I was in Egypt in January, 1994 and had a cheap 35mm camera with a few rolls of film. I took 118 photos.
When I returned in February, 2017, I had a digital camera, 300GB of memory and took 5,385 photos.
Since I was going to visit some of the same locations, I decided to have a little fun and replicate some of the photos. This is the result.
Giza Pyramids
The Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Pyramid. Seems there has been some work done in front of Khafre.
The Great Pyramid from different angles. I’m wondering if the difference in colour is due to the cameras or due to the pollution.
Pyramid of Khafre.
Riding around the Pyramids. I even got a brown horse both times. The first time, the guide wouldn’t let me handle the horse by myself. He led me the whole way. The second time, I had full control and it was a hoot.
Sitting on the pyramid.
In 1994, we could walk right up to the Sphinx. In 2017, they had a ramp for viewing that kept tourists away from the monument.
I took a camel ride at the Pyramids in 1994. The young guide said the camel’s name was Michael Jackson. In 2017, the guide told me the horse’s name was Charlie Brown.
I got to ride a camel again in the south of Egypt. This guy’s name was Oscar.
The Citadel
My guide in 1994 and 2017 at the Citadel.
The Citadel.
The view of Cairo from the Citadel. The place I was standing in 1994 was behind me in the photo. It was under renovation.
The ancient capital of Memphis
The second largest Sphinx in Egypt is located in Memphis, just south of Cairo.
Massive statue of Ramses II.
Another statue of Ramses II. The two palm trees are still there and only a little taller.
Aswan
Sitting on the Aswan High Dam with the largest manmade lake in the world behind me – Lake Nasser.
The dam, facing north. There were dogs hanging around the dam in 2017. Wonder if they were descendants of that little guy.
The Dome of the Wind across the river from Aswan.
Feluccas on the Nile.
More feluccas.
It got to drive both times. And boy, does the grey show up in my hair now.
Both feluccas had their own little shop.
The Unfinished Obelisk allowed people to walk on it in 1994. Today, that is prohibited and there is now a nice welcome centre that shows a video on how the obelisk was carved and transported. This one was abandoned because it had cracked.
The Unfinished Obelisk.
Temple of Isis on Philae Island.
I even found the same stone block to sit on.
The Nile Cruise
The first stop on the cruise was the temple at Kom Ombo. Some work has been done in the last twenty-three years.
At Edfu, we had to take a carriage to the site.
My pal Horus was still there, albeit on a different base and with a rope around him.
As we went through the Esna Locks, the locals would sell souvenirs and fabrics from the lock.
And they still sell from the rowboats.
Luxor
The Temple at Karnak
The entrance to Karnak
The Hypostyle Hall at Karnak
The other side of Karnak
The obelisk of Hapshepsut.
The Red Granite Scarab of Amenhotep III. Legend has it that if you walk around it seven times, you will have never have problems with love.
Electric trolleys still take tourists to the Valley of Kings where, to avoid theft that had been a problem with the pyramids, the kings had their tombs built under this pyramid-shaped mountain.
Photos were allowed beyond the gate in 1993, but not in 2017.
The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut in the Valley of the Queens.
The same statue of Hathor at the temple.
The Desert and the Sea
On both visits, I got an opportunity to go into the Sahara.
In 1994, I visited the Red Sea at Hurghada, and in 2017, it was from Sharm el Sheikh
Oh my, the grey.
🙂