Restanten van de tempel van Soleb before 1859

Captured by Francis Frith, this photograph shows the remnants of the Temple of Soleb, a monument erected by Amenhotep III in Nubia. The towering pillars, even in ruin, speak volumes. Notice how these pillars—fragments of a once complete structure—echo the human form, standing resolute against the desert landscape. The act of building such monumental columns is not merely architectural, it's a symbolic assertion of power, a yearning for permanence. Consider the pillars of ancient Greece, the Gothic cathedrals reaching for the heavens—all attempts to bridge the earthly and the divine. Yet, here, time and the elements have eroded this ambition, reducing it to fragmented memories. This yearning for permanence, this struggle against decay, it’s a potent symbol of our human condition. The photograph stirs in us a deep, almost subconscious awareness of time's relentless march, and the transient nature of even the grandest endeavors. A cycle, perpetually turning.