"Abu Simbel" a Temple of Abu Simbel Travel Page by MalenaN

Abu Simbel is a small village 280 km south of Aswan. The place is famous for the impressive Great Temple of Ramses II with the four sitting colossal statues of Ramses on the fa?ade. Abu Simbel is far away, but is absolutely a must see!

Most temples in Egypt are freestanding but the two in Abu Simbel are cut out of the rock. The temples were built more than 3000 years ago, but what you see today is not the temples original place. When the High Dam was built and Lake Nasser created the temples had to be moved to higher ground. It was a big project, involving many people, many years of work and a lot of money. An artificial mountain was built to house the temples, 65 metres above the original site. The reconstruction was nearly perfectly done, but there is one difference. Every year on the 22 February and 22 October the first rays of the dawn reaches the sanctuary of the Great Temple. That is one day later than at the original temple.