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This is the view of the first hypostyle hall of the tomb of Meryra, a High Priest of Aten during the revolutionary but short reign of Akhenaten. The tomb is found in the cliffs on the northern edge of the ancient city of Akhetaten, which was abandoned soon after Akhenaten's death. Meryra's tomb was never completed, though the murals in the first hypostyle hall are considered to be some of the most beautiful around. The depiction of the sun and its rays are typical elements of tomb decoration during this phase. Here's a thorough description of the art on these walls.
Photography is strictly prohibited in this tomb, so I didn't even bothering asking the tomb guardian for permission. After admiring my tripod, however, he and a local policeman volunteered to let me take photos in return for baksheesh. I suspected I had to work quickly, though, so began taking photos immediately without taking the time for careful calibration. That proved to be a good decision — before I could take a final photo of the floor, we were discovered by their boss, who was not happy. I ended up taking a casual photo of the floor as we were being given a dressing-down; it has all our feet on it.
This panorama underwent some color correction during post-processing. The main problem is that the daylight and the neon lights were of a very different color temperature.
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Egypt ; Arabic: مصر, Miṣr or Máṣr) is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about 1,010,000 square kilometers (390,000 sq mi), Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its estimated 82 million live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable agricultural land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with the majority spread across the densely-populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx. The southern city of Luxor contains numerous ancient artifacts, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Egypt is widely regarded as an important political and cultural nation of the Middle East.
