The Monumental Abu Simbel Temple
Needleless for any introduction, Abu Simbel has been an iconic monument since its rediscovery in 1813 not only for its geometric and beautiful design but also for its huge stature aligning its axis accurately with the sun, so its rays fall directly on the inside of the temple illuminating the statues in its back section. Royal Black Tours presents to you everything you need to know about the origin of the temple and its historic relocation.
Origin of the temple
Abu Simbel is a significant historical site featuring two monumental rock-cut temples located in the village of Abu Simbel, in the Aswan Governorate of Upper Egypt, near the Sudanese border. Situated on the western shore of Lake Nasser, it is approximately 230 km southwest of Aswan, or about 300 km by road.
These twin temples were meticulously carved from sandstone into the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, under the 19th Dynasty. The imposing statues of Ramesses II at the temple entrances are iconic, with smaller figures of his wife, Nefertari, and their children positioned at his feet.
Inside the Great Temple, intricate sculptures celebrate Ramesses II’s triumph at the Battle of Kadesh; one of the most iconic battles in ancient Egyptian history.
What made Abu Simbel Famous?
Well in our Team’s humble opinion that, Abu Simbel is famous for 3 main reasons:
1st: Its Solar Alignment and its purpose
The ancient Egyptian architects of Abu Simbel designed the temple’s axis so that, on October 22 and February 22, sunlight would illuminate the statues on the back wall of the sanctuary, except for Ptah, the god of the underworld, who remained in darkness. These dates attract many visitors to Abu Simbel to witness this unique solar alignment.
It is often suggested that these dates mark Ramesses II’s birthday and coronation day, although there is no definitive evidence to confirm this. However, it is reasonable to believe that these dates held significant importance.
Calculations based on the heliacal rising of Sirius (Sothis) and archaeological inscriptions suggest that October 22 was a notable date. The sunlight on this day was thought to energize and renew the image of the deified Ramesses the Great, symbolically placing him alongside the gods Amun-Ra and Ra-Horakhty.
Due to the gradual shift of the Tropic of Cancer caused by Earth’s axial precession over the past three millennia, the original dates of this phenomenon would have been different when the temple was first constructed.
Additionally, the temple’s relocation to avoid submersion by Lake Nasser may have affected the precision of the current alignment.
2nd: Its monumental ambitious relocation
The relocation of the Abu Simbel temples began in 1964, led by an international team of archaeologists, engineers, and skilled operators under UNESCO’s supervision. The project cost around $40 million, equivalent to $392.96 million today. From 1964 to 1968, the site was carefully divided into large blocks, each weighing up to 30 tons, then dismantled, lifted, and reassembled 65 meters higher and 200 meters away from the original location.
This monumental task is one of the most remarkable achievements in archaeological engineering. Some structures were even rescued from beneath Lake Nasser. Today, hundreds of tourists visit the temples daily, arriving by road from Aswan or by plane through Abu Simbel Airport, which connects to Aswan International Airport.
The Abu Simbel complex comprises two temples. The larger temple is dedicated to Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, and Amun, featuring four colossal statues of Ramesses II on its facade. The smaller temple honors the goddess Hathor, represented by Nefertari, Ramesses’s beloved wife. Both temples are now open to the public, drawing many visitors who come to admire their historical and architectural marvels.
however, the true challenge of this historical relocation was not only the huge scale of scale Abu Simbel, but also the fact that the reconstruction team had to preserve the exact Degree of solar alignment and carefully make it overlap with the sun at the same time.
furthermore, the international team were racing against time to complete this project, causing the difficulty of the relocation project to skyrocket even more. till this day the UNESCO considers the relocation of Abu Simbel temple to be one of the organizations most ambitious and best ever successfully done projects to this day.
3rd and lastly the temple itself
Ambu Simbel is considered by many as one of the most beautifully preserved monuments of famous Egyptian pharos (Ramses II & Nefertari).
During his reign, Ramesses II launched an extensive building program throughout Egypt and Nubia. Nubia was crucial to the Egyptians as it provided gold and other valuable trade goods. To showcase Egypt’s power and influence the Nubian people, Ramesses II built several grand temples in the region.
The most notable of these are the rock-cut temples near the modern village of Abu Simbel, at the Second Nile Cataract. This location marks the border between Lower and Upper Nubia.
The site features two impressive temples: the Great Temple, dedicated to Ramesses II, and the Small Temple, dedicated to his chief wife, Queen Nefertari. These temples stand as a testament to Egypt’s might and Ramesses II’s ambition.
The entrance to the temple is flanked by four massive statues, each towering 20 meters (66 feet) high, portraying Ramesses II seated on a throne adorned with the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.
One of the statues, positioned immediately left of the entrance, suffered damage in an earthquake, resulting in the head and torso falling.
These fragments were not restored but instead placed at the statue’s feet in their original positions. Alongside Ramesses’s legs are smaller statues, depicting his chief wife, Nefertari Meritmut; his mother, Mut-Tuy; his first two sons, Amun-her-khepeshef and Ramesses B; and his first six daughters: Bintanath, Baketmut, Nefertari, Meritamen, Nebettawy, and Isetnofret.
The façade behind the colossal statues rises 33 meters (108 feet) high and spans 38 meters (125 feet) wide. It showcases a frieze featuring twenty-two baboons worshipping the rising sun with raised arms, as well as a stele commemorating Ramesses’s marriage to a daughter of King Ḫattušili III, a pivotal event that solidified peace between Egypt and the Hittites.
Above the entrance doorway, bas-relief images depict the king paying homage to the falcon-headed Ra Horakhty, whose statue occupies a large niche. Ra holds the hieroglyph for “user” and a feather in his right hand, while Maat, the goddess of truth and justice, is depicted in his left hand.
These symbols combine to form a cryptogram representing Ramesses II’s throne name, User-Maat-Re.