Travel Eye on Abu Simbel (Egypt)

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Overview:

Abu Simbel is a temple built by Ramesses II (c.1279-1213 B.C.E.) where he wished to demonstrate his power and his divine nature. Four colossal (65 feet/20 metres high) statues of him sit in pairs flanking the entrance. The head and torso of the statue to the left of the entrance fell during ancient times, probably the result of an earthquake.

Perhaps after the Giza pyramids, or coincident with them, the great temple of Abu Simbel presents the most familiar image of ancient Egypt to the modern traveler and reader. When the conservation efforts to preserve the temple from the soon-to be built High Aswan Dam and its rising waters were begun in the 1960s, images of the colossal statues filled newspapers and books. The temples were dismantled and relocated in 1968 on the desert plateau, 200 feet above and 600 feet west of their original location.

This temple faces the east, and Re-Horakhty, one manifestation of the sun god, is shown inside the niche directly above the entrance. The alignment of the temple is such that twice a year the sun's rays reach into the innermost sanctuary to illuminate the seated statues of Ptah, Amun-Re, Ramesses II, and Re- Horakhty. Abu Simbel is a day trip must and really is one of ancient Egypt's pinacle attractions.

At Abu Simbel, below the seat of one of the colossal statues of Ramesses II, is the sunk relief of the god Hapy, the personification of the Nile flood. Hapy is androgynous (both male and female characteristics), suggesting the fertility of the land which results from the Nile flood. This androgyny explains his pendant breasts and swollen belly. The centralized image of the lung and windpipe flanked by the two figures of Hapy illustrate the Egyptian concern for balance and order. The cartouche of Ramesses II sits directly above the lung and windpipe.

Locality:

Abu Simbel lies south of Aswan on the western bank of the Nile, 180 miles south of the First Cataract in what was Nubia.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

Abu Simbel is one of the pinnacle Egyptian tourist attractions and is a day trip must for those visiting the area.