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Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel is a complex of two temples excavated in the rock, arranged to construct for Ramsés II. They are located to the south of Egypt, at a distance of approximately 300 kilometers of Aswan, although this is not its original emplacement.
The complex is composed by two temples. The biggest temple is dedicated to the cult of the proper Ramsés and of the gods Amón, Ra and Ptah. Its construction began about the year 1284 B.C. and lasted approximately twenty years. In the rock of the front there were sculpted four colossal statues that present the Pharaoh Ramses II. The least temple is dedicated to the goddess Hathor, personified by Nefertari, the favorite wife of Ramsés.
In the course of time, the temple remained godforsaken and began to fill with sand. Abu Simbel remained forgotten until the Swiss J. L. Burckhardt discovered its front. Burckhardt commented on its discovery to the Italian explorer Belzoni, who in 1817 managed to construct an entry.
Because of the construction of the prey of Aswan and to the consistent increase of the level of the Nile, in the year it was necessary to relocate the temples, which were to the shore of the river. Abu Simbel dismantled piece for piece and turned to mount in a sure place. In 1979, it was declared a Patrimony of the Humanity by the UNESCO and at present it is part of the Museum in the Open air of Nubia and Aswan.
Tags: Egypt, temples of Egypt
