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Michael A. Stecker
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Abu Simbel
Other Egypt Pages:
Egypt Photo Index
The Abu Simbel Temples
The Temples of Abu Simbel
are found 768 miles south of Cairo near the edge of the Nile River in
southern Egypt. It was carved out of the side of a sandstone rock cliff
and faces east so it can be illuminated by the rising sun. The complex was
built between 1300 and 1233 B.C. by Ramses II. There are two temples. The
greater temple was built for Pharoah Ramses II and dedicated
to the the three principal gods of ancient Egypt -- Ha-Rakhte, Ptah and
Amen-Ra. The lesser temple --Temple of Hathor was built for Ramses's wife -- Nefertari and dedicaded to the goddess Hathor.
To avoid the rising waters
caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam the temples were cut into
950 blocks and reassembled over 60 meters up the sandstone cliff from
where they had been built more than 3,000 years before. The salvage
operation, sponsored by UNESCO and funded by more than 50 nations, began
in 1964 and continued until 1968.
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