing the relief & texture. A marvellous blue sky to cap it all off. Tfs!

JCG (35153) 2008-04-20 7:30

Hi Bülent,

A beautiful page of writing here but unfortunately I am not Champollion, the inventor of Egyptology !!! First of all thank you for the instructive note as usual. Pretty scan and good image processing which enable us to benefit from many details. The beautiful light gives an additional relief to the Egyptian hieroglyphes.

With all my friendships and very good Sunday,

Jean-Charles

Uhu (8609) 2008-04-20 8:33

Oh yes, carved stones. If you're big and mighty and ambitious, and want to left something for the future generations, make a carved stones. That'll work. Wood will rot, paper will disappear, but stones will say their story after the ages and ages.
Great shot and wonderful note.

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2008-04-20 9:54

Hello, Bulent -

And interesting posting for Passover! :-)

Very well composed (though I'm of two minds about cutting off the lower right corner there) and an excellent scan to digital; not easy to get it right. I like the use of limited colors, too. And the carving details are superb.

Best,
Dan

Cretense (68709) 2008-04-20 10:07

Hi Bulent!

Excellent capture! Great low POV and perspective, great framing and composition, but I think the most impressive here is the light managment! The side light, gives beautiful shadows and creates a great 3D effect! Congratulations!

Hercules

Photo65Net (43144) 2008-04-20 10:12

Bulent,
I like yourPOV here, as it enhances the size of the stone.
Sharpness and colors are excellent, nice one,
Regards,
JB.

carper (96) 2008-04-20 11:02

very good photo here Bulent,
and the pov is nice and the details are good and the note is just yours, good work also, have a nice evening.
gr. jaap

stelli (3009) 2008-04-20 14:17

Amazingly well kept monument! Great angle to show the details! Thank you for sharing! Regards Stella

stego (24132) 2008-04-20 16:19

Hello Bülent,
You probably have guessed that I am particularly fond of old (or just film) photos. Add my fascination for Egypt and its ancient civilization and the memories of my sole visit to the country and you can have an idea of how this photo is so appealing to me, not to mention the insightful note.
The low POV enhances the grandeur of the carved wall. The razing light makes the relief stand out. The quality is remarkable for a scan. It's only pity that the crop on the lower right.
Regards, José.

gunbud (34066) 2008-04-20 19:50

Hello Bulent,
Wonderful vetical presentation the great hieroglyphic carvings. Excellent details and sharpness with enough blue desert sky to contrast with the beautiful silver carvings that are seen in beautiful sharpness. Excellent note as usual.
Regards, Tom

NMaverick (0) 2008-04-21 0:43

Very informative note. It's about time someone posted some images like these. Well captured and framed. It could be a little more sharp (stones demand sharpness!).
TFS
Nick

zmey (7335) 2008-04-21 8:03

merhaba, professor

very 'trek-earthy' share, indeed. fantastic light for showing this monument, accentuating the texture of the sculpting-work. love the smooth film-feel of your post too. excellent note, as usual.

with warm regards,
kristaps

trekks (14348) 2008-04-21 8:35

hello Bulent

The wall under diagonal light shows very clearly the carvings. Amazing photo of 1997. The right side darkness is losing detail and exposure is a little low but overall it balances out by left side brightness.

tfs, bill

jrj (34843) 2008-04-21 11:05

A very good job by the scanner here Bulent. An overall fine result of the details carved in the surface - amazing that they survive all the years in such a good shape.
A most interesting note as well.

Emile (20352) 2008-04-21 15:38

Hola Bulent.
An excellent work scanning this picture taken in 1997 with a Kodachrome-64 slide film, it looks like it was taken yesterday. Very good details and sharpness. Sad to see how time is affecting the obelisk, I may ask myself what would be better to take it to a city like they did in Paris or to leave it there, I think if my memory doesn't fail me that the obelisk I saw in Paris is better preserved than this one in Egypt, maybe just a stupid question. Excellent instructive note.
Well Done.
Best regards.

crckt (7222) 2008-04-21 16:52

Hi Bulent,
It looks really cool! The way you've composed this is really very nice. In spite of the scan, the quality of the shot is excellent.
Regards,
Shaeri

pablominto (53746) 2008-04-22 0:43

Hello Bulent,
This is an interesting story, the true pictorial if any!
Not that I'm able to "read" this but the Scandinavian Vikings did the same with their "helleristninger"...
The angle of light is good and makes the reliefs stand out well, a fine composition with good details!
Greetings,
Pablo -

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2008-04-22 2:43

Compliments for your excursion to the old egytian reliefs. A good POV on that. well done.
Best wishes,
Achim

Angshu (56760) 2008-04-23 0:30

Hello Professor "A"
I like the superb upward POV & excellent light/shadows which help highlight the relief & texture on this slab, capped by the blue sky. Your notes, as always is fascinatingly informative.
With Warm Regards
Angshuman

zeynepe (0) 2008-04-23 8:04

Merhaba Bülent Bey,
Çok etkileyici bir kompozisyon, Kahire haricinde bir yere gidemediğim özellikle Luxor ve Aswan'a gitmediğim için kendime kızıyorum hep...
Notunuz ve fotoğrafınız harika,
Tebrikler,
Zeynep

feather (51130) 2008-04-24 1:52

Your low upward POV works well to emphasise the height of the carved temple entrance. The side-light is perfect for providing the contrast to appreciate the hieroglyphs in all their detail. Excellent quality scan and as always a very instructive note. Good work
Kath

izmirli (3989) 2008-04-24 6:22

merhaba bülent bey
açıklaması bol,tarihi içerikli güzel bir fotoğraf olmuş.komposizyon ve işık kullanımı başarılı.tebrikler.
sevgiler,saygılar.
gürkan akçakır.

evanrizo (462) 2008-04-24 8:44 [Comment]

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maglex (1980) 2008-04-24 12:46

Hi Bulent, you've made this photograph so alive with your very informative note. I'm still hoping to be able to get there and see these maginificent ancient structures. The long shadows produced by the low-angled sunlight reveals the great details of the 'hieroglyphic'(?) engravings. Very nice contrasting deep blue sky. Thanks for sharing ...Alex

Silvio1953 (220759) 2008-04-25 0:34

Merhaba Bulent, fascinating view from ancient Egypt, great POV, wonderful sharpness and splendid details, bravo, ciao Silvio

Dyerco (10185) 2008-04-25 7:14

Hi Bulent
You have excellent DOF with this lens as the details are sharp fron bottom to top. Thanks for the write up. Always a pleasure to read your interesting anecdotes.
Phil

kiwi_explorer (12209) 2008-04-28 17:55

Hi Bulent,
Very interesting history ... I'm just learning this stuff in TE because I was not a very attentive student in my younger days :) I like the angle of your shot ...quite dynamic at the same time showing good clarity of details. Well captured and composed. Well done! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

nikosrio (1158) 2008-04-29 4:35

Very interesting shot.The shadows on the obelisc works great and give us impresive details.
Regards
Nikos.

Didi (61589) 2008-05-01 6:53

Salam Bulent
Very nice sharp details on the subject; lights are giving a nice shades effect on the hieroglyphs.
Thank's about theese interesting dscriptions of my native country.
Best regards.

Wanda1 (15142) 2008-05-01 8:04

Hi Bulent,
Very nice detail from this ancient place and good point of view to show it off, it is amazing what they accomplished all those years ago.
Regards
Wanda

delic (6735) 2008-05-01 12:25

Must have been a challenge to fit it all in one frame. I like how you composed it with shadows creating strong contrast. Best wishes,
Hakan

Docarmo (9767) 2008-05-02 11:10

Hi Bulent,
Excellent work with the scanner - congratulations! We can see details, sharpness and colours are remarkable.
Thanks for sharing,
MCV

alvaraalto (42804) 2008-05-02 14:04

Hi Bulent,

It is right not to forget our old photo’s and slides from ancient times and upload the result of a good scanning job.
And the subject of this picture and excellent info is very suitable for that.

Groet Rob

Bluejeans (64251) 2008-05-20 9:56

Oi Bulent,
Detalhes magníficos estes desenhos egípcios ,são de grande estudo para os historiadores do Egipto , gostei muito de ver ,parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

axiotea (21651) 2008-05-23 12:13

Hello Bulent
Not easy to frame this impressive slab, with its carvings telling a story... So the vertical format is adapted to fit in, this beautiful art work! The details are well visible and I like very much the luminosity.
Cheers
Marilyn

BWJ (3094) 2008-09-18 17:37

Hello Bülent, This is a fantastic, strong composition. The overall dramatic effect is heightened by contrasting textures, shadows, and sharp details of the hieroglyphic carvings. Your interesting and informative note is excellent. I enjoyed reading it.
Warm wishes,
Betty

daddo (28748) 2008-11-22 0:01

Merhaba Bulent Bey. Where would the world be without the giant leaps made by the ancient Egyptians in so many fields of endeavour? This is a fine homage to those great people. Impressive POV and well detailed obelisk.I like the colour and light- both give the painting the look of a photo that one could find in an old National Geographic.Selamlar. Klaudio.

Urs (14082) 2010-08-23 7:33

Hi Bulent

The old Egypt, that was one of the most important cultural periods in Europe. Incredible what the old Egyptians could build ... What a beautiful carved stone and to go with as usual an excellently written note. Well done.

Best regards
urs