Abu
Simbel
(The Temple of Ramesses II)
(The Temple of Nefertari dedicated to Hathor)
Not only are the two temples at Abu Simbel among the most
magnificent monuments in the world but their removal and
reconstruction was an historic event in itself. When the
temples (280 km from Aswan) were threatened by submersion in
Lake Nasser, due to the construction of the High Dam, the
Egyptian Government secured the support of UNESCO and
launched a world wide appeal. During the salvage operation
which began in 1964 and continued until 1968, the two
temples were dismantled and raised over 60 meters up the
sandstone cliff where they had been built more than 3,000
years before. Here they were reassembled, in the exact same
relationship to each other and the sun, and covered with an
artificial mountain. Most of the joins in the stone have now
been filled by antiquity experts, but inside the temples it
is still possible to see where the blocks were cut. You can
also go inside the man made dome and see an exhibition of
photographs showing the different stages of the massive
removal project.
Abu Simbel was first reported by J. L. Burckhardt in 1813,
when he came over the mountain and only saw the facade of
the great temple as he was preparing to leave that area via
the Nile. The two temples, that of Ramesses II primarily
dedicated to Re-Harakhte, and that of his wife, Nefertari
dedicated to Hathor, became a must see for Victorians
visiting Egypt, even though it required a trip up the Nile,
and often they were covered deeply in sand, as they were
when Burckhardt found them.
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