A friendly Egyptian, Mohamed, advised me to walk across the car park rather than through the souk because there were many steps in the souk, apart from the hassle. So we walked across to his stall, number 3, near the ticket office. He gave me a free white scarf. Nothing in Egypt is ever free, and I knew that he would be waiting eagerly for me to come back out of the temple.
Entry was 60 Le. Once inside, all catering positions were closed, but the WC was open. It was 9am.
I made my way across the large approach area and negotiated a few steps into the temple area. Why they don't provide a hand rail I don't know. And the ramps were very steep. It wouldn't take much to make this area more disability friendly.
So I made my way to the mammisi. There is a low wall between columns around this building. Judging by the inscriptions, the upper part of this wall has been lost, but in one photograph you see a column with 3 cows, and the legs of a 4th one. The outside wall of the mammisi proper is the same colour and was illuminated the same, making it quite difficult to see that one of my pictures included elements of both walls.
I've included pictures of Harsomptus being suckled both as a baby on the temple wall and as a young man on the columns of the surrounding wall. I was very surprised that the carvings were so well preserved on these external parts of the temple, and there were still traces of colour.
The inside of the mammisi is much less interesting. But I was intrigued by the staircase to the roof which starts on the right hand side in the lobby, and proceeds up to wards the temple before being partly concealed by the top of the main door frame.
Leaving the mamissi I cross the open area to the main pylon and enter the open courtyard. Tourist numbers are much lower by now. It is now 9:50. I will break the blog at this convenient point.