Abu Simbel’s waterway

Now the answer for this one is a bit of semantics.  Abu Simbel is a village in Nubia in southern Egypt, near the border of Sudan.  It is situated on Lake Nasser which was formed when the Aswan Dam was built on the Nile – today’s answer to the clue.  The Abu Simbel temples are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Nubian Temples.

What is intriguing is the fact that these temples were relocated in their entirety in 1968 prior to the construction of the Aswan dam.  It was determined that they would have been underwater after the creation of Lake Nasser.  From 1964 to 1968, the temples were painstakingly dismantled and reassembled sixty meters higher.

The two temples were originally built in the 13th century B.C. by Pharaoh Ramesses II as a monument to himself and his queen, Nefertari to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.

The larger temple was dedicated to the gods was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, and of course, to Ramesses as he was also considered to be a god.  It is considered to be one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt.

The smaller temple, the temple of Hathor and Nefertari, also  was built northeast of the larger temple andwas dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramesses II’s chief consort, Nefertari. This was in fact the second time in ancient Egyptian history that a temple was dedicated to a queen. Previously, Akhenaten dedicated a temple to his great royal wife, Nefertiti

“Per ardua ad _____”

The Royal Air Force adopted the motto, per ardua ad astra, or “through struggles to the stars”.  The story goes that Colonel Frederick Sykes, the Commanding Officer of the Royal Flying Corps had asked his men to create a motto for their service – one that would inspire the troops.  While walking back after mess, Lieutenant Yule mused about a passage he had read which had the phrase, Sicictar ad Astra, from which he adapted, Per ardua ad astra.

As with many legends, the stories vary – some say he read in a text by Virgil; others say he read it in a book by Rider Haggard.  In any case, Sykes liked the motto and submitted it to the War Office who then submitted it to the King, who approved it.  Despite the fact that both ardua and astra have multiple meanings, for the Royal Air Force and others, it is translated, “through adversity to the stars.”

Opera that premiered in Rome in 1900

Torture, murder, suicide and singing?  Welcome to the world of opera, or in this case, Tosca, the answer to the above clue.  Written by Giacomo Puccini, Tosca has become one of the most frequently performed operas in history.

It was based on a play by Victorien Sardou, an extremely successful playwright in his day, although his plays are seldom performed today.  Sardou collaborated with Sarah Bernhardt – yes, that Sarah Bernhardt.  His play, La Tosca, featured her in the starring role, and the play enjoyed much success throughout Europe.  Puccini saw the play twice and approached Sardou about making the play into an opera.  The negotiations were contentious, and it was some time before Puccini finally had his way and commenced work on the opera.

Tosca is set in Rome in 1800 when Napoleon and his army are advancing.  Angelotti, a Roman consul and now, an escaped political prisoner, seeks refuge in the chapel of Sant’Andrea della Valle.  Carvadossi, a painter (and lover of Tosca) is also an old friend of Angelotti.  Baron Scarpia, the head of the police is after Angelotti and manipulates Tosca and others in his pursuit.  The Sacristan is the bumbling priest who gets things wrong at the very beginning.  And, of course, there’s Tosca, the soprano and diva whose jealousy proves to be the undoing of nearly everyone.