"The
archaeological complex of Abu Simbel comprises two massive rock temples in
southern Egypt
on the western bank of the Nile. It is a part of the Nubian Monuments UNESCO World Heritage Site, which runs from Abu
Simbel downriver as far as Philae.
The
twin temples were carved out of the mountainside by Pharaoh Ramses
II in the 13th century BC to intimidate his Nubian
neighbors and as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari.
"Relocation
"Between
1964 and 1968, the
entire site was dismantled and reassembled in a new location - 65 m
higher and 200 m back from the river - to save the temples from the
rising water levels caused by the construction
of the Aswan High Dam."
Source: Wikipedia
"Ramses II, in a fit of precision and
despotic architectural egotism, carefully angled his temple at Abu
Simbel so that the inner sanctum would light up twice a year: once on
the anniversary of his rise to the throne, and once on his birthday. The
combination of human endeavour and natural phenomena provides what must
be one of the most spectacular sights in the world.
"Crowds pack in to the temple before sunrise
and watch the shafts of light slowly creeping through the stone.
Eventually, statues of Ramses, Ra and Amun are illuminated in the inner
sanctum (the statute of Ptah - the god of darkness - remains in the
shadows). When they have recovered their breath, spectators can join
celebrations outside, including a fair and music demonstrations.
However, nothing can really impress you immediately after witnessing
such a sight.
"The Abu Simbel temple was built by Ramses II (1279-1213 BC) to
demonstrate his political clout and divine backing to the ancient
Nubians. On each side of the temple, which was carved into a sandstone
cliff overlooking the Second Cataract of the Nile, sit a pair of
colossal statues of him, more than 65 feet tall. Though the statues have
been damaged in earthquakes since their construction, they remain an
awe-inspiring, tremendous sight. The temple is aligned to face the east,
and above the entrance sits a niche with a representation of Re-Horakhty,
an aspect of the sun-god.
"In the early 1960s the entire temple was moved to higher ground, a
task requiring considerable international engineering resources, when
the Aswan Dam caused the Nasser lake to rise and inundate the area. For
this reason, the sun now strikes a day later than Ramses had originally
planned, though the event itself is no less stunning." Source
"The most remarkable feature of the
site is that the temple is precisely oriented so that twice every year,
on 22 February and 22 October, the first rays of the morning sun shine
down the entire length of the temple-cave to illuminate the back wall of
the innermost shrine and the statues of the four gods seated there [see
1. photograph
of the sunlight shining in].
Precisely this same effect was apparently also fundamental to the design
of the artificial cave of Newgrange
in Ireland." Source
"Abu Simbel was first reported by
J. L. Burckhardt in 1813, when he came over the mountain and only saw
the facade of the great temple as he was preparing to leave that area
via the Nile. The two temples, that of Ramesses II primarily dedicated
to Re-Harakhte, and that of his wife, Nefertari dedicated to Hathor,
became a must see for Victorians visiting Egypt, even though it required
a trip up the Nile, and often they were covered deeply in sand, as they
were when Burckhardt found them."
Source
"The main
temple was dedicated to Ramesses II and to the four universal gods Ptah,
Re-Harakhte, Amun-Re,
and to Ramesses II himself. Of the seven temples he built, Abu Simbel is
considered to be the most impressive �
"Above the doorway in a niche stands the sun
god, a falcon headed representation of Ramesses, holding a war-scepter
which shows the head and neck of an animal which is read as user, in his
right and a figure of Ma'at in his left. This cleverly creates the Kings
throne name of User-Ma'at-Re. At the top of the facade is a row of
baboons which are thought to be greeting the morning sun and indeed the
monument looks best at that time �
"A Solstices occurs twice a year on or about February
20-22nd and October 20-22nd when the rays from the sun enter the front
of the temple and bathe the statues of the Gods 200 feet inside the
temple with light. Interestingly enough, all but Ptah, the source of
Chthonian life." Source
Illumination the Inner Sanctum of Ramses II,
Abu
Simbel Temple, Egypt (also October 22)