Egypt’s Temples of Abu Simbel

Included are the following topics:

  • The History of Abu Simbel
  • The Highlights of Abu Simbel

After passing through Aswan, past the great Philae Temple dedicated to the goddess Isis, which was dismantled and reconstructed on Agilkia Island before its former site, Philae Island, was flooded when the old dam was constructed, and onwards past the Aswan Dam and the enormous manmade lake, Lake Nasser, the Nile Valley comes to an abrupt stop at Abu Simbel.

The village is around 280 kilometers away from Aswan and approximately 100 kilometers away from the Sudanese border.

Abu Simbel is most renowned for its two spectacular temples, which were originally cut out of the solid rock on a mountaintop in the 13th century BC and are now protected as a national monument.

They are known as the Nubian Monuments and are devoted to the major deities of the day, Ra-Horakhty or Horus, Ptah, and Amun. They are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Their construction was intended to pay homage to the renowned pharaoh Ramses II and his queen, Nefertari.

They were of such historical significance, and the view they provided the world into an ancient society, that when a new dam was erected to manage the waters of the Nile and create the vast Lake Nasser, they were the topic of great debate.

A later increase in water levels put them in danger of being submerged.

The idea for a massive effort to rescue the temples was devised in the early 1960s, and construction started shortly afterward.

When UNESCO came in with a professional understanding of historic structures, as well as cash raised mostly via foreign contributions, the initiative to transfer them to a hill high above the water level of the new lake was a huge success. The project took a long time to complete, but it was a huge success.

If you want to enjoy a memorable trip in Egypt, check out our Egypt Excursions with our certified Egyptologist and Egypt travel guide.

Over a period of many years, massive chunks of rock were cut, deconstructed, and rebuilt.

The temples were excavated from the slope and relocated to a higher location on the mountainside.

They were placed against man-made semi-domes in order to enable the sculptures on the front façade to stare out over the river, as they have done for ages, as they have done for centuries.

The temples, known as the Great Temple of Abu Simbel for Ramses II and the Small Temple of Abu Simbel for Nefertari, date back to the reign of Ramses II and are considered to be among the most important monuments in Egypt. According to legend, he desired to erect a monument to commemorate his rule as well as the reign of his queen Nefertari.

The victory in the Battle of Kadesh provided the ideal occasion to begin construction on the massive complex.

According to historical records, construction on the great temple began in the mid-1200s BC and took around 20 years to complete. Construction of the smaller temple began a bit later than the larger one.

Check out our Nile Cruises 2020 from this location.

It is the four gigantic sculptures of Ramses II that stand guard at the entrance to the greatest temple, in which he may be seen wearing a double crown representing both Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt districts.

Approximately 20 meters in height, they were beautifully carved from the rock of the slope where they formerly stood, which is very amazing.

Unfortunately, one of them has been severely damaged, but this does not detract from their overall beauty. Because of the height of the temple’s frieze, they are completely out of reach.

There are many war scenes shown, including one of Kadesh, which depicts Ramses II’s victory over his opponents.

There are various statues inside the complex, including those showing his wife Nefertari, his sons and daughters, and the deities to whom the temple is devoted.

Due to its east-west orientation, the temple was able to receive direct sunlight in the early morning, which illuminated some of the sculptures housed inside it.

During the months of February and October, this is most noticeable.

The smaller temple dedicated to Nefertari, which is also known as the Temple of Hathor, is located around 50 meters away from the larger temple.

It is lavishly painted with depictions of Ramses II and his wife offering sacrifices to the gods, as well as sculptures of the pharaoh and his consort, Nefertari, among other things.

Don’t miss to check our Egypt Vacation Packages