Today we traveled north by bus from Luxor to Qena. Our boat would normally take us downstream to Qena, but due to seasonal lowness on the Nile, the boat cannot dock in Qena. So, we were bussed 1.5 hr over a fairly humpy road. The road paralleled one of the many irrigation canals that cross the region bringing Nile water to the extensive agricultural effort in the area. And every bridge (and there were many) that crossed the canal intersected our road without traffic lights and only speed bumps to ensure drivers proceed at safe and slow speed through the intersections. We slow to a snail’s pace to negotiate each bump
At Qena we visited the Dendera Temple Complex dedicated to the goddess Hathor. There are 42 state gods and goddesses in Egypt. Hathor is the goddess of love, beauty, music, dancing, fertility and pleasure. The entire site is enclosed by towering cliffs that at one time were basically bricked walls. Archeological evidence suggests there has been human activity on this site since 2250 BC. However, the surviving structures date back to around 306-330 BC. The Temple of Hathor dates back to 54 BC. One of the most interesting artifacts in the temple is the Dendera Zodiac. It has twelve points and signs just like modern zodiacs. Unfortunately, the original was removed by the French and is now in the Louvre in Paris. After protest, the French gave Egypt a copy of the Zodiac painted black as the original was due to soot from fires. How generous of them. Unfortunately, this is all too common. European archeological teams removed so many artifacts over the years, most of which have never returned. Negotiations are always underway.