Nubian relics from Abu Simbel to Philae - Egypt

Unesco Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization has recognized the Nubian relics from Abu Simbel to Egypt's Philae as a World Cultural Heritage in 1979.

The Nubian ruins from Abu Simbel to Philae - World Cultural Heritage in Egypt

Abu Simbel is an important archaeological area not only for Egypt but also for the whole world. Abu Simbel consists of two large temples carved from stone located in the southern region, Egypt. This archaeological site is located on Lake Nasser about 290 km southwest of Aswan city.

Most of the temple architecture is carved from solid stone except for the inner wall of the yard and a small architecture to build the Sun worship. Located in a quite remote area, the terrain is high so the temple is still relatively intact. Despite many years of high water in Aswan dam, the destination is still well preserved.

Not only grandiose in size, Abu Simbel also impresses viewers with a monumental façade. The entire front of the temple is four giant statues , depicting the king. The statue is about 22 meters high, divided into two sides in the middle, the entrance is carved behind the cliff. This temple was built under Pharaoh Ramesses II .

The grandeur and grandeur of the famous temple since ancient times Abu Simbel

Pharaoh Ramesses II ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1213 BC. The king had built many works along the Nil River to record his strategies, among them Abu Simbel. This prestigious temple was built in the early years of Ramesses II and completed in about 24 years. The temple of three important gods responsible for the protection of Egypt is: Amun-Re; Ptah and Re-Honakhly and King Ramesses II himself. King Ramesses II was worshiped here from the time he was alive and in his position. The majority of sculptural architectural works here feature the Ramesses II battles such as the battles in Syria, Libya and Nubia. Besides, there are also some reliefs carved by Pharaoh Ramesses II. In addition, there is a small but also impressive architecture which is the temple of the goddess Hathor and non-Nefertati of King Ramesses II.

The rest of Abu Simbel is located in Nubia. In the opinion of historians and experts, Abu Simbel was chosen to build here because at that time Nubia was under administrative management of Egypt and the geology of the area was suitable to build big construction. In Nubia, there are many good sandstone that are suitable for building materials. Also due to the location of the cave towards the sunrise, every February and October every year, the sunshine can penetrate inside the temple, deep inside the cave. There are still controversies about the construction of the ancients that intentionally or unintentionally use this light stream.

Sophisticated carvings thousands of years ago still keep archaeologists around the world in awe and surprise everyone.

In 1960, this great value archaeological site was slightly submerged by the construction of Aswan dam . Luckily thanks to the support campaign of Unesco and many countries in the world, the temple also has priceless statues and artifacts here that have been moved to higher ground. The rescue at that time cost up to 40 million USD.

In fact, there have been many surveys, excavations and studies at this site, but so far there has been no reliable source of information relating to the construction of the temple. Scientists had to evaluate and combine various sources of material to give a solution to the meaning and how the ancient Egyptians created such wonderful works as Abu Simbel. Accordingly, the stone carvers had to hack the giant statues in raw form according to the size of the sketch artist. The group of rough performers just carved the latter statue into the cliff. Then the next stage to the skilled workers shape the statue and the artisans continue to perform the final stage to sculpt the face, morphology of the statue. All carved reliefs inside and outside come to be done according to the above stage.

In the 1960s, due to the construction of the Aswan Dam, these archaeological sites were entangled in a threat of flooding and complete subsidence. At that time, Unesco organized a major campaign with the support of many countries to rescue these relics. From 1964 to 1968, these two temples were dismantled and repositioned 65km higher than their original positions. To transport gigantic stones weighing tens of tons to relocate the temple, scientists and archaeologists from many countries have worked hard to study how and then do it throughout nearly 4 year. The cost of relocating the two kings to this period lost 40 million USD. Today, the Nubian ruins from Abu Simbel to Philae including Abu Simbel become one of the famous places around the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year.