Abu Simbel Temples
In the 13th century B.C., during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, two temples were cut out of the rock at Abu Simbel as a tribute to Ramesses II and his queen Nefertari. It is about 300 kilometers by road from the Aswan dam to where it is now, on the west side of Lake Nasser.
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Information about the history of the temples of Abu Simbel

Ramesses II built the temple of Abu Simbel after he won the Battle of Kadesh. 1274 BC. Ramesses II was a son of Seti I, fighting enemies in both the north and the south. His most famous fight was against the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh. At the end of this war, both sides signed a peace treaty. Ramesses II wrote about his victory on the walls of the Egyptian temple Abu Simbel and other places.
Abu Simbel was where Ramesses and Egypt’s most important gods, Amon, Ra, and Ptah, were worshipped. These three gods were always considered the most important throughout Egypt’s history. Ra was in charge of the Heliopolitan Ennead, Amon was in the order of the Theban Triad, and Ptah was in charge of the artisans in Memphis. Ramesses, the fourth major Egyptian god, is shown with the other three.
The temple at Abu Simbel is 33 meters tall and 38 meters wide at its base. It is guarded by four statues that are sitting down. They all show Ramesses II sitting on a throne with the Upper and Lower Egyptian crowns on top of it (Pschent crown Egypt).
There are two of them, and each is about 20 meters tall. On either side is a frieze of 22 baboons, representing people who worship the sun. The temple and its figures were carved into a rocky outcrop. During the earthquake, the statue to the left of the entrance fell to the ground, and only the figure’s base was still up.
Around the feet of the giants, you’ll find more sculptures that aren’t as tall as the Pharaoh’s knees. This picture shows the Pharaoh’s first two sons, Amun-her-khepeshef and Ramesses, and his first six daughters, Bintanath, Baketmut, Nefertari, Meritamen, Nebettawy, and Isetnofret.
The most important part of the building is a bas-relief of two figures of the king worshipping the hawk-headed god Ra-Horajti, whose statue is in a massive niche above the entrance. On his left, the goddess Maat sits, and in his right hand, he holds a feather and a hieroglyph.
Twenty-two baboons stand in front of the building with their arms raised as if praying. A stele on the front shows that Ramesses married the daughter of King ‘attu’ili III, who made peace between Egypt and the Hittites.
Like other ancient Egyptian temples, the rooms get smaller and smaller as you get closer to the sanctuary at Abu Simbel.
The hall is 18 meters long and 16.7 meters wide. It is supported by eight substantial Osirian columns that show a deified Ramesses connected to the god of the underworld, Osiris, to show that the Pharaoh is eternal.
Giant sculptures line the left wall. Some of them wear the white crown of Upper Egypt (Hedjet), and others wear the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt (Pschent crown Egypt).

The inside of the Temple of Abu Simbel

Because it is in a cave, the main temple at Abu Simbel is dark for most of the year. The temple was built by Pharaoh Ramesses II soon after he became king in 1279 BC. It is dedicated to the sun gods Ra-Horakhty and Amon-Re, but the sun only shines on Ramesses II’s statue on the other days of the year.
On February 22 and October 22, the sun shines through some of the walls inside the grand temple. It was the twenty-first of these months, but when the temple was moved to the artificial hills, its orientation had to be changed a bit.
Egyptologists think that Ramesses II was born and made king on this date. From 1279 BC to 1213 BC, Ramesses II was in charge of Egypt. There is proof that the Egyptians were not simple people who built things at random but rather a very advanced society for their time.
It is to the north of the main temple. It was built for the goddess Hathor and Ramesses II’s favorite Nubian wife, Nefertari. In addition, it is cut into the rock. Six sculptures are on the front of the building; four are of Ramesses II, and two are Nefertari.
It is an absolute engineering marvel that has been well taken care of. The triad in a chamber where the god of darkness was left in the dark is impressive not only because of its vast sculptures but also because of the quality of the writings inside and the incredible skill that allowed people back then to control when the sun came in and lit up certain parts.
All six sculptures are 10 meters tall, which is unusual because statues of pharaohs have always been more towering. You’ll walk into a room with six columns in the middle, and on top of each column is a capital with a relief of the goddess Hathor’s head.
In the East Room, you can see scenes of Ramesses and his wife sacrificing to the gods. Behind this room is a similar-looking room with similar sights. In the sanctuary at the back of the temple is a statue of the goddess Hathor.
The temple of Abu Simbel had to be moved because the sand slowly covered the building over time. Around 600 BC, sand was piled up to the knees of the figures in the main temple. In 1813, the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt was the first person to think about Abu Simbel after it had been forgotten for hundreds of years.
When Lake Nasser threatened to swallow the Abu Simbel Temples in 1964 because the Aswan Dam was being built, UNESCO moved them from the mountain to an artificial cliff 210 m (688 ft) away and 65 m (213 ft) above their original site.
As time went on, sand began to fill in the empty temple. At the end of the sixth century B.C., the figures in the main temple were up to their knees in the sand. In 1813, when the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt finally got to Abu Simbel, he found that almost no one remembered the ancient city. After the Aswan Dam was finished in 1964, Lake Nasser began to fill up and threatened the Abu Simbel Temples. UNESCO decided to save them by taking them off the mountain and moving them 65 meters (213 feet) back from where they had been.
How do I find my way to the temples of Abu Simbel?

There are many ways to get to the Abu Simbel temples. You can take a bus or fly and rent anything from many places. Lake Nasser cruise passengers don’t need to keep reading because the boats stop in front of the temples.
If you need to get to Abu Simbel quickly, you can fly from Aswan to Abu Simbel in less than an hour. When we add in getting to the airport, going through security, waiting in line, and traveling, we find that it doesn’t save nearly as much time as we would expect.
The temple of Abu Simbel is one of the most beautiful and grand buildings in all of Egypt, and it is even more beautiful and elegant than the Pyramids of Giza. You can tour the temples of Abu Simbel of l during the day and be amazed by their size and beauty during a music and light show at night. This is Ancient Egypt in all its glory! From Aswan to Abu Simbel, take the best trip.
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