Old and young, a photo from Luxor, Inland

Photographer's Note

This is from the outskirts of the Karnak Temple, a short distance north of Luxor in Egypt. According to my notes the building is the "Pylon #10", located at an entrance on the southern side of the large temple complex.

The construction of the Karnak Temple started almost 4.000 years ago. The 10th pylon was built during the 14th century BC.

Looking at this photo from 1983 I suspect the pylon had undergone thorough restoration in recent years.

I suppose my reason for taking this photo was the combination of ancient building and young children, especially of course the little lady in red. This was also one of the few places in the temple area where I could take a photo without any tourists included.

Two maybe more conventional photos from Karnak are in the WS. All photos were scanned from Kodachrome slides.

pajaran, pierrefonds, Fis2, jhm, jean113, Royaldevon, PaulVDV, COSTANTINO, ikeharel, ChrisJ, macjake, ricardomattos, adramad, mcmtanyel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

pajaran (117113) 2021-03-17 1:32

Pozdrav.
Lep pogled i trenutak, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lepa stara arhitektura, dobro pokazana sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i perspektivom.
Lepa fotografija i uhvaceni trenutak.
Dobar rad skeniranjem slajda.
Zelim vam lep dan, sve najbolje.
Paja

Silvio1953 (222991) 2021-03-17 1:39

Ciao Gert, great view of imposing arvhitectre, lovely composition with nice children, splendid light, excellent clarity, fine details and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

pierrefonds (115596) 2021-03-17 4:47

Hi Gert,

The presenc eof the persons has an effect of scale. The point of view is showing the details of the Karnak temple. The light is enhancing the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Fis2 (171991) 2021-03-17 6:37

Witaj Gert!
Another interesting set of photos from an curious place.
I like gates, walls and panorama.
Good frames, colors and sharpness.
The scene with the children is impressive.
Well done.
Nice afternoon.
Krzysztof

jhm (211738) 2021-03-17 6:45

Hello Gertt,

The building is very old and the people against the wall are very small but perfect for the scale.
The building is very big but remain perfect of quality
An excellent composition, also lovely presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

jean113 (28311) 2021-03-17 8:55

Hello Gert, you were very close to the Pylon, and yet you managed to include all of it in the frame.
Even so long ago a figure wearing red was a great focal point for you!
I like the workshop picture from the Temple where we can see on of the stone figures through the arch.
Excellent scanning as always.
Kind regards, Jean.

jmdias (116547) 2021-03-17 9:14

gert

I liked more the second WS with those carvings and statues.. curious the first WS where I see european nations didn't robbed all the obelisk, some of them were left. haha.
the main post has a modernist mood in terms of simplicity of architecture. nice inclusion of the young.

take care

jorge

Royaldevon (86484) 2021-03-17 12:07

Hello Gert,

Two quite different styles of photograph but for different reasons.
This one is a very spontaneous photograph, to capture the everyday life of these young, modern people living in a tourist hotspot. They are seated beneath a piece of history which dwarfs them, just as dealing with so many different tourists must make them feel a little small and insignificant!

The other photographs, though touristy are important, too. For they are your record of this highly significant, historical place.
Most of us would love to visit and experience both sides of Egypt, though to battle with many, large tourist groups would definitely be a problem.

Thanks for sharing these,
Bev :-)

Tue (93504) 2021-03-17 12:29

Hej Gert,
Tårnet ser meget godt ud for noget der blev bygget for så længe siden. Det er også meget imponerende og vi får også en klar idé om hvor stort det er på grund af børnene der sad foran muren. Deres tøj får dem til at stå frem meget tydeligt.
Lars

lousat (140026) 2021-03-17 12:37

Hi Gert,finally soemthing from a place that i know very well,i been there 3 times and it's nice to see old pics of sceneries that i remember well. All are nice and useful,the quality of details is always excellent,while the colors are a bit "green", one of the problems of film. Have a nic evening and thanks,Luciano

PaulVDV (63496) 2021-03-17 13:08

Hello Gert,
Looking very quickly at the thumbnail I thought this was a photo from a country in the Sahel. In full size, however, this is clearly Egypt.
You show us here three beautiful and interesting pictures of Karnak, a site that I've never visited (haven't been in Luxor).
In 1983 it didn't seem overly touristy.
At the same time your main picture shows a bit the daily life. The three children are not bothered by the presence of a foreigner and are only interested in each other.
In WS 1 we see that some Egyptians don't seem to have it too warm.
Best regards, Paul

ifege (49505) 2021-03-17 21:42

Hi Gert
A good trio from your archives of Karnak. The children provide a good human element against the rather stark walls.
cheers
Ian

COSTANTINO (117850) 2021-03-17 23:18

Hello dear Gert and havea nice day
and a happy evening!!!
a strange photo and impressive together...
and the question here is...
what are these ladies doing there???
a different landscape away from the city
with a construction of the Kamak
Temple which started almost
4000 years ago
regards
Costantino

ikeharel (114659) 2021-03-18 0:25

Hello Gert,
A rough guess, I think those youngsters did not know they were at the foot of an ancient piece of history.
Three pictures enriched by this Egyptian heritage.
Have a nice new day,
Ike

everlasting (20002) 2021-03-18 4:25

The only choice was vertical here, the children are a great addition to the temple wall, their poses their colours gives life and scale.

GyurMaster (25045) 2021-03-18 12:10

Dear Gert,

Of course I could write a short-story how good is this photo thanks to the composition and the red clothes of the girl against the dull environment, but I'm really tired at this moment. So I just simply add it as a favorite and scroll further.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

foxy (3527) 2021-03-18 14:09

Hello Gert,
This is what I like to see , the authenticity of this Karnak Temple Complex.
What a wondrous sight of this enormous pylon , with the children ( happy chatting ) , this pylon immediately seems to be very small and less 'daunting'.
I see no 'old' ..... only young and younger :-)
I think I was exactly what the Egyptian group doing...taking pictures instead of really looking at anything.
The only thing that amazed me are the 'columns' and the obelisks as shown in the WS2 - I can't remember I see a railway in this area?
Looking back my pictures, I do believe that it has become for the restaurant and Sound & Light Show at night.
Of all the touristic temples....the best temple for me is the Temple of Horus at Edfu. My opinion only.
Thanks for sharing this '38 years old' scene.
Loong

ChrisJ (172436) 2021-03-19 2:34

Hej Gert

Not only are we in the same country and same city today, but adjacent in the same Karnak Temple!

http://prntscr.com/10ps84p

The mother and 2 daughters animate the scene. Good sharpness too. I might have added a little magenta to remove the very faint green cast in the ancient gate and the fg. Tfs!

macjake (98544) 2021-03-19 23:28

Hi Gert
you're soon going to pass me in TE points haha...you'll easily get to 100K before me :) great trio of shots here...and interesting comment about the people from Egypt kind of walking through here quickly. Probably a classic case of locals taking these for granted. I'm curious to see this exact same pov taken from today, to compare...i wonder if its more touristy now. These are rustic and very real shots, which is what gives them their authentic feel. I like it
cheers
Craig

ricardomattos (17600) 2021-03-21 8:16

Hi Gert

Fantastic this picture. In addition to the beauty and grandeur of this temple, the peaceful presence of the children created a significant contrast between the sizes. Very well captured by you. Beautiful work. The colors and distribution of the children is very pleasant .

Best wishes

Ricardo

adramad (73478) 2021-03-21 12:06

Hi Gert.
Splendid image of this high Pylos and the wall that seem to be restored, it seems incredible that after thousands of years it has reached our days, a nice contrast with the children in lively conversation.
An image to enjoy, with its great luminosity and perfect sharpness.
Superbly captured. Love it.
Happy start of the week.
Very best regards.
Luis.

mcmtanyel (69284) 2021-03-24 20:11

Hello Gert,
I love that red dress the girl is wearing. It stands out so nicely against the ancient mud walls.
Regards,
MT

kasianowak (17676) 2021-04-04 23:28

These days, the three groups of tourists, German, Russian an Egyptian, would be proceeding at the same pace, allowing for lots of selfies taken with smartphones.
I love this photo. The presence of the kids makes us realise the immenseness of the architecture and their clothes contrast with the colour of the wall. And of course the little lady in red really makes it special. I'll add to my fav theme.
Have a nice day
Kasia