The Great Temple is dedicated to the sun god
Ra-Harakhte, while the second, which is smaller, and a few meters to
the north, was dedicated by Ramses II to his beautiful wife,
Nefertari, to be worshipped together with other deities.
They were threatened by
inundation by the waters of the High Dam. In response to an appeal
by the Arab Republic of Egypt, UNESCO, in 1959, initiated an
international donations campaign to save the monuments of Nubia, the
relics of the oldest human civilization. The salvage of the Abu
Simbel temples began in 1963, and cost some 36 million dollars. Once
again the Abu Simbel temples were relocated on the plateau to greet
the sunrise every morning. The Greater Abu Simbel
Temple (Ramses II) This is one of the many
relics erected by the Pharaoh Ramses II, this is the grandest and
most beautiful of temples. The facade is 33 meters high, and 38
meters broad, and guarded by for statues of Ramses II, each of which
is 20 meters high.
High on the facade, there is
a carved row of baboons, smiling at the sunrise. On the doorway of
the temple, there is a beautiful inscription of the king's name:
Ser-Ma'at-Ra and between the legs of the colossal statues on the
facade, we can see smaller statues of Ramses II's family: his mother
"Mut-tuy", his wife "Nefertari" and his sons and daughters.
There is also a number of
dedications, important amongst which is Ramses II's marriage to the
daughter of the King of the Hittites. Beyond their entrance, there
is the Great Hall of Pillars, with eight pillars bearing the deified
Ramses II in the shape of Osiris.
The walls of this hall bear
inscriptions recording the Battle of Kadesh waged by RamseS II
against the Hittites. Then we enter the smaller hall of the temple -
the hall of the nobles, containing four square pillars. Then we come
to the Holiest of Holies, where we Amun-Ra find four statues of:
Ra-Harakhte, Ptah, Amun-Ra and King Ramses II. This temple is
unique, since the sun shines directly on the Holiest of Holies two
days a year: February 21, the king's birthday, and October 22, the
date of his coronation.
Abu Simbel
The Smaller
Abu Simbel Temple (Nefertari)
Located north of the Greater
Temple, this was carved in the rock by Ramses II and dedicated to
the goddess of Love and Beauty, Hathur, and also to his favorite
wife, Nefertari. The Facade is adorned by six statues, four to
Ramses II and two to his wife Nefertari. The entrance leads to a
hall containing six pillars bearing the head of the goddess, Hathur.
The eastern wall bears
inscriptions depicting Ramses II striking the enemy before
Ra-Harakhte and Amun-Ra. Other wall scenes show Ramses II and
Nefertari offering sacrifices to the gods.
Beyond this hall, there is
another wall with similar scenes and paintings.Finally, we reach the
Holiest of Holies, where we find the statue of the goddess Hathur.
