What is so special about Abu Simbel?
It was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as to the deified Ramesses himself. It is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt.
What did Abu Simbel look like?
Built in 1244 B.C., Abu Simbel contains two temples, carved into a mountainside. The larger of the two temples contains four colossal statues of a seated pharaoh Ramesses II (1303-1213 B.C.) at its entrance, each about 69 feet (21 meters) tall.
What was the Abu Simbel temple used for?
Why were the Abu Simbel Temples built? The twin temples were built to serve as a lasting monument to the king and his queen Nefertari, and commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.
Why is Abu Simbel broken?
To rescue the ancient temples in Abu Simbel from the waters of the Nile, the temples had to be relocated. With the construction of the large Aswan Dam, two ancient temples would be submerged and irreparably damaged.
Who built Abu Simbel temple?
king Ramses II
Abu Simbel, site of two temples built by the Egyptian king Ramses II (reigned 1279–13 bce), now located in Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), southern Egypt. In ancient times the area was at the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt, facing Nubia.
How old is the Abu Simbel temple?
The Abu Simbel complex, built over the course of 20 years in the 13th Century BC, is one of the most impressive still standing today. Alongside the larger Great Temple stands a smaller temple that honours Ramses’ queen, Nefertari.
Who found Abu Simbel?
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
Carved out of a sandstone cliff on the west bank of the Nile, south of Korosko (modern Kuruskū), the temples were unknown to the outside world until their rediscovery in 1813 by the Swiss researcher Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. They were first explored in 1817 by the early Egyptologist Giovanni Battista Belzoni.
Is Abu Simbel real?
Abu Simbel, site of two temples built by the Egyptian king Ramses II (reigned 1279–13 bce), now located in Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), southern Egypt. In ancient times the area was at the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt, facing Nubia.
What does Abu Simbel mean in English?
Abu Simbel. / (ˌæbuː ˈsɪmbəl) / noun. a former village in S Egypt: site of two temples of Rameses II, which were moved to higher ground (1966–67) before the area behind the Aswan High Dam was floodedAlso called: Ipsambul.