The Expedition - 5. Chapter 5

“Howard” I was lost in thought when Mostafa called my name. I almost fell Into the sand in front of me.

“Mostafa, you scared me. I was lost in thought.”

“What are you thinking?”

“If the Greeks built this temple, it would follow the way temples were built in Greece at that time. If this is the front of the temple, we will see engraving in the pediment and the name of the person to whom this temple was dedicated.”

“Are you still thinking this temple has something to do with Alexander?”

“Yes, but what, I don’t know. I know Alexander was in Egypt. For how long? I don’t know. Could he have built this temple? It seems we are seeing clues pointing to Alexander and Ptolemy. Mostafa, let’s see if this is the front or back. Have the men lay some boards in front of the temple and a small ladder or box that we can climb on to reach that peak.”

“We are going to need equipment. I’ll meet you back were in 20 minutes, Howard.”

I went and got my brushes, small picks, a spray bottle of water, and my camera. I owed photos to Mahmoud.

Arriving back at the site, “Mostafa, you start on the right corner, and I’ll start here on the left. If you don’t find any engraving, then we are on the back end of the temple.”

I was hoping that this was the front of the temple. If it is the back end, we will have to change our focus and move to the other end. I silently said a prayer that this would be the front end.

Using a soft brush, I quickly brushed away the loose sand. I knew that the wind deposited this sand when this portion of the temple was recently exposed. This also meant we would be fighting the wind and sand all of the time. I looked over at Mostafa, and he was doing the same thing. “We will need to cover this section, or we will spend a lot of time brushing away the sand.”

Once I had the loose sand brushed away, I began to concentrate on the panel in front of me. I was looking for an engraving that would tell me we were on the entrance side of the temple. I needed to use my picks to loosen the sand and then brush it away. A slow process but a necessary process to be sure no damage is done to any engraving. I was doing this for 30 minutes before I saw something that indicated something was there. I looked at Mostafa, and he seemed in a trance. He was staring at the wall in front of him.

“Mostafa, what is it?”

“Howard, this looks like a ball.”

I walked over to take a look. “Mostafa, could it be a sun?”

“If it is the sun, then this temple would be built for an Egyptian god. According to Greek temple design, this is the front.”

“You are right. Now we need to know who is the recipient of a dedicated temple."

Now I had to think. If this is a temple to an Egyptian god, it would explain the Egyptian coins we found. The coins were coined by Ptolemy, which was minted after Alexander’s death. That would explain the Greek coins of Alexander if and only if they used men from Alexander’s forces to build the temple. That could only occur when both Alexander and Ptolemy were in Egypt together. Unless men returned to Egypt after Alexander's death. The fallacy in that assumption, they would have had to use coins minted by Ptolemy. Every road I took, I ran into a possible or impossible road block.

“Mostafa, what does your ancient history tell you about the time when Alexander and Ptolemy were here together?”

“Alexander and his forces came to Egypt when he was fighting in Persia. Persians ruled Egypt at that time. When Alexander arrived, he was hailed as a savior. He permitted the people to return to what their lives were before the Persians came. They gave him the title of Pharaoh. Alexander left here, and Ptolemy stayed.”

I knew most of that, but for some reason, it didn’t fit. Something was sitting in the back of my head. A nagging feeling that there was more.

Our progress on cleaning that panel was slow. Mahmoud was due to arrive in a few days. Time had slipped for me. I wasn’t aware of the time until one of the trucks came back from Aswan with a message from Mahmoud. He sent his travel arrangements.

When it was time to leave to pick up Mahmoud, I had an idea of who the temple honored. Mostafa was sure it was dedicated to the Egyptian god Amun. I felt there was more. If the sun was in the center, then Amun would have been the sole dedicatee. Since it was on the left side, the individual on the right side would have been equivalent to Amun.

“Mostafa, I need to go to Luxor in the morning. Mahmoud will arrive on the early flight. Is there anything you want me to bring back?”

“How about me going with you? While you gather Mahmoud, I can do some shopping. We need more food supplies.”

I agreed. That evening, we covered what we had uncovered. I didn’t want the sand to cover our work.

On the way to Luxor, I was concerned about the temple once we left it. The sand will surely cover it again. I couldn’t think of a way to avoid that.

Mahmoud’s flight was on time. His first words were, “What have you found?”

“How do you know I have found something?”

“By the anxious look in your eyes. You can't wait to get back.”

Just then, Mostafa came with our driver and the truck. We loaded Mahmoud’s luggage and headed right back to the site. On the way, we told him about the front of the temple and where we were in cleaning the pediment. With the three of us, we could uncover that section of the temple faster.

Arriving back at the camp. Mahmoud made a beeline to the temple. “Can’t wait?”

“No, I can’t wait to start. What have you done so far?”

“We’ll show you.” Mostafa and I carefully removed the temporarily covered. “This is where I worked, and that is where Mostafa worked. Tomorrow you can start in the middle.”