Unfinished Obelisk, Temple of Isis

The unfinished obelisk offers insight into extraordinary ancient stone working techniques. Today we would be challenged to carve one of the largest obelisks (it would have been 137 feet tall and weighed over 1,000 tons) directly out of the bedrock with the extreme precision the ancient Egyptians used. It was abandoned after the workers found cracks in the granite. We then travel by ferry to the island of Philae and the Temple of Isis, goddess revered as the ultimate mother, the feminine force of creation, and Queen of the Throne, whose tears represent the Nile River. Images of Isis nursing baby Horus may have influenced Christian artists who depicted Mary nursing baby Jesus. Her temple was finally closed in 535CE some 200 years after Christian emperors banned the ancient religion, but we still remember Isis through one of her other names, The Lady of Beer (an ancient Egyptian discovery), as we enjoy our last night on the cruise.