The Temples of Abu Simbel
- The Location of the Abu Simbel Temples.
- The History of the Temples of Abu Simbel.
- the highlights of Abu Simble Temples.
The Temples of Abu Simbel, located near Lake Nasser, are the second most visited and famous tourist attraction in Egypt after the Pyramids of Giza.
The massive Temple of Ramses II, the Pharaoh who was known as the Great Builder, is on the border of Lake Nasser near to the Temple of Nefertari, his most adored wife, and is one of the most visited attractions in Egypt.
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The location is:
It is a three-hour drive from the city of Aswan, and there are direct flights from Cairo to Abu Simbel, which is located near Lake Nasser.
A brief history:
The four sculptures, which stand over 65 feet tall, are exquisitely detailed reproductions of the sovereign’s face, and they are decorated with the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, as well as the cobra emblem, the uraeus, which is an attribute of the god Osiris.
From a strictly static standpoint, the builders of the time handled the major challenge of the stability of the complex by using the four colossi as load-bearing pillars, against which the massive strain of the rock mass behind was evenly distributed, as seen in the illustration Temples of Abu Simbel.
A large number of slaves working under the supervision of the head sculptor Playa, whose name is commemorated in an inscription, completed the elaborate front of the Temple, which is framed by a convex molding known as the torus, surmounted by a cornice with Uraei, and above which runs a high-relief strip depicting twenty-two seated baboons, each of whom stands over eight feet high.
Even in ancient times, the temple was subjected to the brutal work of nature; in fact, earth earthquakes were responsible for the most significant damage.
Two Colossi were damaged during Ramses’ reign, the third from the left of which was rebuilt during the reign of Pharaoh Seti II.
The top section of the second, which fell during the 34th year of Ramses’ reign, has rested on the ground ever since.
The rock shrine of Abu Simbel represents the unbridled desires of the most powerful Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, who built it as a symbol of his might.
The temple, which is dedicated in principle to the third of the divinities consisting of Amen-Ra, Harmakhis, and Ptah, was created to honor the name of its builder, Rameses II the Great, who ruled for a total of 67 years and was responsible for the construction of the temple.
The portraits of the pharaoh, which are repeated several hundred times on the façade and walls of the numerous chambers, depict him at various stages of his life: as a son, as a spouse, as a proud parent, as a triumphant warrior, and, lastly, as a deity on earth, are shown.
The following are some of the highlights of Abu Simble:
The white crown of Upper Egypt is worn by the giants on the left, while the Pshent (double crown) is worn by the giants on the right.
The Heka and the Nekhaka, both symbols of strength and monarchy, are held by the giants’ crossed hands on their chests.
The battle of Kadesh, which took place in the fifth year of the pharaoh’s reign and resulted in the triumphant conclusion of the pharaoh’s military campaign against the Hittites, is shown in the majority of the wall paintings.
The majority of the images depict the sovereign sacrificing captives to the Gods, and the bas-relief depicting the pharaoh standing in his war chariot and grabbing his bow is a true masterpiece of Egyptian sculpture.
A total of six other chambers in which the votive offerings were put surround this room on both the right and left sides.
On each side of the Pronaos is a second hypostyle chamber, which is supported by four square pillars and decorated with paintings depicting the pharaoh sitting in front of different deities.
The sacrarium, the most distant and hidden portion of the temple, is located in the heart of the mountain, 215 feet from the entrance.
It is the most isolated and private part of the temple.
This little chamber, which is 13 feet wide by a little more than 23 feet deep, has the status of Amun-Ra, Harmakhis, Ptah, and Rameses II, as well as other deities.
A beam of sunlight piercing the entrance from Naps at 5:58 a.m. on the solstices and flooding the left shoulder of Amun –Ra with light occurs twice every year, at the solstices.
After touching the picture of the sovereign for a few seconds, it turns its attention to Harmakhis, where the “sun miracle” continues for around 20 minutes.
Due to Ptah’s role as Lord of the Darkness, the statue of the final god is never touched by the light of the sun, which is significant.
After 30 years under Rameses II’s rule, the Temple’s three gods are gradually illuminated between February 10 and October 21, when the first rays of sunlight strike the Temple’s axis.
The second date corresponds to the Temple’s first jubilee, which is celebrated after 30 years under Rameses II.
When it becomes essential to demolish the temples of Abu Simbel and rebuild them in a higher location to protect them from the water of the manmade Lake Nasser, the process is known as deconstruction and reconstruction.
The magnificent Temple was dismantled into 807 blocks, each weighing an average of 20 tonnes, and reconstructed on a massive reinforced concrete skeleton to save money.
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