Why travel to Egypt
If you’re an African travel enthusiast, Egypt probably needs no introduction. This North African country has a rich, mystical and well-known history dating back to the Old Testament days of the Christian Bible. Today, many historical monuments from these ancient times are still found in Egypt, attracting millions of visitors every year. The ancient temples of Abu Simbel are a great example.
Abu Simbel: background
Consisting of two sacred temples carved into a mountainside, Abu Simbel is the second great ancient man-made tourist attraction in Egypt today, after the great pyramids. The Abu Simbel temples are part of the Nubian monuments in Egypt, which have collectively been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You must visit Abu Simbel at least once, to appreciate the beauty of the temples and also learn about their mystical history, as do thousands of other local and foreign tourists.
Rental
The Abu Simbel temples currently stand atop an artificial cliff on the western shores of Lake Nasser, about 300 km southwest of the Aswan Dam. However, this was not their original site. Originally, these ancient temples were located about 200 feet below the current location. They were relocated in the 1960s to prevent submerging in Lake Nasser, following the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The relocation and reconstruction of the temple is considered one of the great engineering feats of the modern world.
The relocation of the temples
Carried out thanks to the combined efforts of the Egyptian Government and UNESCO, the relocation of Abu Simbel cost more than US $ 60 million and lasted four years. The temples were cut into huge slabs on their original site, each slab weighed over 3,000 kilograms. The slabs were then moved to higher ground with great care to avoid damage. At the new site, the pieces were carefully reassembled, taking into account all the elements that had been in place at the original site, including precise construction measurements and the position of the sun. There is a small museum outside of Abu Simbel, where you can get step-by-step documentation of the relocation and reassembly of the two temples. The museum also has a lot of other information, such as the history of Abu Simbel and the ancient kingdoms that worshiped in it.
History of Abu Simbel
The two temples were built during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II, supposedly to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.
Touring Abu Simbel
Four giant statues of Pharaoh Ramses sit in front of the Abu Simbel. This is the fascinating sight that greets your eyes when you approach the temple. You will feel dwarfed and in awe of its size. However, one of the statues in the middle has been destroyed head to waist by a past earthquake. At the feet of these gigantic statues are much smaller statues, probably of members of the then royal family.
When touring Abu Simbel, you will most likely be in the company of tour guides who will amaze you with stories of the rise and fall of ancient kingdoms and of gods who could breathe fire and turn day into night. When you pass the first Abu Simbel entrance, you may be so scared that you won’t want to stay even one step behind the tour group. The first entrance leads to a hallway flanked by more statues, wall engravings, and cave paintings.
Most of the history of the temples has been concluded from the illustrations carved on these walls. However, some of these illustrations have never been fully interpreted. As you go deeper into the temples, it becomes more beautiful, interesting, and almost haunting. If you love mysteries and scary stories, you will surely have an unforgettable experience here.
In the innermost sanctuary of the temple, you will find four statues of the main gods sitting on a high platform. The most remarkable thing about this shrine is that it was built in such a way that twice a year, in late February and late October, the first rays of the sun shine directly on the back wall of the shrine illuminating the gods and giving the shrine a mysterious but powerful presence. This phenomenon points to the extraordinary sense of design and planning that the ancient Egyptians had, particularly when it came to the sun and other celestial bodies.
Temples are still considered sacred by some Egyptians and don’t be surprised if you find a group of people outside the temple praying while looking at the sun. Most of the people who believe in the sanctity of Abu Simbel like to visit the site in February and October, when the rays of the sun illuminate the innermost parts and make the statues of the gods “come to life”.
Get there
To travel to Abu Simbel, you can either take a flight from Cairo or Aswan to the airstrip behind Abu Simbel, or you can go by bus. The temples are located in a very remote place with very few inhabitants in the area. The area is largely desert land and temperatures can soar to uncomfortable heights during the day and then drop to the biting chill of the skin at night.