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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Still in Egypt...

Actually, it has been two years since that trip, but for some reason scenes from it keep popping in my mind...

Pharaoh head at Abu Simbel
This head is of one of the four gigantic sitting Pharaohs at the facade of the Abu Simbel temple The height of  this head is equivalent to about two human heights. It is actually a complex of two temples, which were carved directly into the rock of the river bank. To prevent loosing them forever under the waters of the Aswan dam, in 1968 the temples were cut into pieces, tens of tons each, and rebuilt on a higher ground. For me, this is a fascinating engineering achievement, almost as amazing as the archaeological monuments themselves.

The bank of the Nile
Another fascinating thing for me was to realize that the country is only a few meters wide, if you exclude the Nile delta of course. Yes, it is huge on the map, but in reality, the only inhabitable part is the fertile shores of the Nile, which vary in width from just a few meters to a few hundred meters. Beyond that is a desert without a single blade of grass.

Philae temple

10 comments:

Jane said...

You certainly got Egypt under your skin and your last posts really show this fascination. These three paintings are all beautiful but the Pharaoh head is really special, the texture is so great, very impressive, and it is incredible the way they just moved it! Wish you a great week!

Judy said...

Egypt is fascinating! I love all three paintings, but the first is my favorite!

Tito said...

Hi Blaga, I agree with Jane, your Pharaoh is absolutely superb. Ciao!

Lydie said...

Merci Blaga pour la belle promenade en Egypte

Blaga said...

Thank you, Jane! Yes, I had to get Egypt out of my system :)

Thank you, Judy and Tito! I initially wanted to paint the head more quickly and loosely, but ended up having so much fun with the washes for these soft transitions. And it didn't turn out muddy or too overworked, so I was happy with it.

You are welcome, Lydie, and thank you for the company :)

irinapictures said...

Thank you so much for this Egyptian series, amazing country. Pharaoh is a winner, specially.

Elvi said...

Bellissimi questi ricordi d'Egitto. Elvi

Blaga said...

Thank you, Irina!

Grazie, Elvi!

Anonymous said...

This is a place I have always wanted to visit and I will someday. Like the pharaoh head.
Jean

JANE MINTER said...

these are super ..and the susets below blaga ....i'd love to se these sight too ... happy christmas !