Abu Simbel

candid Egypt tips

Why
Abu Simbel
is special

Abu Simbel in Egypt is famous for its four imposing statues of the seated Pharaoh Rameses. Those sculptures guard his temple's entrance. They and the temple behind them were originally carved out of the same sandstone cliff, over three millennia ago.

Abu Simbel
tips & insights

Why was
Abu Simbel built?

Pharaoh Rameses II wanted to impress his Egyptian subjects of his grandeur -- and to set fear in the hearts of his formidable Nubian enemies who threatened Egypt's southern border.

 Is it taller
than photos suggest?

Each of the seated Abu Simbel statues is as high as a five-story building. For scale, notice the statues standing between the pharaoh's legs -- they are life size.

 Why did the
Aswan High Dam
threaten Abu Simbel?

The construction of Egypt's vast Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in the 1960s posed a problem. It would have submerged Abu Simbel and therefore lost to future scholars and tourists .

 What was
the solution?

Abu Simbel was moved it to higher ground. This required cutting Abu Simbel into large blocks and reassembling them on top of the cliff, safely above the rising waters. This remarkable engineering feat was accomplished by a joint Egyptian and international effort, finishing in the nick of time.

 Is there another
Abu Simbel temple?

The nearby temple of the wife of Rameses is also a part of the Abu Simbel complex. That temple is an archaeological must-visit.

Interesting tidbits

Abu Simbel has many:

Construction time
It took several decades for the ancients to build Abu Simbel.

Saved by sand
Most temples of antiquity are eventually physically altered, defiled or destroyed. This was not the fate of Abu Simbel because encroaching sands soon buried its lower half. It lay forgotten for millennia. Abu Simbel wasn't rediscovered and exposed until about 200 years ago.

Earthquake damage
The second from the left Pharaoh statute was severely damaged by an ancient earthquake. The shattered fallen head and torso lie at the statue's feet (see photo in upper-left column).

Artificial cliff
Originally, the backdrop of Abu Simbel was the cliff it was carved out of. Problem: The 1960s relocated temple would be on top of the cliff, which had no backdrop. Solution: Construct an artificial mountain behind the relocated temple's facade.

Most sacred chamber
Abu Simbel's innermost room lies at the end of a long corridor straight back from the temple's entrance. Once only the Pharaoh and high priests could go inside this ultra holy sanctuary. Now you can, too.

Equinox show
Twice a year a shaft of light from the rising sun mystically illuminates the deity statues inside the innermost room. This occurs during the spring and fall equinoxes (late February and October).

Rameses II
The man who commissioned Abu Simbel is considered the greatest Pharaoh ever. He reigned for a long time - 67 years (1279 to 1213 BC).

Mummy
His 3200 year old mummy is dramatically displayed (head and hand are unwrapped) in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

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©2010 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications