Abu Simbel Temple Complex. Abu Simbel and its temples
Temples of Abu Simbel - the main attraction of Egypt after the pyramids and the Sphinx! I think everyone has ever seen huge figures of pharaohs sitting at the entrance to some temple - this is one of the temples of Abu Simbel
In the depths of the Nubian desert, on the shores of Lake Nasser, the majestic temples of Abu Simbel stand carved into the rock - evidence of the victory of Pharaoh Ramses II over the Hittites and his extraordinary love for his only wife, the beautiful Nefertari.
Twice a year, March 21 (Pharaoh's birthday) and September 21 (his coronation), at 5:58 a.m. rising sun crosses the line, located 65 m from the entrance to the temple, penetrates through all the rooms of the temple and illuminates the left shoulder of Amon-Ra and Ramses II. For several minutes, a beam of light lingers on the face of Ramses II, and the pharaoh, according to tourists, begins to “smile”. Then the beam moves and illuminates Harmakis, and after 20 minutes the light disappears. Remarkable is the fact that the light never hits Ptah. After all, Ptah is the lord underworld and the sun is of no use to him, he must remain forever in darkness.
These days, up to 5 thousand people gather at the temple of Abu Simbel to see with their own eyes the amazing optical effect obtained as a result of the most accurate calculations of the ancient Egyptian astrologers and priests, who designed the temple 33 centuries ago in such a way that a ray of the sun shines exactly into the eye of the pharaoh. The rest of the year, the pharaoh “hides” from the worldly bustle in dark temple, the entrance to which is guarded by four 20-meter stone figures - the gods Amon, Ra, Ptah and Ramses himself.
The temples of Abu Simbel are inferior to the pyramids in antiquity, but in terms of interest from tourists - not at all. The ensemble of Abu Simbel is formed by two buildings: the Great Temple, dedicated to Pharaoh Ramses II himself and the three gods: Amun, Ra-Khorakhta and Ptah, and the Small Temple, erected in honor of the goddess Hathor, in the image of which Ramses II's wife Nefertari-Merenmut is represented. It is noteworthy that the faces of the statues of the gods copy the images of the faces of the royal family.
Despite the fact that the Great Temple, in addition to the deified Pharaoh Ramses, was dedicated to three more gods, the whole idea of \u200b\u200bthe construction is the exaltation of Ramses II. This is especially emphasized by the facade of the temple, carved in 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. The craftsmen managed to preserve the portrait resemblance of the statues of the seated pharaoh, carved from hard sandstone, with these scales. The very technique of making figures of such a scale strikes and delights. After all, it was possible to make them only with perfect mastery of the system of proportions that establishes exact ratios between the dimensions of the figure and each of its parts.
Huge statues of Ramses II were visible from afar to all sailing on the Nile. And when the first rays of the sun appeared above the horizon, the colossi were painted in a dark red color, standing out sharply against the background of the blue-black shadows cast by them.
Ramses, constantly caring about his own glorification, ordered to build a temple next to his masterpiece, much smaller (no more than 10 m long), dedicated to his wife Nefertari: in Egypt, not a single wife of the pharaoh was ever depicted on the facade of the temple, only the wife of Ramses II received this honor.
Small Temple of Abu Simbel is located a hundred meters north of the big one and is dedicated to the goddess of Heaven Hathor, who was depicted as a woman with a cow's head. It is much simpler and more modest than the Bolshoi, and consists of a columned hall carved into the rocks and a sanctuary with three niches. The facade of the Small Temple is decorated with six figures made in full height. Between the statues of Pharaoh Ramses II, statues of his wife Nefertari-Merenmut are placed here. The sculptures stand in deep shaded niches, thanks to which a play of light and shadow is created in the rays of the sun, enhancing the impression of these monumental figures. An inscription is carved on one of the columns of the Small Temple: “Ramses, strong in truth, favorite of Amon, created this divine dwelling for his beloved wife Nefertari.” In the sanctuary of the Small Temple, in the central niche, stood a statue sacred cow, in the image of which the goddess Hathor was revered. In front of her was the pharaoh Ramses II, who was, as it were, under the protection of the goddess.
Abu Simbel is probably the most explored monument ancient egypt. The fact is that in the late 1950s, during the construction of the Aswan hydroelectric power station, Abu Simbel was on the territory of the future reservoir, and it was threatened with complete flooding. Various projects were 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 facilities of the complex and move them to a higher place. Saving Abu Simbel is the most expensive UNESCO project. This unprecedented action was carried out in four years, and experts from fifty countries of the world took part in it.
The temples were sawn into 1036 blocks, each weighing from 5 to 20 tons, numbered, transported and assembled in a new place 90 m above the previous level. Also, 1112 blocks carved from the rocks surrounding the temples were transported here. In the blocks, having drilled holes, they pumped a resinous composition to strengthen the structure of the stone. The temples were covered with a hollow reinforced concrete cap, and a hill was poured on top. It was done so skillfully that it seems that the temples have always been here. The operation to move the temples lasted 3 years (from 1965 to 68) and cost 42 million dollars.
The researchers, studying the monument during these works, were amazed at the huge amount of knowledge that the ancient Egyptian masters 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 solid rocks served as a natural support for giant statues. When constructing the cave temple, the architects took into account the natural properties of the soil - the layers of sandstone in it were held together by iron oxide, as a result of which the layers were almost not subject to destruction. In addition, iron oxide enriched the palette of stone, giving sandstone a wide variety of shades.
The great temple of Abu Simbel, after moving to a new location, was reproduced to the smallest detail. The head of one of the statues, which had once broken off and fallen, lies in the same place where it lay before. When the temples were transferred, the caves were not cut down again. Their walls were moved to a new place, covered with a strong reinforced concrete vault and covered with a stone imitating rocks, in which temples were once cut down.
To the south of the Egyptian city of Aswan, a few dozen kilometers from the border with Sudan, there is an ancient monument, the uniqueness of which is undeniable. This is a complex of two ancient Egyptian temples of Abu Sibel carved into the rock. Today they are located on the shores of the huge artificial Lake Nasser, formed as a result of the construction in the second half of the last century of the Aswan Dam, famous for its scale. For Egypt, this was the construction of the century, which included large-scale, the only "relocation" of ancient monuments in history to a place safe from water. They were dismantled stone by stone and carefully transported to a higher place. The largest of the displaced antiquities was the Abu Simbel complex.
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Now no one undertakes to state for what reasons these ancient buildings were covered with sand for many centuries, and long time were hidden from the eyes of mankind. The history of the opening of these temples is accidental and dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. It was an ordinary walk of the Swiss traveler and orientalist Johann Burckhardt. He wandered along the sandy hollows of the left bank of the Nile, when he suddenly saw fragments of huge statues located at a distance of 200 meters from each other. At that moment, one could understand that they were huge, but it was unrealistic to determine the pose of the statues, whether they were standing or sitting. From now on long years archaeological work was carried out by various expeditions. And only to late XIX century about the found antiquities of Abu Simbel have learned all over the world.
Construction and architecture
The chronicle of the construction of this complex is known today by the works of historians. It refers to the end of the era of the New Kingdom. The town of Abu Simbel and the temples built in the area became silent eyewitnesses of the period of the decline of the culture of Ancient Egypt. In the 13th century, to commemorate the victory at Kadesh over the Hittites, the Egyptian ruler Ramses II the Great ordered two temples to be carved into the sandy rock. The first is dedicated to the ruler himself - the Great Temple of Ramses II, and the second - to the goddess Hathor, whose image he associated with his beautiful wife Nefertari.
The entrance to the Great Temple is not built in the tradition of Egyptian sanctuary structures. There is no naos here - a special room intended for a sculptural statue of the Deity. And the sculptures of the Gods meet visitors immediately, from the outside of the sanctuary. The twenty-meter statues depict Ramesses II himself, sitting on the throne with his back to the temple, surrounded by the Gods: Ra-Horus, Amon-Ra and Ptah. Dressed in ceremonial clothes with a double crown on their heads, they symbolize power over the entire powerful state of Upper and Lower Egypt. At the foot of the giants, images of the ruler's family members contrast in size: the mother, wife and children of the pharaoh.
From a bright, sunlit day, visitors enter the twilight of the inner halls, which creates a feeling of meekness and obedience. The inner plan of the sanctuary consists of four rooms, successively arranged one after another. The first hall was available for visiting by ordinary Egyptians, the second - for the nobility, the third - for the priests, and only the pharaoh himself with his retinue could enter the last. The halls are filled with sculptural statues of the pharaoh in the form of Osiris, and the walls are painted with battle scenes of the campaigns of Ramses the Great. Everything is subordinated to one goal - the deification and exaltation of the pharaoh himself.
The giant statues of the main facade of the temple were always visible from afar. The first rays of sunlight painted the figures of the colossi in a bright brown color, and against the background of their own black giant shadows, they looked eerily majestic.
legends
The history of the main temple of the Abu Simbel complex is shrouded in legends and interesting for its optical surprises. Tour guides always tell visitors the story of the "weeping statues". It is said that to this day, the giants at the entrance to the temple at dawn make sounds resembling a groan. In the people it was considered crying for their sons. Scientists have found this phenomenon quite scientific explanation. As the sun rises, the temperature difference between the air and the sandstone increases sharply, and the movement of the rock in the cracks occurs with strange sounds, similar to grinding. But legends allow statues to give a human appearance, and to realize that even Deities can cry is much more understandable to a simple person.
The most amazing thing that especially attracts pilgrims to Abu Simbel is the optical effect that occurs in the Great Temple during the movement of the sun. The engineering design of the sanctuary is thought out in such a way that only twice a year, in February and October, Sun rays get inside the temple. Moving along the enfilade of halls, the sunlight penetrates into the farthest hall, where it fills the face of the statue of Ramesses with radiance, leaving in the darkness the statue of Ptah, the ruler of the underworld. It is on these days that the influx of visitors to the temple increases significantly.
Literally 100 meters from the Temple of Ramses is the Small Temple. Its erection was dedicated to the goddess Hathor - the mythological deity of the sky, femininity and fun, personifying the image of the wife of Pharaoh Nefertari. Modesty and smaller scale, in comparison with the main structure, do not detract from the interest in it. Here, the façade is represented by six huge full-length statues, and their location in huge niches and the play of light and shadow give them great monumentality. Bypassing the entrance, visitors find themselves in a dark columned hall leading to the sanctuary. The holy of holies contains a statue of a sacred cow - the image of the goddess Hathor. In front of the statue is an image of Ramesses the Great. This arrangement of images symbolized the protection and patronage of the goddess for the ruler.
Speaking about today's historical complex of Abu Simbel, one cannot fail to say that it is also a monument to the unimaginable efforts made to save it by volunteers from many countries. Millions of travelers today have the opportunity to touch another artifact ancient civilization Egypt. And given the remote location of the temples from Cairo (more than 1200 km), to understand and appreciate the power and size of the ancient empire.
How to get there
Previously, the Nubian region of Egypt could only be reached by plane (to the nearest city of Aswan). But today sightseeing buses regularly come here, replacing groups of tourists one after another. For travelers who plan their trip on their own, it would be wiser to come for one or two days in Aswan. From Aswan, the trip to Abu Simbel will be less tiring. It will be necessary to overcome about 250 km. And in this case, you will have the opportunity to see with your own eyes the famous Aswan dam with a beautiful reservoir, visit Philae Island, Kitchener's garden island, Kalabsha Temple, built in the 1st century BC. and mausoleum of the Aga Khan.
If you still have not been able to decide what to choose: Egypt or Turkey, we recommend that you read our article.
The temples of Abu Simbel are located on the shores of Lake Nasser, deep in the Nubian desert. The temples themselves are carved into the rock and are evidence of the triumph of Pharaoh Ramses II over the Hittites, and are also dedicated to his wife, Nefertari.
Abu Simbel consists of two temples: the Great Temple and the Small Temple. The large temple is dedicated to Pharaoh Ramses II himself, as well as to the ancient Egyptian gods Ptah, Ra-Horakhta and Amon. The small temple, in turn, is dedicated to the wife of Pharaoh Ramses II - Nefertari.
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, having landed 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: “The statues carved in 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 depicted on the statues at the entrance to her temple.”
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. There are 22 monkeys in total, each 2.5 meters tall.
Entering the temple, we will find ourselves in a dark hall that precedes the sanctuary. The hall has sides of 18 and 16.7 meters. In the center of the room there are 10 columns depicting the god Osiris, but with the features of the pharaoh Ramses II.
Almost the whole year the temple premises are immersed in twilight, but twice a year (February 22 and October 22 - the pharaoh's birthday 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 face of the pharaoh for only a few minutes, but according to the numerous tourists, whose influx Abu Simbel 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. Only two days a year, just for a few minutes!
Despite the fact that the temple complex of Abu Simbel is not as ancient as Egyptian pyramids, interest from tourists to it is no less. For example, on the aforementioned two days of the year, queues of up to five thousand people can be observed in front of the entrance to the temple!
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 in the form of a flood. The engineers involved in the construction of the Aswan Dam calculated that Lake Nasser would become more full-flowing, and the temples would be under water.
To avoid flooding cultural heritage it was decided to dismantle Abu Simbel in parts and reassemble in a new place. To do this, the temples were sawn into 1036 blocks, the weight of which reached from 5 to 20 tons. All of them were numbered and transported to a new location.
Next, the blocks were re-drilled, and a resin compound was pumped into the holes, which was designed to strengthen the rocky structure of the blocks. Part by part, like a mosaic, the temples were again assembled 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 had been in this place all this time. The entire operation to move the temples took three years between 1965 and 68.
Temple of Ramses II (Egypt) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
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The Temple of Ramses II is located in Nubia, about 280 km from Aswan. And although the path to Abu Simbel (this is the name of the rock where the temple is located), frankly, is not close (it takes eight hours from Hurghada to Nubia by bus), it is still worth deciding on a trip. Because, perhaps, even the Great Pyramids will fade somewhat from what they see here.
The temple of Ramses II has, well, just incredible mystery! Twice a year (February 22 and October 22) the sun's rays fall into the inner hall so that it illuminates the face of the pharaoh.
The temple of Ramses II was not created from perfectly folded slabs - it is completely and completely carved into the rock! Despite the unusual and at the same time difficult location, the temple impresses with its beauty and power. Four giant figures of the pharaoh sitting on the throne serve as a kind of facade. The height of each statue is about 20 m (almost the 7th floor). Inside the temple there are several halls with no less majestic figures of the gods, the ruler, as well as reliefs on the walls.
Temple of Ramses II
In the middle of the 20th century, the temple of Ramses II almost flooded. The fact is that at that time they began to build a reservoir in Aswan and everything in the area had to go under water, including the temple. It was only after numerous international negotiations with the participation of UNESCO that a single diplomatic solution was reached.
The temple of Ramses II was completely sawn into separate blocks and transported away from the flood zone in this form.
In a rescue operation ancient sanctuary engineers and architects from 50 countries participated, and it took them four years to do everything about everything. The builders assembled the temple exactly as the Egyptians had created it in their time.
The Temple of Ramses II has an incredible mystery! Twice a year (February 22 and October 22) the sun's rays fall into the inner hall so that it illuminates the face of the pharaoh, and it seems to all travelers that the sculpture is “smiling”!
About 150 m from the temple of Ramses II there is another attraction. This is the so-called small temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor. Its facade consists of six large figures of the pharaoh and statues of the ruler's wife, the beautiful Nefertari, standing between them. Inside, there is a second building, somewhat more modest, but in terms of historical value it is in no way inferior to the temple of Ramses II.
Issue price
An excursion to Aswan and Abu Simbel with a visit to the temple and a number of other attractions is not cheap.
From Hurghada, a two-day bus trip will cost 1500 EGP per person. A child ticket will cost an average of 900 EGP.
If you wish, you can order an individual tour, say, go with your family. Such an excursion is carried out in a comfortable car, and its cost starts from 7750 EGP (for three people). Yes, the amount is “tidy”, but it includes a full transfer, entrance tickets to attractions and meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Prices on the page are for November 2018.
On the west coast Nile, near the border with Sudan and 280 kilometers south of Aswan, in Egypt is a small area called Abu Simbel. Historic area- Nubia, once a prosperous and strong state (in ancient times known as the kingdom of Kush), is now a region in the middle reaches of the Nile, from the Aswan border in the north to the Sudanese capital Khartoum in the south. The rocky terrain of Nubia tightly squeezed the river valley from two sides, but, nevertheless, the terrain here is fertile and the mountains are rich in minerals.
It is here that one of the most famous symbols of Egypt is located, a real pearl of ancient architecture - the majestic temple of Abu Simbel, which is second in popularity only to such symbols of Egypt as the pyramids and the Sphinx.
Temple of Ramses - Abu Simbel.
The temple was built in the first half of the 13th century. BC e., as a symbol of the victory of Pharaoh Ramses II over the Hittites (sworn enemies of Egypt) and unusually tender love for his wife, the beautiful Nefertari. The ensemble consists of two temples: Big and Small. The large temple was erected in honor of Pharaoh Ramses II himself and the three gods Ptah, Amon and Ra-Khorakhta, and the Small one is dedicated to his wife Nefertari. Never before have the wives of the pharaohs been honored to be immortalized on a par with their husbands, but Nefertari was the first to receive this right. The pharaoh ordered the image of his beloved wife to be immortalized in two statues located at the entrance to the Small Temple.
front facade big temple , carved directly into the rock, reaches a height of 31 meters and a width of 38 meters. The temple was built to exalt and glorify the invincible pharaoh, so Ramses ordered to depict the three gods who patronized him in the battle over the Hittites, and at the same time himself, in gigantic sizes of facade statues at the entrance, and ordered to give the gods their own appearance. The four colossi of Ramses II serve as supporting columns. On the head of each statue is a double crown, symbolizing power over Lower and Upper Egypt. At the feet is a complex of sculptures depicting some members royal family: wife of Nefertari, mother of Ramses Tuyu, two daughters of the ruler and son of Amon-her-Kopeshef. It was not possible to portray all the children of the pharaoh, since Ramses was famous for his love of love and had about 200 children.
Small temple of Abu Simbel in honor of Queen Nefertari.
There are four rooms inside the temple. Any parishioner was allowed into the first hall, only wealthy Egyptians into the second hall, only priests entered the third, and the fourth was intended exclusively for members of the royal family. In the first hall, which precedes the sanctuary, there are 10 columns-sculptures of the god Osiris, again in the guise of Ramses II, on the sides, and the walls are covered with fascinating paintings. In the smallest - the fourth hall, there are four sculptures of the gods Ptah, Ra-Khorakhte and Amon, as well as Ramses himself.
It is worth noting that the temple was built in such a way miraculously that twice a year (February 22, the birthday of Ramses and October 22, the day of his coronation), the dawn rays of the sun break the calm twilight of the halls and, penetrating inside, illuminate the statue of Ramses II for several minutes. But the image of the god Ptah always remains in darkness, as it should be for the god of the underworld.
small temple sings of beauty and strong feelings Pharaoh's wife to his only wife, Nefertari. The entrance to the temple on each side is decorated with images of Ramses II and his queen in the form of the goddess of love Hathor. Each statue reaches a height of 10 meters. At the feet of the statues are placed small sculptures of their children.
The deification of the spouse is fully felt inside the temple. Inside the modest vestibule, you can see six columns depicting the goddess Hathor. On some of them you can even notice small cow ears. The cow was a sacred animal for the ancient Egyptians. The walls are decorated with paintings that tell about the life of Queen Nefertari. But when you enter the sanctuary, you are imbued with the image of pharaoh Ramses praising Hathor, and the image of Nefertari is easily noticeable in the features of the goddess.
Interesting fact. Few people know, but the temple was moved to a new location in 1960 due to the construction of the Aswan Dam. During the construction, the waters of the Nile rose, and the monument to the unearthly love of a husband for his wife was threatened with flooding. Therefore, a unique operation was carried out to dismantle the temples and transfer them to a more elevated place - a rock near the old riverbed. The transfer process lasted almost five years, but in the end the temple found its new location at a height of sixty-four meters above the Nile.
Video: Temple of Abu Simbel and its secrets