Under the reign of Ramses ll, the temples were established in the 19th dynasty. The larger temple is called Glory Ramses and the smaller one is Hathor, dedicated to the goddesses Hathor and Nefertari, the wife of Ramses ll.
Since 1979 they belong to the UNESCO world cultural heritage. From 1963 to 1968, the temples were dismantled from their original site and rebuilt 64m away to protect them from the water dammed by the dam. “Abu Simbel” is also the name of Abu Sunbul, the derivative of the original place name Ipsanbul.
The place Abu Simbel belongs to Aswan and is located south of Egypt, near Sudan. Aswan is 240 km further north and is connected to Abu Simbel by a road that crosses the Libyan Desert.
In 1813, the Swiss Jean Burckhardt discovered the two temples while exploring the area around Abu Simbel. However, after arriving at the temples, he only spotted the Temple of Hathor and a little later the Temple of Glory of Ramses, partly hidden under the sand.
The Glory of Ramses Temple is an ancient Egyptian “House of Millions”, a temple for the cult of kings. Furthermore, it is dedicated to the gods Ptah, Amun-Re, and of course Ramses ll. Consecrated.
Ramses ll mainly wanted to represent with that time that he is equal with the other gods. The best way to illustrate this is with the 21 m high statues, which are located to the left and right of the entrance.
The place Abu Simbel belongs to Aswan and is located south of Egypt, near Sudan. Aswan is 240 km further north and is connected to Abu Simbel by a road that crosses the Libyan Desert.
In 1813, the Swiss Jean Burckhardt discovered the two temples while exploring the area around Abu Simbel. However, after arriving at the temples, he only spotted the Temple of Hathor and a little later the Temple of Glory of Ramses, partly hidden under the sand.
The Glory of Ramses Temple is an ancient Egyptian “House of Millions”, a temple for the cult of kings. Furthermore, it is dedicated to the gods Ptah, Amun-Re, and of course Ramses ll. Consecrated.
Ramses ll. mainly wanted to represent with that temple that he is equal with the other gods. The best way to illustrate this is with the 21 m high statues, which are located to the left and right of the entrance.
Above the temple, the facade is a frieze showing 16 of the original 21 sacred monkeys, baboons. This helped the Swiss Burckhardt at the time to find the temple of glory Ram completely covered with sand, as it stood out of the sand.
Below the four statues are small statues for the representation of family members. Northeast of the temple of Ramses is the smaller temple, the temple of Hathor. Hathor was the goddess of the place Ishek, which is near the temple complex, but also the wife of Horus.
The six statues carved out of the facade represent Ramses ll and Nefertari. Theologically, the small temple is aligned almost the same as the Great Temple.
The larger temple is aligned with the sun, so twice a year the sun shines into its lowest angles to illuminate a statue of Ramses and the gods to whom the temple is dedicated. The Abu Simbel Sun Festival is held on February 22 and October 22 each year. Several thousand people gather in the early hours of the morning to see this testimony of the knowledge and skill of the ancient Egyptians to align the temple so perfectly.
It is also possible to visit Abu Simbel on one of the Lake Nasser cruises Lake Nasser. These ships depart directly in front of the temples so passengers can see the temples in the moonlight and early morning light.
Alternatively, you can visit Abu Simbel temples after your Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan or before the Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, where you can discover the historical sites and much more through a round trip or a beautiful Nile cruise aboard the Nile cruise ship.
Interested to travel to Egypt? Check out the different tour packages that Gate 2 Egypt has for you!!!!
