When talking about the sights of Egypt, they usually recall the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, well, perhaps the Valley of the Kings, a museum in Cairo .. But I personally hear about this famous monument of a bygone civilization for the first time. I will correct my knowledge gap, and who is interested - join
The cave temple in Abu Simbel is one of the most famous monuments of ancient Egyptian culture. The huge, 20-meter-high statues of Pharaoh Ramses II the Great, framing the entrance to the temple, have become today the same symbols of Egypt as the pyramids and the Sphinx. The construction of cave temples was widely developed during the reign of Ramses II, but Abu Simbel surpasses all other similar structures.
The ensemble of Abu Simbel is formed by two structures: the Great Temple dedicated to Pharaoh Ramses II and three gods: Amon, Ra-Horakhta and Ptah, and the Small Temple, erected in honor of the goddess Hathor, in the image of which the wife of Ramses II Nefertari-Merenmuth is represented.
Today Abu Simbel is probably the most researched monument of Ancient Egypt. The fact is that in the late 1950s, during the construction of the Aswan hydroelectric power station, Abu Simbel found himself on the territory of the future reservoir. Various projects have been developed to save the world famous monument, including the creation of an underwater glass dome over the temple. But as a result, they decided to dismantle all the structures of the complex and move them to a higher place. This unprecedented action, carried out under the auspices of UNESCO, was carried out in four years, and specialists from fifty countries of the world took part in it.
Until the beginning of the 19th century, the temples of Abu Simbel were lost in the sands of the desert. Only on March 22, 1813, the Swiss historian Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, landing on the banks of the Nile, came across the temple complex.
The historian expressed his impressions of what he saw in his notes as follows: “Statues carved into the rock opened to my eyes. All of them were half covered with sand ... However, Ramses immortalized not only himself, but also his beloved wife Nefertari. The facial features of his wife are imprinted on the statues at the entrance to her temple. ”
Researchers, who carefully studied the monument during these works, were amazed at the enormous body of knowledge possessed by the ancient Egyptian architects. UNESCO experts concluded that the lines of the facades of the Big and Small Temples ran parallel to cracks in the rocky ground, and thus hard rocks served as a natural support for the giant statues. During the construction of the cave temple, the architects took into account the natural properties of the soil - the layers of sandstone in it were fastened with iron oxide, as a result of which the layers were almost not subject to destruction. In addition, iron oxide enriched the stone's palette, giving the sandstone a wide variety of hues, from reds to pinks and lilacs.
Abu Simbel was built in the second half of the New Kingdom, and the beginning of the decline of ancient Egyptian art is already felt in it. Beginning in the 1260s BC. NS. the construction of the temple, the architects proceeded from the accepted traditions of decorating the tombs, but the gigantic dimensions of the temple gave rise to their own difficulties.
The entrance to the Great Temple of Abu Simbel is oriented to the east. The first rays of the sun, illuminating the facade, penetrate into the interior space - first into the first hall, with four-sided columns-pillars and statues of the pharaoh in the image of the god Osiris, then into the second hall, and then into the sanctuary. At its farthest end were the statues of the gods and the figure of Pharaoh Ramses II. Twice a year, the rays of the rising sun fell on the statues of Ramses, Amon and Ra-Horakhte; the fourth figure, the god Ptah, was never illuminated: Ptah is the lord of the underworld, and he does not need the sun, he must forever dwell in darkness.
Despite the fact that the Great Temple, in addition to the deified Pharaoh, was dedicated to three more gods, the whole idea of the construction was to exalt Ramses II by all possible means. This is especially emphasized by the facade of the temple, carved into the rock mass in the form of a traditional pylon, only of unimaginable size, where the entrance to the sanctuary is framed by four gigantic, twenty-meter-high figures of Ramses II. These images of the seated Pharaoh are portrait! How did the craftsmen manage to preserve the portrait resemblance with such a scale of statues carved from hard sandstone? This is amazing! And the point is not so much how similar or dissimilar the pharaoh depicted by them is to themselves - the very technique of making figures of such a scale is fascinating. After all, it was possible to make them only by perfectly mastering the system of proportions, which establishes the exact relationships between the size of the figure and each of its parts.
The enormous statues of Ramses were visible from afar to all sailing along the Nile. And when the first rays of the sun appeared above the horizon, the colossus turned dark red, sharply standing out against the background of the bluish-black shadows they cast.
The image of the great pharaoh dominates the Abu Simbel temple. Immediately outside the doors, in the first room of the temple, the visitor is greeted by eight figures of Pharaoh Ramses in the guise of the god Osiris. They stand four on each side. The walls and ceilings of the interior of the temple are covered with murals and painted reliefs belonging to the best examples of the art of Ancient Egypt of the late period.
The reliefs of the Abu Simbel temple stand out for their dynamics, expression of movements and poses. Their authors were Theban sculptors Piai, Panefer and Khevi. The plots of the reliefs are dedicated to the life and deeds of Ramses II: here the pharaoh plunges crowds of captives - white-skinned Libyans and dark-skinned Nubians - to the feet of the gods, so he mercilessly kills them in the face of the gods ... Grandiose pictures tell about the war of Ramses II with the Hittites. The relief depicting the scenes of the battle of Kadesh is remarkable: the pharaoh rushing in a chariot draws his bow with a sharp movement, aiming at the frightened enemies; battle is raging on the walls of the enemy fortress, defeated warriors are falling from the walls; the shepherd hastily drives away the cattle, fearing that they will become the prey of the Egyptians. With his helplessly raised hand, the shepherd seems to be trying to shield himself from the impending danger ...
A tier above is the composition "Pharaoh Ramses stands before the gods." It differs sharply from the "Battle of Kadesh" - here everything is subject to eternity. The whole composition of the picture is subordinated to complex ritual symbolism, the figures are emphatically solemn and motionless.
The small temple of Abu Simbel is dedicated to the goddess Hathor. It is much simpler and more modest than the Big, and consists of a pillar hall carved into the rocks and a sanctuary with three niches. The facade of the Small Church is decorated with six full-length figures. Between the statues of Pharaoh Ramses II, there are statues of his wife Nefertari-Merenmuth. The sculptures stand in deep, shaded niches, which creates a play of light and shadow in the rays of the sun, enhancing the impression of these monumental figures. On one of the columns of the Small Temple, the inscription is carved: "Ramses, strong in truth, favorite of Amun, created this divine dwelling for his beloved wife Nefertari."
In the sanctuary of the Small Temple, in the central niche, there was a statue of a sacred cow, in the image of which the goddess Hathor was worshiped. Before her was depicted the pharaoh Ramses II, who was, as it were, under the protection of the goddess.
Today, saved by the efforts of all mankind from flooding, the Abu Simbel temple has become a place of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the world. This miracle of ancient Egyptian art today is at the same time a monument to the gigantic efforts made by people from fifty countries to save Abu Simbel. Well, as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat said on this occasion, "nations are capable of performing miracles when they unite with good intentions."
The facade of the temples is carved into the rock, 31 meters high and 38 meters wide. The columns of the facade are four statues of the pharaoh, depicted seated on a throne. The height of these statues is about 20 meters, and the head of each of these sculptures reaches 4 meters! An ornament in the form of baboons is carved above the facade.
In total, there are 22 monkeys, each under 2.5 meters in height.
Upon entering the temple, we find ourselves in a darkened hall that precedes the sanctuary. The hall has sides dimensions of 18 and 16.7 meters. In the center of the room there are 10 columns depicting the god Osiris, but with the facial features of Pharaoh Ramses II.
For almost the whole year, the premises of the temple are immersed in twilight, but twice a year (February 22 and October 22 - the birthday of the pharaoh and the day of his coronation), at dawn, the sun's rays still cut through the darkness of the temples and illuminate the statue of Ramses II himself. The sunbeam lingers on the pharaoh's face for only a few minutes, but according to the numerous tourists, whose influx Abu Simbela is experiencing these days, the stone face of the pharaoh illuminates with a smile ...
Such an optical effect is possible thanks to the incredibly accurate calculations of the ancient Egyptian astrologers and priests who were engaged in the design and construction of temples 33 centuries ago. Just two days a year, just a few minutes!
Despite the fact that the Abu Simbel temple complex is not as ancient as the Egyptian pyramids, the interest from tourists in it is not at all less. For example, on the aforementioned two days a year, up to five thousand people can queue up in front of the entrance to the temple!
Clickable,
Panorama
Although the temples Abu Simbel and stood in the sands for more than 3000 years, in the 60s of the last century a real threat hung over them in the form of flooding. After the 1952 revolution, work began on the design of a second dam on the Nile River, near Aswan. The temples located on the banks of the Nile were threatened by flooding. This would lead to the destruction of the sandstone structure. In 1959, a campaign to save the historical heritage began. Thanks to international support, the ruins of the temples were saved by moving to a new location.
In order to avoid the flooding of the cultural heritage, it was decided to disassemble Abu Simbel in parts and reassemble in a new place. For this, the temples were sawn into 1036 blocks, the weight of which reached from 5 to 20 tons. All of them were numbered and moved to a new location.
Then the blocks were re-drilled, and a resinous composition was pumped into the holes, which was intended to strengthen the rocky structure of the blocks. Piece by piece, like a mosaic, the temples were reassembled and covered with a hollow reinforced concrete cap, on which a hill was poured. It turned out so harmoniously that it seemed that Abu Simbel was in this place and was all this time. The entire operation to move the temples took three years from 1965 to 68.
Researchers, studying the monument during these works, were amazed at the huge amount of knowledge that ancient Egyptian craftsmen used to create such a grandiose structure. UNESCO experts concluded that the lines of the facades of the Big and Small Temples ran parallel to cracks in the rocky ground, and thus hard rocks served as a natural support for the giant statues. During the construction of the cave temple, the architects took into account the natural properties of the soil - the layers of sandstone in it were fastened with iron oxide, as a result of which the layers were almost not subject to destruction. In addition, iron oxide enriched the stone's palette, giving the sandstone a wide variety of hues.
The new location of the temples is 65 meters above and 200 meters further from the river. The relocation of the monuments of Abu Simbel and Philae is considered one of the largest engineering and archaeological operations.
Agree, the walls are pretty cool pictures when you consider the time they were written.
Photos in the album "Ranakpur" h ttp: // master ok.zhzh.rf on Yandex.Photos
Ramses defeats enemies
Abu Simbel Temple (Abu Simbil)
Abu Simbel is a rock on the western bank of the Nile, in which two famous ancient Egyptian temples were carved during the reign of Ramses II (approx. 1298-1213 BC). It is located in Nubia, 285 km south of Aswan, near the modern Egyptian-Sudanese border.
A rock of fine-grained sandstone, 100 m high, protruding almost to the river itself, is named in hieroglyphic inscriptions "sacred mountain" and, as can be assumed, was fortified, and therefore the area in the inscriptions is called "the fortress of Ramsesopolis". The modern name Abu Simbel comes from the rock on which, in the place where the river bends towards it, an Egyptian man is carved in a bas-relief, in whose pointed apron the Arab sailors saw a semblance of a bread measure; therefore this image is called "Abu-Simbel", the father of bread (from the Arab. sinbel- ear), and then this name was given to the entire group of rocks with their temples. In Europe, the temple became known in the 1810s.
One of the temples big, was erected in honor of the Pharaoh Ramses II himself and dedicated to the gods Amon, Ra-Horakhti and Ptah; another, small, - erected in honor of the first wife of Ramses II, Queen Nefertari, and dedicated to the goddess Hathor.
The first of them, built after the victory over the Hittites and distinguished by well-preserved important historical images and inscriptions, depicts the king worshiping himself, that is, his divine image, which is worshiped by the king-man. Surrounded by other deities, he stands out as a huge figure with his back to the rock. On the eastern facade, at the entrance to the temple, four colossal images of three gods - Amun, Ra-Khorakhti and Ptakh - and the king himself are carved into the rock (all four statues, however, are given the appearance of Ramses II himself, approximately 20 m high. statues of the pharaoh are sculptural images of members of his family - mother, wife Nefertari and children.The walls of the interior are decorated with reliefs with ritual and military scenes (the battle of Kadesh, etc.)
The temple is designed in such a way that twice a year - at 6 am on October 22 and February 22 - a sunbeam crosses a 65 m long corridor and illuminates 4 seated statues of the gods; for 6 minutes the sun illuminates the images of Amun and Ra-Horakhti, 12 minutes - the figure of Ramses II (he is in the center). The sun never falls on the god Ptah. In the interior of the temple there are 2 hypostilles, prayer rooms and a sanctuary with statues of Amun, Ra-Horakhti, Ptah (all, like the statues at the entrance, with the faces of Ramses II) and Ramses II. Front small the temple has six statues carved in high relief, namely, on each side, two images of the king and one of the queen; the height of the statues is about 10 m. On the figure of the second colossus, in the southern part of the temple, there is a Greek inscription left by the Ionian mercenaries who came here under Psammetichus II (595-589 BC), during the pursuit of the soldiers retreating from Elephantine to Ethiopia.
Over time, the temples fell into disrepair and were eventually covered with sand. Already during the campaign of Psammetichus II in the VI century BC. NS. sand covered the knee-length statues of the main temple. Then the temple was forgotten until 1813 when the Swiss orientalist Johann Ludwig Burckhardt found the upper frieze of the main temple. Burckhardt talked about his discovery with Italian explorer and adventurer Giovanni Belzoni, who visited the site but was unable to unearth the entrance to the temple. Belzoni returned in 1817, this time successfully infiltrating the temple complex.
After the 1952 revolution, work began on the design of a second dam on the Nile River, near Aswan. The temples located on the banks of the Nile were threatened by flooding by the waters of the formed Nasser reservoir. This would lead to the destruction of the sandstone structure. In 1959, a campaign to save the historical heritage began.
According to one of the ideas, it was necessary to move the monuments to a safer place, on the other - to leave them in place. UNESCO convened a special commission on this occasion, which included the Director-General of UNESCO, the head of the advisory committee and three experts. They supported the Swedish-Egyptian project, in which it was planned to cut the shrines into large pieces weighing up to 30 tons, move them to another place and reconstruct. Thanks to international support, the ruins of the temples were saved by moving to a new place - a rock next to the old riverbed of the Nile, 180 meters from the original location of the temple.
The process of transferring the monument took place from 1964 to 1968. The temples were cut into blocks weighing up to 30 tons (an average of 20 tons), moved to a new location and reassembled. All work was carried out by Soviet specialists and foreign engineers with the informational support of UNESCO.
During the construction of the Aswan Dam, the transfer of the monument lagged behind. Therefore, a protective wall from the river was built around the old temple. Further work was carried out 12 meters below the level of the Nile.
The new location of the temples is 65 meters above and 200 meters further from the river. The relocation of the Abu Simbel and Philae monuments is considered one of the largest engineering and archaeological operations in the world.
A detailed documentary was made about the transfer.
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Category: architecture
Monuments of Nubia is a complex of grandiose structures that fully represent the culture of an ancient and great civilization. It can be used to judge the religious and cultural customs of the ancient Egyptians, the power and influence of Egypt and its rulers.
The city of Abu Simbel and the island on the Nile - File have preserved exceptional monuments of the past: the temple of Ramses II and the sanctuary of the goddess Hathor.
These exceptional archaeological sites are perfectly preserved and are of great interest to historians, archaeologists and people with an interest in culture and art.
In the Abu Simbel rock, next to the large temple built in honor of Ramses the Great, there is a small temple made in honor of Queen Nefertari, the first wife of Ramses. These two famous temples were carved into the rock around the 13th century BC. The colossal statues adorn the entrance to the large temple, and in front of the small one there are 6 statues: 4 statues of the king and 2 of the queen. Their size and grandeur are amazing.
A temple of the goddess Hathor was erected on the island of File, which was once densely built up with granite buildings, many of which have survived. This pagan sanctuary was not destroyed by the Christians who came here, as it was mistaken for the temple of Isis, equated in Christian traditions with the Mother of God. Such confusion saved the appearance of the temple, but the frescoes and reliefs were still partially destroyed.
Abu Simbel city
One of the most recognizable symbols of Egypt around the world, along with the pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, are four giant stone statues sitting on thrones with their backs against a rock. These are the colossi of Abu Simbel.
What is Abu Simbel
This Arabic name is the temple complex located in Upper Egypt, 285 km. south of Aswan, near the border with Sudan, in ancient Nubia. Initially, this was the name of the rock on which was placed a bas-relief image of an Egyptian in a traditional apron, which reminded the Arabs of a scoop for measuring grain volumes. Abu Simbel from Arabic - "Father of the ears". Over time, the name passed to the entire group of rocks with temples carved into them.
The Abu Simbel complex includes the Large and Small Temples, erected by order of Ramses II after the defeat of the Hittites at Kadesh in 1296 BC. NS. Pharaoh considered this battle the main act of his life and ordered to perpetuate the memory of it in many of his buildings throughout Egypt.
A large temple was carved into a monolithic cliff. At the entrance, made in the form of a classic pylon, four statues over 20 meters in height have been cut down. These are the seated gods Amon, Ra-Horakhti, Ptah and the Pharaoh himself. Ramses II considered these gods to be his patrons. The army corps operating under Kadesh were even named after them.
The gods and the Pharaoh are depicted in royal robes, with the double crowns of Egypt. All four statues are given a portrait resemblance to Ramses II. At the same time, the similarity is striking, as evidenced by the numerous sculptural images of the pharaoh, which are finished much more carefully and much smaller in size. In general, the correctness of all proportions of the monuments is surprising, given their scale.
At the feet of Ramses II there are statues of members of his family - mother, wife Nefertari and several children, of which there were at least two hundred. The height of the facade of the temple is over 30 meters.
The temple consists of 4 successively decreasing halls and a number of side rooms. The first hall is framed by four-sided columns, it contains statues of Ramses II, depicted with the attributes of Osiris. Anyone could enter here. The second hall was intended only for the noble class, only priests could enter the third, and the fourth was open only for the pharaoh himself with his family and entourage.
The walls of the halls are covered with frescoes and reliefs depicting the deeds of the pharaoh, as well as sacred texts. On the ceilings there are images of the sun, which personified royal power, and a cobra, a symbol of justice and the inevitability of punishment for misdeeds.
Small Temple of Abu Simbel
The sanctuary was built 100 meters from the Great Temple. It was intended to worship the goddess of love and beauty Hathor (Hathor). There is no doubt that the "godlike" Ramses II erected a temple in honor of his eldest and beloved wife Nefertari. This is evidenced by the inscription on one of the columns, but even without this evidence, the portrait resemblance of the female sculptures of the temple with the surviving statues and images of the queen is undoubted.
Temple of Hathor is much more modest than the Big one. It includes the front hall-vestibule and the sanctuary itself. In the central niche was a statue of a cow, in the form of which Hathor was depicted. In front of her, Ramses II ordered to place his image, emphasizing his connection with the goddess.
There are six huge statues along the façade. In each triple, between two statues of Ramses, there is a sculpture of Nefertari. Not a single Pharaoh's wife in the entire history of Egypt, except her, was honored to be depicted on the facade of the temple. One can only imagine how romantic feelings tied the married couple of the divine rulers of Egypt.
The magic light of Abu Simbel
Thanks to the amazingly accurate calculations of the priests and builders of Ancient Egypt, twice a year in the Big Temple one can observe a unique phenomenon, which attracts thousands of tourists.
On the days of the spring and autumn equinox (March 21 and September 21), which fell on the birthday and coronation day of Ramses II, respectively, at 5 hours 58 minutes in the morning, a ray of sun penetrates all four halls of the temple and falls on the statue of Amun, standing in the last, Small hall, 65 meters from the entrance. For six minutes the sun illuminates the statues of Amun and Ra-Horakhti, 12 minutes - for Ramses II himself, after which it again leaves the hall for six months. The statue of Ptah does not touch the ray - the god of the underworld does not need sunlight.
Not so long ago they talked about another secret of the temple. At dawn, groans, low whispers and crying began to be heard in the sanctuary. After the renovation of the temple, the sounds stopped. Obviously, the reason for the sounds was the same that made the famous colossi of Memnon sing - the rising sun heated the air and stones, and the morning breeze in the cracks of the boulders created the effect of an "aeolian harp".
Moving temples
In the 60s of the XX century, the masterpieces of architects and builders of Ancient Egypt were threatened with destruction by their distant descendants. The construction of the Aswan hydroelectric power station began on the Nile, and the temples fell into the flooded zone. Many proposals were put forward for the preservation of the monuments of ancient architecture, up to the construction of an underwater dome over the temples.
Of all the projects, perhaps the most incredible was chosen, but it turned out to be correct. It was decided to take the buildings apart and move them to the new bank of the Nile. The project was implemented by specialists from 50 countries of the world. For four years, the temples were sawn into 1,036 blocks weighing up to 30 tons, which were transported to the place of future erection 65 meters upstream and 200 meters further from the coast. There blocks were drilled and the holes were filled with a viscous mixture to increase the strength of the stone.
After the completion of the preparatory operations, the stone fragments were reassembled in full accordance with their original location. The temples have been recreated down to the smallest detail. Even the broken off head of one of the colossi lies in relation to its "master" in the same way as before the move. The buildings are covered with a reinforced concrete dome, covered with rock fragments, and it seems that the temples have always stood here.
The operation to move the temples made it possible to study the building technologies of the Egyptians. As it turned out, the facades of the temples were located exactly along the cracks in the rocky foundation, which gave the buildings stability. This testifies to the deep knowledge of the ancient Egyptian architects.
The relocation of the Abu Simbel temples, completed in 1968, was one of the greatest engineering operations of the century. The work cost $ 42 million (now it is about $ 1.5 billion).
However, looking at the colossi of Abu Simbel sitting calmly at the entrance to the temple, you begin to understand that preserving the memory of mankind is worth any effort and money spent.
Abu Simbel is a relatively recent name for an ancient Egyptian temple complex located south of the mouth of the Nile, to the borders of Egypt and Sudan. In the maps of past centuries, temple structures, clearly visible from the river, were designated as "the Ramsesopolis fortress"; the Egyptians themselves used the words "sacred mountain" - and bypassed the temples ... Partly because there was little interest in the structure, which had been plundered several times in the past. Partly due to the introduction of the complex by sands.
The unbridled desert assault on the temples began shortly after the completion of construction. It took the wind six centuries to fill the majestic statues of Ramses to the knees - this is evidenced by the inscriptions of Greek soldiers who fought for hire with Pharaoh Psammetichus II.
Just two hundred years ago, several relief images of the upper frieze, framing the entrance, barely rose above the sand. For most of the three millennia that have passed since the construction of Abu Simbel, the sanctuary was buried under a layer of sandy deposits - which saved it from destruction.
Opening of Abu Simbel
The young Swiss, who in Europe bore the name of Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, and in the East known as Ibrahim ibn Abdullah, at the beginning of the 19th century undertook several travels in Syria and Egypt. Having become proficient in the language and thoroughly studying Islam, he pretended to be a poor merchant who bought out strange goods, and moved freely throughout the Arab world.It was Burckhardt who drew attention to the statues of the Sacred Mountain - but the researcher did not manage to dig out the foot of the structure and get into the temple. Having lost the hope of getting inside, the traveler wrote in his diary: “I saw the statues carved into the stone monolith of the cliff. The sand blown by the desert winds covered more than half of them. At one of the temples, there are statues of Ramses. The face of Nefertari, the beloved wife of the Pharaoh, is depicted on the statues of another sanctuary. "
It happened in 1813. After visiting Abu Simbel, Burkhart went further east, where he soon fell ill and died, and the honor of a full-fledged discovery went to another.
Belzoni brings sun to Abu Simbel
Four years after Burkhart, Giovanni Belzoni, a restless Italian adventurer, treasure hunter and unwitting founder of Egyptology, arrived at the statues of Abu Simbel. Belzoni managed to free the facades of the temples of Abu Simbel from the sand.Having personally knocked on all the walls of the temple, Belzoni was dissatisfied: there were no treasures, all the jewelry, if any, had been taken away by the robbers of ancient times. Belzoni himself wrote about the discovery: “We found ourselves in a large and well-made crypt. This is the most beautiful work of the ancient Egyptians that I have come across in Nubia. The size of the temple and the abundance of its sculptural and painted decorations inspired reverence. "
The excavations started by Belzoni lasted for several years. It soon became clear: the temple carved into the rock is not just a sanctuary, but a place where the pharaoh and the Sun unite ...
Two temples of Abu Simbel
The name of the temple complex, which has taken root in the Arab (and the rest) world, is Abu Simbel, "the father of bread" - has nothing to do with the purpose of the buildings. The sandstone rock was named Abu Simbel by the Nile navigators, who saw in one of the statues the divine patron saint of cereals.The temple complex carved into the rock commemorates the memory of the pharaoh Ramses II, to whom the larger structure is dedicated, and his wife Nefertari, the “mistress” of the smaller temple. Ramses II is a very popular character in ancient Egyptian history. He waged victorious wars, in the intervals between battles he adhered to a progressive foreign policy, built a lot, wisely ruled the state - which during his lifetime won the right to be called the Great.
The grandiose undertaking of the ancient Egyptian architects was a success. The one-hundred-meter-high sandstone cliff housed the temples. The premises of the Big Temple are deepened into the rock mass by 60 meters. The height of the halls reaches eight meters. One and a half dozen rooms are filled with statues and relief paintings telling about the glorious life of the pharaoh.
It is generally accepted that the birthday of Ramses the Great falls on February 22nd. On this day, the sunbeam penetrates the depths of the temple and illuminates the divine incarnations of the pharaoh. Egyptologists associate the date of Ramses' coronation with the moment of the autumn illumination of the inner temple statues: on October 20, the sun illuminates the crown of the Egyptian ruler, carved from sandstone. According to eyewitnesses, the face of the pharaoh, illuminated by the sun, smiles ...
The second, smaller temple of Abu Simbel is dedicated to Nefertari Merenmuth, the first of the ruler's legal wives. On the wall of the sanctuary is inscribed: “Ramses erected a temple in the eternal mountain of Nubia in the name of his great wife, beloved by Pharaoh Nefertari Mut. Nefertari is pleasing to the gods, the sun shines for her. "
There are five rooms in the temple of Queen Nefertari. Among the sculptural images - Ramses in several divine incarnations, the goddess Hathor, Nefertari herself in the image of Isis.
New life for the temples of Abu Simbel
Temples, carved in the Nubian in the 13th century BC, saw the light again in the first half of the 19th century. The relative peace of the ancient monuments lasted only one and a half hundred years: the Egyptian rulers of the middle of the twentieth century decided to block the Nile with a dam. According to the plan, the temples of the Abu Simbel rock went under water ... 
The world community could not allow the pearl of ancient architecture to perish in the abyss of local ambitions. Almost simultaneously with the start of construction work, a campaign began to move the temple complex outside the flood zone.
The organizers were divided. Some experts suggested relocating the temple complex. Others should be left in place, protected from flooding by a wall. Still others spoke of a thick glass dome that could shelter both the structure and tourists from the water.
The most interesting was the proposal of Italian specialists. They proposed to hook the base of the rock, bring jacks under the massif and raise the mountain to a safe height. However, the cost of fulfilling this plan turned out to be prohibitive ...
Ultimately, the Swedish project won, which provided for sawing the structure into 1036 blocks weighing from 5 to 40 tons each, transporting the received parts and reassembling the structure in a new place.
The site for the construction of the restored temple was removed from the old place 65 meters up and 210 meters away from the former bed of the Nile. In the process, the researchers marveled at the level of awareness of the ancient Egyptian craftsmen. The place of the initial construction of the temples was chosen, firstly, taking into account the direction of the cracks in the rock; secondly, with an understanding of the role, and other iron oxides, polluting sandstone.
Egyptian sculptors and architects - history has preserved their names, this is Panefer; Piai, son of Ha-Nefer; and Khevi from the city of Thebes - knew about the variety of warm colors of iron-containing sandstone, and about the increase in the strength of the stone impregnated with a solution of iron oxide.
The grandiose project of the new Abu Simbel
Coordination, adjustment and design took a lot of time. The dismantling of the temples began in 1964, with a significant lag behind the pace of the construction of the dam. As a result, a wall of a water protection dam had to be erected around the construction site: the level of the Nile, filling the reservoir, was growing, and the sawing and transportation of the temples was still going on. By the time the dismantling was completed, the water level exceeded the temple floor by 12 meters.Against fears, there were no accidents. The upper part of the rock was removed, depriving the temple premises of ceilings and providing access for cranes to ancient shrines.
Sandstone lent itself well to sawing with thin carbide saws used in mining, and a solution of fast-hardening polymers pumped into the thickness of the stone consolidated the fractured areas. The numbered blocks - different in size and weight - were carefully lifted, transported, unloaded and assembled at the new site of the temple.
A reinforced concrete dome was erected over the resulting structure, and a dirt hill was poured on top. The work took three years and was completed in 1968 - although the completion of the landscape around the new temple lasted until 1972. In total, the design and implementation of the project for the transfer of the Abu Simbel temple complex took 13 years.
When the temple complex was moved, it was possible to preserve the most important feature of the ancient shrine. Now, like three thousand years ago, the sun penetrates into the distant hall of the Great Temple twice a year, briefly illuminating the statues of the pharaoh.
Want to see more photos of the transfer of Abu Simbel ?! Click here .
