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Situated in the desert near Luxor, these twin statues<br />
depict the pharaoh Amenhotep III with the small figures<br />
of his wife and mother at his feet, overshadowed by his<br />
great scale. The 14 th Century B.C. sculptures face east<br />
and originally guarded the entrance to Amenhotep’s<br />
memorial temple, built during his lifetime, in which<br />
he was worshipped as a god. Made of quartzite<br />
sandstone set on massive platforms they reach a height<br />
of 18 metres (60 feet). Standing on the edge of the Nile<br />
floodplain, the annual floods helps cause the collapse<br />
of the temple structures and the flood waters are clearly<br />
visible in the present pictures lapping at the bases of the<br />
two vast sculptures and reflecting the sky. In the dawn<br />
view, a turbaned figure stands on the base of the nearest<br />
statue, thereby accentuating the effect of vastness.<br />
Shadows have gathered and etch the weathered details<br />
of the sculptures more deeply. A small flock of cranes<br />
floats in to land on the water. For the mid-morning view,<br />
Zimmermann depicts an eel or snake swimming with its<br />
head above the water, an evocative and sinister detail<br />
and in the background the distant hills and a small<br />
village are already hazy in the heat.<br />
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