Friday, August 26, 2011

Admiring an Egyptian temple

by Malgorzata Zielinska

What I really like at the MET is the Egyptian temple. It stands in the middle of a huge hall with glass walls and a glass celling. Natural light illuminates the area and is reflected on the water surrounding the temple. The whole complex gives the impression as if it were located in the open air.

As a tourist you could spend a long time there, even hours contemplating the play of sun, water and shadows; but probably also as a New Yorker, you can still enjoy the atmosphere even if you may have seen the place many times.

The historical aspect of the exhibition, of course, plays a very important role, too. You can see some hieroglyphics on the old stone, which are perhaps 3000 or 5000 years old, and you can imagine people from previous eras working on them. You could picture Egyptians who left the messages for us on the walls of their temple and even try to guess what they were willing to tell us.

The combination of the old historical ruins and the new modern architecture gives a great opportunity to admire both old and new cultures together.

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