Sepia Saturday: Egypt

With all the political upheaval in Egypt 

featured in press coverage and on my mind,

I thought I'd present some historical photos

from the Library of Congress

G. Eric and Edith Matson collection.

Dating of these photographs is uncertain,

with dates between 1898 and 1946

all in the range of possiblity.

Strangely, many things haven't changed

all that much in the last 65 years.

Here's a glimpse of more recent Egypt

from my trip to that beautiful, historical land

in 2009.

Along the shore of the Nile, between Aswan and Luxor.

The Sphinx is no longer easily accessible.

There is a walkway around the perimeter

for viewing. To access the area between the paws,

a special permit is required.

The facade of the Temple of Horus at Edfu,

shown in the vintage photograph above from the air.

Along the road between Luxor and Abydos. 

In the villages outside of the Cairo metropolis,

 people live much as their parents 

and grandparents did, except that they have

mobile phones and satellite dishes,

often with generators to power their tv-watching.

Most women in rural areas do their laundry

in the waters of the Nile.

Men fish and farm as they've done for generations.

It's not an easy life 

living in one of the treasure chests of civilization.

May there be a speedy, peaceful resolution

 to the current protests

with no further loss of life or freedoms.