The Colossi and Temples at Abu Simbel, Egypt

The archaeological remains and artefacts that survive to attest to the richness of the almost 30 centuries of civilisation we now call Ancient Egypt (3100-333 BC ) are mind-boggling.

That people between 3000 and 5000 years ago conceived of – and built – the pyramids, tombs, mausoleums, and temples, that scatter along the Nile amazes me. That they built them so well that these structures endure for us to explore and enjoy today is just astonishing!

I was awestruck by each and every archaeological site, but one of my favourites was at Abu Simbel.

Abu Simbel sits 280 kilometres south of Aswan, in what is now the Aswan Governorate of Upper Egypt. During the rule of Pharaoh Ramesses II (1303-1213 BC) – also known as Rameses and Ramses – this was Nubia, and the southern limit of Egyptian control at the time. Ramesses II is often regarded as the greatest pharaoh of the Ancient Egypt’s New Kingdom  (1570- c. 1069 BCE). He built a number of temples to impress and intimidate his trading partners and enemies, and to memorialise and deify himself: the most prominent of these are the two temples at Abu Simbel.

The rock-cut temples were originally constructed over three thousand years ago, between 1264 and 1244 BC. The larger of the two, the Great Temple, was dedicated to Ramesses II himself, and the Small Temple, also known as the Temple of Hathor, was dedicated to his chief wife Queen Nefertari. As impressive as these are, over time they fell into disuse. They were almost completely buried in sand when they were rediscovered in 1813. The story goes that a Swiss explorer was led to the site by an Egyptian-Nubian boy called Abu Simbel. By 1909, the sand had been removed, and the site became a popular attraction.

Then, with the building of the world’s largest embankment dam, the 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) long Aswan High Dam – between 1960 and 1970 – the temples were at risk of being lost under the rising waters of Lake Nasser. The Egyptian Government, with the assistance of UNESCO, managed to source international funding to rescue these two temples and the Temple Complex at Philae (see: The Sacred Temple of Isis). Between 1964 and 1968 the Abu Simbel temples were cut into 20 to 30 ton sections, moved and reassembled in the current location which is an artificial cliff 210 m (688ft) back from and 65 m (213 ft) above their original position, and then surrounded by an artificial stone mountain. Getting the orientation right was critical, because the temples were aligned to allow the rising or setting sun to reach the central chamber on the anniversaries of Ramesses II’s ascension to the throne and on his birthday.

The feat of engineering that successfully relocated the temples – and the magnificence of the original temples themselves – is recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the “Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae”.

Although it is possible to drive the 300 km (168 mile) from Aswan to Abu Simbel, we took an early morning 30-minute flight to the nearby small airport: to my mind, this made the whole trip even more exotic.

It truly is a marvel worth visiting!

Some Ancient Egyptian concepts of life, afterlife, and eternal life, are quite foreign to most of us now. Still, Pharaoh Ramesses II’s attempt to achieve immortality through his colossal stone statues and magnificent temples has been – at least partially – successful.

Those who built in granite achieved works – beautiful pyramids, beautiful works – so that their builders should become gods.

Whether he secured deity or immortality, we will never know.

But, he certainly lives on in his buildings – and in my memories.

Pictures: 11October2019