Temple of Abu Simbel – Unveiling the Twin Rock Monument
Egyptian Temples & Tombs | February 25, 2010Located in southern Egypt on the west bank of Lake Nasser at 290 km from Aswan, the temple of Abu Simbel is twin giant rock shrines in Nubia. Regarded as the Nubian Monuments, they are designated as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
These temples were initially built out of the mountainous outcrop during Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century B.C. as a tribute to himself and his queen Nefertari for marking the victory at the Battle of Kadesh. However, they were displaced in the 1960s on a simulated hill above the Aswan High Dam reservoir so that they could not be immersed while creating Lake Nasser. No doubt, even today despite its shifted location, the temple of Abu Simbel is still visited by thousands of tourists each year.
The larger temple, the Great Temple, is dedicated to Ra-Harakhty, Ptah, and Amun, the three Egyptian deities. It also holds four big statues of Ramesses II at the front. The other temple is smaller dedicated to the goddess Hathor, incarnated by Nefertari.
Construction
Began in 1244 BCE whose completion took 20 years, the complex was known as the Temple of Ramesses, beloved by Amun. It was among the six rock temples of Nubia whose aim was to amaze the southern neighbors of Egypt and strengthen the state of Egyptian religion. According to the historians, the plan of the temple of Abu Simbel exhibits a trace of ego in Ramses II.
The Great Temple
Entrance:
This is the most wonderful temple built in the period of Rameses II. Four colossal statues of 20 m of the pharaoh adorned with the double crown and a frieze with 22 baboons worshipping the sun adorn the entrance. All of them are in a sitting pose on a throne honored by the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Being damaged by earthquake, the head and torso now lie at the feet. Besides the legs, other statues depict Nefertari, queen mother Mut-Tuy, his first two sons Amun-her-khepeshef and Ramesses, and his first six daughters Bintanath, Baketmut, Nefertari, Meritamen, Nebettawy, and Isetnofret.
Inner Part:
Triangular in layout, the rooms keep on appearing less in size from the entrance to the sanctuary. With quite unusual and complex structure due to many side rooms, the temple has the hypostyle hall (pronaos) supported by eight huge Osirid pillars indicating the link of sacred Ramses to the god of underworld – Osiris. The bas-reliefs on its walls show battle scenes, particularly the Battle of Kadesh on the Orontes River (Syria). Among these, the popular one is the king on his chariot throwing arrows against his escaping enemies. From the hypostyle hall, the second pillared hall has four pillars with beautiful depiction of God offerings. You can also see Ramesses and Nefertari with the sacred boats of Amun and Ra-Harakhti.
Geometry:
The axis of the temple is such that on October 20 and February 20, the sun rays would enter the sanctuary to bright up the sculpture on the back wall.
The Small Temple
Built at 100 m northeast of the bigger temple, this temple’s rock-cut facade holds two colossal groups split by a big gateway. A bit more than 10 m, the statues are of the king and his queen strikingly both being equal in size. Otherwise, the queens’ statues were never bigger than the king’s knees.
Here, you will find small statues of princes and princesses with their parents perched from left to right, princes Meryatum and Meryre, princesses Meritamen and Henuttawy, and princes Rahirwenemef and Amun-her-khepeshef.
The hypostyle hall hold six pillars depicting the scenes of the queen playing the sinistrum, a holy instrument of the goddess Hathor along with the gods Horus, Khnum, Khonsu, and Thoth, and the goddesses Hathor, Isis, Maat, Mut of Asher, Satis and Taweret. After the hall, a vestibule is seen that is accessed via three large doors holding beautiful bas-reliefs.
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The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his alleged victory at the Battle of Kadesh, and to intimidate his Nubian neighbors.
Abu Simbel remains one of Egypt’s top tourist attractions.