Temple of Abu Simbel Things to Do Tips by sayedaburas Top 5 Page for this destination

The New Present Site

The map shows the new site to where the 2 temples have been shifted. It is reachable by Air, Land or Boat.

No more comments than CLICK & Enjoy Google Orientation!

Ramses the sacred figure

Ramses II ruled Egypt for the longest period of a Pharaoh, he even shared the regeime of his father Seti First, in the 19th dynasty.

Nevertheless, he is seen here at his own great temple as a Horus' worshipper too.

For your guidance, ancient Egyptians used to start establishing temples and monuments for a Pharaoh -both for his lifetime and mortuary ones for his next life upon resurrection. That is to say the longer he rules the more he obtain. The vast monumets found everywhere allover Egypt shows his glorious era.(1290 - 1224 BC)

BUT

We perceive another exeptional case, I mean Tut-Ankh-Amum, who ruled for a shortest period (1352 - 1344 BC). Nontheless you are quite aware of his heritage...

Address: Abu Simbel Grand Temple

Directions: Upper Egypt

Phone: +20101888443

Biannual Solar event at Abu Simbel temple

An interesting thing, which shows the skill of the ancient Egyptian engineers is that twice a year on Feb. and October 21st, the anniversaries of the king’s birthday and coronation respectively, the sun would shine for 20 minutes right through the main temple into the innner sanctuary (Holiest of holies), where it would light up three out of the four statues there. The fourth statue of Ptah, the god of darkness, would remain unlit.

While the groups of engineers and experts made every effort to preserve the necessary orientation, at the new site, to facilitate the temple complex’s famous solar event, the ambitious relocation project caused the even dates to shift by one day –from Feb 21 and Oct 21 to Feb 22 and Oct 22.

By most accounts, this was a small price to pay to preserve one of the great monuments of Ancient Egypt.

As you are aware Abu Simbel temples have been saved and relocated, due to the construction of Aswan High Dam that created the artifical Nasser Lake.

Compare my relevant tip "The Sancturay": [http://p.vtourist.com/1/1926960-Sanctuary_artificially_lit-Temple_of_Abu_Simbel.jpg]

For sound and light show kindly check my "nightl life" Tip

Address: Grand Temple of Abu Simbel

Directions: Upper Egypt

Phone: +20101888443

Purification

Purfication of Ramses II.

Address: Abu Simbel

Directions: Upper Egypt

Phone: +20101888443

The relocation

The temple was a massive rock-cut. The name could be originated from the name of the mountain that contained the great temple; as the Nubians called it 'Absambal'. However, the ancient name of the city was 'Ibshek'

Abu Simbel's two temples are unique among those of ancient Egypt. Unlike cult temples such as Luxor and Karnak, which were added to, and subtracted from, by many kings through many centuries, Abu Simbel was constructed by a single pharaoh, Ramesses II.

The project cost 42 million dollars and was concluded in less than five years. It was started in November of 1963 and finished in September 1968

Address: Abu Simbel

Directions: Upper Egypt

Phone: +201018888443

The Sancturay

Like other temples, the Great Temple of Abu Simbel was dedicated to a Triad, Amun-Re (the deity of Thebes), Re-Herakhty (Heliopolis) and Ptah (Memphis), a fourth deity, who took pride of place, was Ramesses II himself.

N.B. Compare "Biannual solar event tip" above:

Address: Abu Simbel Grand Temple

Directions: Upper Egypt

Phone: +20101888443

The reconstruction technique

Abu Simbel Temples relocation process took 4 years, starting in 1964, and required the construction of a massive concrete steel dome, outside of which engineers designed to simulate the appearance of the original rock cliff.

Two concrete domes were built above the temples to protect them from the weight of the rocks that were piled above them. The dome above the Great Temple is the largest manmade dome in the world, with a circumference of 60 metres and a height of 22 metres.

That is to say, one can simultaneously admire ancient Egyptian engineering skills and world modern technologies..... Wonders will never cease....

Address: Abu Simbel

Directions: Upper Egypt

Phone: +20101888443

The Queen's temple

His wife Nefertari could be the daughter of the nobles or of the king Seti I. Ramses II married her when he was 15 years old and provided him with six children. She remained his chief wife until her death in abut 24th year of his reign.

Address: Abu Simbel

Directions: Upper Egypt

Phone: +20101888443

Victory

To celebrate his victories, Ramses erected monuments up and down the Nile with records of his achievements. He completed the hypostyle hall at Karnak (Thebes), and completed the funerary temple of his father, Seti I, at Luxor on the West Bank of the Nile.

Address: Abu Simbel

Directions: Upper Egypt

Phone: +20101888443

The King

If the building of temples be an index to the prospertiy of the realm, then indeed Egypt was flourishing under Ramses II, for he surely erected more fanes up and down the land than any Pharoh before or since, though it must be admitted that he dismamtled older shrines and re-used the material.

It is Nubia, however, which possesses the most astonishing construction of this reign, namely the two wel-known rock-cut temples of Abu simbel.

The most remarkable archaeological site in this city is the two temples of Ramses II, he built the great temple for himself and dedicated it to Amun-re, Rehorakhty and to himself as the deified king, and he built the small temple to his beloved wife Nefertari and goddess of music, love and dancing Hathor.

The broken colossal statue was crashed in an earthquake in the 31st year of Ramses II reign and three of its parts are fallen in front of the façade. .When the temple was moved , even these pieces were placed exactly the similar position as they fell.

Address: Abu Simbel

Directions: Upper Egypt

Phone: +20101888443