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The Dramatic Temples of Abu Simbel Egypt, Part 7
(by Patti Day-Miller - July 13, 2010)
Hewn out of a cliff, the Great Temple of Abu Simbel, and the smaller Temple of Hathor are overwhelmingly breathtaking! Though dedicated to the deities of Egypts great cities of the 13th century BC—Amun of Thebes, Ptah of Memphis, and Ra-Harakhty of Heliopolis—the Great Temple was built on the Niles western shore to honor Ramses II. The 108-ft. facade with four, 65-ft. high colossal statues of Ramses II wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, was intended to impress and frighten away would-be invaders approaching by boat. Around the feet of the four Ramses II statues are smaller (though still larger than life-size) figures representing Ramses IIs mother, his favorite wife, Nefertari, and some of his children. (He had over 200.)
Like many of the other temples we saw, these were also buried for centuries thanks to the Nile and the shifting sands. When rediscovered by chance in 1813, only one of the heads was completely showing above the sand. By 1817 enough sand had been removed for the temple to be entered. Three of the four exterior statues are in remarkable condition, but one lost his head in an earthquake in 27 BC.
The interior of the Great Temple, which extends 184 feet into the cliff, was designed to show the union of god and king. In the hypostyle hall, the 33-ft. tall statues on the southern pillars wear the Upper Egypt crown, while the northern ones wear the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. On the walls are reliefs of Ramses II in various battles—the most famous is of the pharaoh in his chariot, shooting arrows at his enemies. Other reliefs here show him making offerings to his deified self.
In the next hall, Ramses and Nefertari are depicted in front of the gods Amun and Ra-Harakhty with offerings. The innermost chamber is the sacred sanctuary where the four gods of the Great Temple sit on their thrones carved in the back wall. The temple is designed in such a way that on February 22 and October 22 every year, the first rays of the rising sun penetrate the temple moving through the first two halls and shine upon the figures of Ra-Horakhty, Ramses II and Amun.
The rock-cut Temple of Hathor is dedicated to Ramses IIs favorite wife, Queen Nerfertari. In front of it are two 33-ft. high statues of Ramses and two of Nerfertari. The fact that her statues are the same height as her husband is very rare, and is thought to have indicated his great love and respect for her. (Usually the queens statues would have come up to about the height of his knees.) Around the larger statues are smaller statues of various children.
Inside, the six columns of the hypostyle hall feature capitals in the bovine shape of Hathor, and the walls hold reliefs similar to the ones in the Great Temple, and also include reliefs showing Nerfertari before Hathor and Mut. In the inner sanctuary there is a statue of Hathor emerging from a rock as a cow.
As remarkable as the original construction of the temples at Abu Simbel is the relocation of them, when the High Dam was built at Aswan. In the 1960s the UNESCO campaign gathered financing and engineers from 50 countries (the US contributed 40 million) to save 14 temples that would have been submerged under Lake Nasser. Ten of them, including Abu Simbel, were relocated in Egypt. The other four were donated to countries that had contributed to the effort. (The Temple of Dendur was moved/reconstructed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.)
The temples at Abu Simbel, considered the greatest achievement of the UNESCO rescue operation, were moved 688 feet back and 213 feet above their original position. This involved cutting the temples into more than 2000 huge blocks, weighing from 10-40 tons each, and then carefully reconstructing them. Great care was taken to orient the temples to face the correct direction and angle. The project took just over four years, and the temples were officially reopened in 1968. What an achievement!
After bussing back to the airport and our short flight back to Aswan, we joined those who had not gone to Abu Simbel. That day our group had boxed lunches aboard the bus as we drove to the Aswan High Dam.
The Aswan Dam was built between 1898 and 1902, and increased agricultural production and provided hydroelectric power, but it proved too small to control the Niles unpredictable floods. Thus, between 1960 and 1971, the immense Aswan High Dam was built. It measures 12,562 feet across, 364 feet in height, and is 3,214 feet wide at its base.
Its construction created Lake Nasser, the worlds largest artificial lake, and also resulted in a 30% increase in agricultural production, along with doubling the hydroelectricity for the country. Many think it saved Egypt from famine. However, the silt previously provided by the flooding is forcing farmers to use potentially harmful fertilizers, and the irrigation canals have led to endemic infection by a parasite, which is a huge public health concern. (I cringed when I saw a small child playing in one of the canals.)
From the High Dam, we headed to a marina to board a motor boat to travel to Agilkia Island, and tour the graceful temple complex of Philae.
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