When people make a list of places to visit in Egypt, Abu Simbel is among the top places for its famous temples which are located in the southern-most part of the country near Sudan. To get to the temples, the most convenient way is to get through an organized trip from Aswan by leaving early from there at dawn so you can reach your destination when it’s not too hot. To get things started, you can book in advance and cheap flight to Egypt with us.
The temples of Abu Simbel consist of two huge temples, Ramses and Nefertari and they both combined with the surroundings display a spectacular view with the huge temples built in the middle of the desert and Lake Nasser being shoring it. The Lake Nasser was created as a result of damming the River Nile in order to create the Aswan Dam. The temples became very famous during UNESCO’s effort to save them from Lake Nasser’s rising water. The bright colours of the carvings are still intact.
One of the temples is known as the great temple and was built by Ramses-II for himself as well as to adore their gods including Re-Horakhty, Ptah and Amun-Re. The temple is 33 meter high, 38 meters wide and 56 meters deep. The temple was built by Ramses-II for him just being the King but being a god and as a tribute for the other gods as well.
The second temple is the Temple of Nefertari which is located a 120 meter from the Temple of Ramses-II. It was also built by Ramses-II but this one was dedicated to goddess Hathor and his wife, Queen Nefertari. She was the principal and the most beloved wife of the King Ramses-II. The temple is also a rock-cut one with a façade of around 28 meters in length, 12 meters in height and containing six standing-colossi, every 11 meters in height. Four of them represent the Ramses-II and the other two his beloved wife Queen Nefertari and each of them is accompanied by the two smaller figures of their children.
When you’ll see the entrance, it’ll lead you to a square-hall supported by six Hathor headed pillars decorated with the scenes depicting King’s and Queen’s offerings to the different deities they had. At hall’s end, a doorway leading to a transverse-vestibule is decorated with the scenes of King Ramsis-II while making offers to Re-Hor Akhty and meanwhile the Queen presenting flowers to Knenum, Anket and Sat-Let. The transverse hall then leads to a sanctuary containing a niche is the rear-wall with a goddess Hathot’s statue as a cow while protecting Ramses-II.
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