Great and Small Temples of Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is a historic site comprising two massive rock-cut temples in the village of Abu Simbel ( ar, أبو سمبل), Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan. It is situated on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about southwest of Aswan (about by road). The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th Dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. They serve as a lasting monument to the king Ramesses II. His wife Nefertari and children can be seen in smaller figures by his feet, considered to be of lesser importance and were not given the same position of scale. This commemorates his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. Their huge external rock relief figures have become iconic.

The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 as part of the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, under the supervision of a Polish archaeologist, Kazimierz Michałowski, from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw, on an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir. The relocation of the temples – together with other temples which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae including Amada, Wadi es-Sebua, and other Nubian sites – was necessary or they would have been submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile. The Abu Simbel complex, and the other relocated temples, are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Nubian Monuments".

History

Construction

During his reign, Ramesses II embarked on an extensive building program throughout Egypt and Nubia, which Egypt controlled. Nubia was very important to the Egyptians because it was a source of gold and many other precious trade goods. He, therefore, built several grand temples there in order to impress upon the Nubians Egypt's might and Egyptianize the people of Nubia.Verner, Miroslav. Temple of the Word: Sanctuaries, Cults and Mysteries of Ancient Egypt. (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2013).Hawass, Zahi. The Mysteries of Abu Simbel. (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2000). The most prominent temples are the rock-cut temples near the modern village of Abu Simbel, at the Second Nile Cataract, the border between Lower Nubia and Upper Nubia. There are two temples, the Great Temple, dedicated to Ramesses II himself, and the Small Temple, dedicated to his chief wife Queen Nefertari.

Construction of the temple complex started in approximately 1264 BC and lasted for about 20 years, until 1244 BC. It was known as the "Temple of Ramesses, beloved by Amun".

Rediscovery

With the passage of time, the temples fell into disuse and eventually became covered by sand. By the 6th century BC, the sand already covered the statues of the main temple up to their knees. The temple was forgotten until 1813, when Swiss researcher Johann Ludwig Burckhardt found the top frieze of the main temple. Burckhardt talked about his discovery with Italian explorer Giovanni Belzoni, who travelled to the site, but was unable to dig out an entry to the temple. Belzoni returned in 1817, this time succeeding in his attempt to enter the complex. A detailed early description of the temples, together with contemporaneous line drawings, can be found in Edward William Lane's ''Description of Egypt'' (1825–1828).

Relocation

In 1959, an international donations campaign to save the monuments of Nubia began: the southernmost relics of this ancient civilization were under threat from the rising waters of the Nile that were about to result from the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

One scheme to save the temples was based on an idea by William MacQuitty to build a clear freshwater dam around the temples, with the water inside kept at the same height as the Nile. There were to be underwater viewing chambers. In 1962 the idea was made into a proposal by architects Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry and civil engineer Ove Arup. They considered that raising the temples ignored the effect of erosion of the sandstone by desert winds. However, the proposal, though acknowledged to be extremely elegant, was rejected.

The salvage of the Abu Simbel temples began in 1964 by a multinational team of archeologists, engineers and skilled heavy equipment operators working together under the UNESCO banner; it cost some US$40 million at the time (equal to $300 million in 2017 dollars). Between 1964 and 1968, the entire site was carefully cut into large blocks (up to 30 tons, averaging 20 tons), dismantled, lifted and reassembled in a new location 65 metres higher and 200 metres back from the river, in one of the greatest challenges of archaeological engineering in history. Some structures were even saved from under the waters of Lake Nasser. Today, a few hundred tourists visit the temples daily. Most visitors arrive by road from Aswan, the nearest city. Others arrive by plane at an airfield that was specially constructed for the temple complex.

The complex consists of two temples. The larger one is dedicated to Ra-Horakhty, Ptah and Amun, Egypt's three state deities of the time, and features four large statues of Ramesses II in the facade. The smaller temple is dedicated to the goddess Hathor, personified by Nefertari, Ramesses's most beloved of his many wives.
The temple is now open to the public.

Great Temple

The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, which took about twenty years to build, was completed around year 24 of the reign of Ramesses the Great (which corresponds to 1265 BC). It was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as to the deified Ramesses himself.Alberto Siliotti, Egypt: temples, people, gods,1994 It is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt.

Entrance

The single entrance is flanked by four colossal, statues, each representing Ramesses II seated on a throne and wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. The statue to the immediate left of the entrance was damaged in an earthquake, causing the head and torso to fall away; these fallen pieces were not restored to the statue during the relocation but placed at the statue's feet in the positions originally found.
Next to Ramesses's legs are a number of other, smaller statues, none higher than the knees of the pharaoh, depicting: his chief wife, Nefertari Meritmut; his queen mother Mut-Tuy; his first two sons, Amun-her-khepeshef and Ramesses B; and his first six daughters: Bintanath, Baketmut, Nefertari, Meritamen, Nebettawy and Isetnofret.

The façade behind the colossi is high and wide. It carries a frieze depicting twenty-two baboons worshipping the rising sun with upraised arms and a stele recording the marriage of Ramesses to a daughter of king Ḫattušili III, which sealed the peace between Egypt and the Hittites. Ania Skliar, ''Grosse kulturen der welt-Ägypten'', 2005

The entrance doorway itself is surmounted by bas-relief images of the king worshipping the falcon-headed Ra Horakhty, whose statue stands in a large niche. Ra holds the hieroglyph ''user'' and a feather in his right hand, with Maat (the goddess of truth and justice) in his left; this is a cryptogram for Ramesses II's throne name, ''User-Maat-Re''.

Interior

The inner part of the temple has the same triangular layout that most ancient Egyptian temples follow, with rooms decreasing in size from the entrance to the sanctuary. The temple is complex in structure and quite unusual because of its many side chambers. The hypostyle hall (sometimes also called a pronaos) is long and wide and is supported by eight huge Osirid pillars depicting the deified Ramesses linked to the god Osiris, the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life and vegetation, to indicate the everlasting nature of the pharaoh. The colossal statues along the left-hand wall bear the white crown of Upper Egypt, while those on the opposite side are wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt (pschent). The bas-reliefs on the walls of the pronaos depict battle scenes in the military campaigns that Ramesses waged. Much of the sculpture is given to the Battle of Kadesh, on the Orontes river in present-day Syria, in which the Egyptian king fought against the Hittites. The most famous relief shows the king on his chariot shooting arrows against his fleeing enemies, who are being taken prisoner. Other scenes show Egyptian victories in Libya and Nubia.

From the hypostyle hall, one enters the second pillared hall, which has four pillars decorated with beautiful scenes of offerings to the gods. There are depictions of Ramesses and Nefertari with the sacred boats of Amun and Ra-Horakhty. This hall gives access to a transverse vestibule, in the middle of which is the entrance to the sanctuary. Here, on a black wall, are rock cut sculptures of four seated figures: Ra-Horakhty, the deified king Ramesses, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah. Ra-Horakhty, Amun Ra and Ptah were the main divinities in that period and their cult centers were at Heliopolis, Thebes and Memphis respectively.

Solar alignment

It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 22 and February 22, the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, a god connected with the realm of the dead, who always remained in the dark. People gather at Abu Simbel on these days to witness this.

These dates are allegedly the king's birthday and coronation day, respectively. There is no direct evidence to support this. It is logical to assume, however, that these dates had some relation to a significant event. In fact, according to calculations made on the basis of the heliacal rising of the star Sirius (Sothis) and inscriptions found by archaeologists, this date must have been October 22. This image of the king was enhanced and revitalized by the energy of the solar star, and the deified Ramesses the Great could take his place next to Amun-Ra and Ra-Horakhty.

Because of the accumulated drift of the Tropic of Cancer due to Earth's axial precession over the past 3 millennia, the event's date must have been different when the temple was built. This is compounded by the fact that the temple was relocated from its original setting, so the current alignment may not be as precise as the original one.

Greek graffito

A graffito inscribed in Greek on the left leg of the colossal seated statue of Ramesses II, on the south side of the entrance to the temple records that:

Kerkis was located near the Fifth Cataract of the Nile "which stood well within the Cushite Kingdom."Britannica, p.756

Historic photographs

File:Abu Simbel ( 175 miles south of Aswan, left bank).jpg, alt=Geneva architect, Jean Jacquet, a Unesco expert, makes an architectural survey of the Great Temple of Rameses II (1290–1223 B.C.)., Genevese architect Jean Jacquet, a UNESCO expert, makes an architectural survey of the Great Temple of Rameses II (1290–1223 BC)
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9503.jpg, View of the partially excavated Great Temple from the right, with a human figure for scale
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9930.jpg, Front view of the Great Temple before 1923
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9505.jpg, Interior of the Great Temple, before cleaning
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9499.jpg, Interior of the Great Temple, after cleaning
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9500.jpg, Human figures standing at the entrance to the Great Temple, sometime before 1923
File:Collapsed Colossus.jpg, The collapsed colossus of the Great Temple supposedly fell during an earthquake shortly after its construction. On moving the temple, it was decided to leave it as the face is missing.
File:RamsesIIEgypt.jpg, A close-up of one of the colossal statues of Ramesses II wearing the double crown of Lower and Upper Egypt

Small Temple

The temple of Hathor and Nefertari, also known as the Small Temple, was built about northeast of the temple of Ramesses II and was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramesses II's chief consort, Nefertari. This was in fact the second time in ancient Egyptian history that a temple was dedicated to a queen. The first time, Akhenaten dedicated a temple to his great royal wife, Nefertiti. The rock-cut facade is decorated with two groups of colossi that are separated by the large gateway. The statues, slightly more than high, are of the king and his queen. On either side of the portal are two statues of the king, wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt (south colossus) and the double crown (north colossus); these are flanked by statues of the queen.

Remarkably, this is one of very few instances in Egyptian art where the statues of the king and his consort have equal size. Traditionally, the statues of the queens stood next to those of the pharaoh, but were never taller than his knees. Ramesses went to Abu Simbel with his wife in the 24th year of his reign. As the Great Temple of the king, there are small statues of princes and princesses next to their parents. In this case they are positioned symmetrically: on the south side (at left as one faces the gateway) are, from left to right, princes Meryatum and Meryre, princesses Meritamen and Henuttawy, and princes Pareherwenemef and Amun-her-khepeshef, while on the north side the same figures are in reverse order. The plan of the Small Temple is a simplified version of that of the Great Temple.

As in the larger temple dedicated to the king, the hypostyle hall in the smaller temple is supported by six pillars; in this case, however, they are not Osiris pillars depicting the king, but are decorated with scenes with the queen playing the sistrum (an instrument sacred to the goddess Hathor), together with the gods Horus, Khnum, Khonsu, and Thoth, and the goddesses Hathor, Isis, Maat, Mut of Asher, Satis and Taweret; in one scene Ramesses is presenting flowers or burning incense. The capitals of the pillars bear the face of the goddess Hathor; this type of column is known as Hathoric. The bas-reliefs in the pillared hall illustrate the deification of the king, the destruction of his enemies in the north and south (in these scenes the king is accompanied by his wife), and the queen making offerings to the goddesses Hathor and Mut. The hypostyle hall is followed by a vestibule, access to which is given by three large doors. On the south and the north walls of this chamber there are two graceful and poetic bas-reliefs of the king and his consort presenting papyrus plants to Hathor, who is depicted as a cow on a boat sailing in a thicket of papyri. On the west wall, Ramesses II and Nefertari are depicted making offerings to the god Horus and the divinities of the Cataracts—Satis, Anubis and Khnum.

The rock-cut sanctuary and the two side chambers are connected to the transverse vestibule and are aligned with the axis of the temple. The bas-reliefs on the side walls of the small sanctuary represent scenes of offerings to various gods made either by the pharaoh or the queen. On the back wall, which lies to the west along the axis of the temple, there is a niche in which Hathor, as a divine cow, seems to be coming out of the mountain: the goddess is depicted as the Mistress of the temple dedicated to her and to queen Nefertari, who is intimately linked to the goddess.

Historic photographs

File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9496.jpg, The Small Temple from below and left, before 1923

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).

Gallery

File:Maxime Du Camp (French - Westernmost Colossus, the Great Temple, Abu Simbel - Google Art Project.jpg, Westernmost Colossus, 1850 by Maxime Du Camp
File:John Beasly Greene (American, born France - (Ibsamboul. Spéos de Phré) - Google Art Project.jpg, Earliest photo, 1854 by John Beasley Greene
File:Abu Simbel Temple May 30 2007.jpg, Facade of the Temple of Ramesses II, photo taken in 2007
File:S F-E-CAMERON EGYPT 2006 FEB 00671.JPG, Close-up of the leftmost statue at the temple of Rameses II
File:SFEC EGYPT ABUSIMBEL 2006-001.JPG, Central, inset statue of Ra-Horakhty at the Great Temple
File:Abu Simbel - baboons detail.jpg, Baboon carvings above the heads of the statues of Ramses at the Great Temple
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9498.jpg, View of the Great Temple from the west, photo credited to William Henry Goodyear (before 1923)
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9494.jpg, Facade of the Great Temple from before 1923
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9488.jpg, View of the rightmost statue at the Great Temple, partially excavated, with a human figure (possibly William Henry Goodyear) for scale
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9489.jpg, View of the Great Temple's colossal statues from the right, partially excavated
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9492.jpg, Interior of the Great Temple, before cleaning
File:S10 08 Abu Simbel, image 9491.jpg, Colour photo of the Great Temple from the right, partially excavated, from before 1923
File:S10 08 Abu Simbel, image 9487.jpg, The Great Temple from the right, from before 1923
File:Templo de Ramsés II, Abu Simbel, Egipto, 2022-04-02, DD 26-28 HDR.jpg, Abu Simbel temple, four statues of divinities inside the inner sanctuary
File:2N9A6519-Pano.jpg, Frieze inside the Great Temple of Abu Simbel
File:Egypt Abu Simbel temples - Onder Kokturk.jpg, Facade of the Temple 2006


File:John Beasly Greene (American, born France - (Ibsamboul. Spéos d'Hathor, partie gauche de la façade) - Google Art Project.jpg, Earliest photo of Smaller Temple, 1854 by John Beasley Greene
File:SethAndHorusAdoringRamsses crop.jpg, The gods Set (left) and Horus (right) blessing Ramesses in the small temple at Abu Simbel
File:John Beasly Greene (American, born France - (Ibsamboul, Stèle à Droite du Temple d'Hathor) - Google Art Project.jpg, Stele adjacent to smaller temple, 1854 by John Beasley Greene
File:MyAbu Simbel.jpg, The Small Temple in its relocated context, 1999
File:Nefertari Temple Abu Simbel May 30 2007.jpg, Closer view of the Small Temple, 2007
File:RamessesOfferingToPtah crop.jpg, Ramesses offering to seated god Ptah. Frieze inside the Small Temple.


File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9506.jpg, Inscription at the entrance to the Great Temple. Hooper Brooklyn Museum Archives
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9504.jpg, The Small Temple in context, before relocation. Goodyear Brooklyn Museum Archives
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9502.jpg, Statues in the sanctuary of the Great Temple
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9495.jpg, Interior of Nefertari's (queen's) temple at Abu Simbel, with graffiti
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9493.jpg, View of the Nile from Abu Simbel, before 1923. Brooklyn Museum Archives
File:Exterior View of the Temple of Ybsambul illustration from the kings tombs in Thebes by Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778-1823) from Plates illustrative of the researches and operations in Egypt and Nubia (1820).jpg, The temple and its surroundings in 1820

See also

*List of ancient Egyptian sites, including sites of temples
*List of archaeoastronomical sites sorted by country
*List of colossal sculptures in situ

References

Further reading

* - Highly detailed article describing the process of saving and creating a new location for the temples.

External links

*
Abu Simbel
at the website of ''Egypt State Information Service''

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13th-century BC establishments in Egypt
1813 archaeological discoveries
Archaeological sites in Egypt
Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century BC
Colossal statues in Egypt
Egyptian temples
Lake Nasser
Monuments and memorials in Egypt
Nefertari
Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt
Open-air museums in Egypt
Ramesses II
Relocated ancient Egyptian monuments
Rock reliefs in Egypt
Stone buildings
Tourist attractions in Egypt
World Heritage Sites in Egypt
International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia