Abu Simbel temples

The **Abu Simbel temples** are two very large rock temples built by the ancient Egyptians, at Abu Simbel, which is a village in Nubia, southern Egypt, near the border with Sudan.

## Overview
The temples are on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about 230&nbsp;km southwest of Aswan. They are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Nubian Monuments." The temples were cut into solid rock in side of a cliff during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses&nbsp;II in the 13th century&nbsp;BC. It was a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to remember his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.

The complete temples were moved in 1968, to a place high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir. They would have been flooded by water from Lake Nasser – formed by the building of a dam on the Nile River.

## History
### Construction
Work on the temples began about 1264 BC and lasted for about 20 years. It was called the "Temple of Ramesses, beloved by Amun". It was one of six rock temples built in Nubia by Ramesses&nbsp;II. The temple was meant to impress Egypt's southern neighbours. It also helped to strengthen Egyptian religion in the area. Historians say that the design of Abu Simbel shows Ramesses&nbsp;II's ego and pride.

### Rediscovery
Over time people stopped using the temples which became covered with sand. In the 6th century BC, the sand covered the statues of the main temple up to their knees. The temple was forgotten until 1813, when Jean-Louis Burckhardt saw the top frieze of the main temple. He told Italian explorer Giovanni Belzoni, who went to the site, but was unable to dig out an entry to the temple. Belzoni went back in 1817, and was able to enter the temples. Details of the temples, with drawings, are in Edward William Lane's *Description of Egypt* (1825-1828).

Tour guides at the temples tell a story that "Abu Simbel" was a young local boy who took Burckhardt and Belzoni to see the buried temple. He had seen the temples from time to time in the shifting sands. Eventually, the temples were named after him.

### Relocation
 and Upper Egypt]]

In 1959 an international campaign was started to raise money to save the temples from being flooded by water from the new Aswan High Dam.

One plan put forward was to build a dam around the temples to keep the water at the same level as the river. It was thought that raising the temples would put them in danger of being eroded by the wind. This plan was rejected.

The moving of the temple began in 1964, with archaeologists, engineers and workers coming from all over the world as a UNESCO project. It cost $40 million at the time. Between 1964 and 1968, the entire site was carefully cut into large blocks. Some blocks weighed up to 30 tons, with most around 20 tons. These blocks were lifted and put back together on a new site 65 meters higher, and 200 meters further back from the river.

This was one of the greatest challenges of archaeological engineering in history. Some parts had to be saved from under the waters of Lake Nasser. Today hundreds of visitors come to the temples every day. Buses and cars leave twice a day from Aswan, the nearest city. Many visitors also come by plane, to an airfield that was specially built near the temples.

There are two temples. The larger one was built for the gods Ra-Harakhty, Ptah and Amun. It has four large statues of Ramesses&nbsp;II on the facade. The smaller temple was built for the goddess Hathor, who is shown as Nefertari, Ramesses's favourite of his many wives. The temple is open to the public.

## The Great Temple
The Great Temple at Abu Simbel took about 20 years to build. It was completed in the 24th year of the rule of Ramesses the Great (about 1265 BC). It was built for the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as for Rameses himself, who was treated as a god. It is one the grandest and most beautiful temples from the time of Rameses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt.

The facade of the temple has four 20 meter tall statues of the pharaoh with the double Atef crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. The facade is 35 meters wide. Across the top is a frieze with 22 baboons. The baboons have their hands raised to welcome the rising sun at dawn.  These huge statues were carved into solid rock. All statues show Ramesses II, seated on a throne and wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. The statue on the left of the entrance was damaged in an earthquake soon after it was built. The head and body are on the ground at the statue's feet.

Next to the legs of the large statue, there are others no higher than the knees of the pharaoh. written by Dinamic Software and released by Gremlin Graphics in the UK, has gameplay based around the temples and Egyptian setting.
* In the book by Matthew Reilly - The Six Sacred Stones, the lead character - Captain Jack West Jr., leads an expedition to the temple to find the First Vertex, and to place a "Piller" in said Vertex.
* Abu Simbel is one of the Wonders in the Wonder Pack expansion for the board game 7 Wonders.
* It is one of the locations in the 1954 movie *Valley of the Kings*.
* Abu Simbel is a site of one of the riddles in the 2006 novel *Lost and Found* by Carolyn Parkhurst.

## Gallery

Image:Abu_Simbel_Temple_May_30_2007.jpg|Abu Simbel Temple of Ramesses II
Image:S F-E-CAMERON EGYPT 2006 FEB 00671.JPG|Detail Temple of Rameses II 
Image:SFEC_EGYPT_ABUSIMBEL_2006-001.JPG|Temple of Rameses II
Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9498.jpg|Abu Simbel
Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9494.jpg|Temple of Ramesses II
Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9488.jpg|Abu Simbel
Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9489.jpg|Abu Simbel
Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9492.jpg|Abu Simbel
Image:S10 08 Abu Simbel, image 9491.jpg|Abu Simbel
Image:S10 08 Abu Simbel, image 9487.jpg|Abu Simbel

Image:MyAbu Simbel.jpg|
Image:Nefertari_Temple_Abu_Simbel_May_30_2007.jpg|Nefertari's Temple at Abu Simbel
Image:NefertariOfferingToHathor crop.jpg|Nefertari offering sistrums to seated goddess Hathor

Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9506.jpg|Hooper Brooklyn Museum Archives
Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9504.jpg|Goodyear Brooklyn Museum Archives
Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9502.jpg|Abu Simbel
Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9495.jpg|Abu Simbel
Image:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9493.jpg|Transportation Brooklyn Museum Archives

## Related pages
*Luxor Temple

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

## Other websites
*Abu Simbel archeological site @ Google Maps
*Abu Simbel  at the website of *Egypt State Information Service*
*Abu Simbel at Aldokkan 
*Abu Simbel temples' plan 
*Abu Simbel temples images
*Abu Simbel map, images and info 
*Abu Simbel UNESCO page