Abu Simbel

 

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Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel

Overlooking Lake Nasser, the temple of Abu Simbel bears witness to the Pharaonic excesses. Visitors to the site will be impressed as much by the grandeur of the work of the period as by UNESCO's efforts to save the structure.

Overlooking Lake Nasser, the temple of Abu Simbel bears witness to the Pharaonic excesses. Visitors to the site will be impressed as much by the grandeur of the work of the period as by UNESCO's efforts to save the structure. From the plane that brings me to Abu Simbel, I can see the immense lake which caused 100,000 Nubians to be displaced and which engulfed towns, villages and temples, in other words the whole Nubian culture. Between 1963 and 1970, 14 edifices were saved thanks to a titanic effort, of which Abu Simbel is the most well-known. It seems always to have been here, hieratic in the middle of the desert, far, far away from Thebes, the Pharaonic capital situated some 620 miles to the north. It is difficult to imagine that the original location of the temple was over 200ft lower, beneath the waters and that each of its giant constituent parts were cut down and reconstructed block by block. Ramesses II, the great builder, would not have disapproved of such a feat. His four gigantic statues represent him as ever serene, sporting a false goatee beard, a nemes (a striped head cloth) and the pschent (crown) – all the attributes of his rank – while facing the setting sun.

His mother, Queen Tuya, his wife Nefertari and his daughter Meritamen seem to be huddled up between the immense legs of the protector pharaoh and warrior, just as the engraved frescos of the interior walls of the porticos recall. The sun itself plays an important role in the all-powerfulness of the king. On the 20th February and the 20th October, the respective dates of Ramesses' birth and coronation, the sun's rays penetrated the temple until the sanctuary lighting up one by one the statues of Amun Ra, Ramesses II and Ra-Horakhty. Only one remained in total darkness, that of Ptah, God of death. Ramesses, without any doubt, knew that he was immortal. The proof: he too was saved from the waters.

To know:

Between 1963 and 1970, 14 edifices were saved thanks to a titanic effort, of which Abu Simbel is the most well-known. It seems always to have been here, hieratic in the middle of the desert, far, far away from Thebes, the Pharaonic capital situated some 620 miles to the north. It is difficult to imagine that the original location of the temple was over 200ft lower, beneath the waters and that each of its giant constituent parts were cut down and reconstructed block by block. Ramesses II, the great builder, would not have disapproved of such a feat. Also restored to its original glory, the Temple of Hathor, dedicated to the Queen Nefertari, wife to the pharaoh, adds to the magic of the place. Covered with huge representations of Ramesses, these two temples seem to possess a hidden gate, that of the all powerful pharaoh facing a void, facing the barbarity of a land without life or hope.
　

Alexandria
The Egyptian town of Alexandria, founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great, became, in the period known as late ancient history, the main port of Egypt as well as the capital of the country. It was one of the cultural centres of the Mediterranean, its notoriety surely due to the presence of the famous library. The second largest of Egypt’s cities, Alexandria’s ambiance, which is more Mediterranean than oriental, together with its cultural wealth, set it apart from the rest of the country. It is also fairly accessible being only 140 miles from Cairo.

Category : Egyptian Towns
items Date : 10/08/2009
Author of items : Charles Rossignol