Abu Simbel, the temple that Ramses II built and moved

Ramesses II was one of the great pharaohs of Egypt. During his reign, he tried to expand the frontiers of the empire, recording his achievements in monuments and temples he built. According to Egyptologist John Ray, "he is the most famous pharaoh, and there is no doubt that he made it happen." The hieroglyphs that identify his name are equivalent to those that mean “warm air, ” well representing the image he intended to convey to the world.

Of the many temples he has built, Abu Simbel is one of the most famous and imposing. Its walls record images of battles fought by Pharaoh, and the statues on the site show the face of Rameses II himself in the body of different gods, reinforcing his position as ruler sent by the gods.

The Abu Simbel Temple

Abu Simbel consists of two temples, built within a mountain. The largest features at its entrance four statues of Ramses II (1303-1213 BC), Pharaoh responsible for its construction, each 21 meters high. The access door was built in such a way that, every year on February 22 and October, sunlight enters the temple and fully illuminates three statues sitting on a pew, one representing Pharaoh himself.

Archaeologists believe these dates mark their anniversary and coronation, and thousands of tourists come to the site to witness the phenomenon and attend celebrations. The smaller temple appears to have been built in honor of Queen Nefertari, as at the entrance are two statues of her and four of Pharaoh, each 10 meters high.

The region where the temple is located was called Nubia, and although it housed a large temple built by Pharaoh, it did not always maintain good relations with it. In a book he wrote about the region, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass said the place was like a thermometer for Ancient Egypt. The area currently belongs to Egypt, but at the time of the empire alternated between independence and Pharaoh's influence, depending on the strength of his rule.

Modern drive

The construction of a hydroelectric power plant would cause the original area of ​​the Abu Simbel temple to be flooded by the Nile, so an incredible work of moving the monument was done. The decision to create an artificial lake came in the early 1960s, so that in 1968 the entire temple would be moved to a region 64 meters above the original and 180 meters away, enough to escape the flood.

The effort for this work was immense, using the strength of 3, 000 men and costing at the time 42 million dollars. It took 5 years before the temple was completely cut into blocks of 3 to 20 tons, with subsequent movement and replacement of the pieces in the exact places. Robert Morkot, an expert archaeologist in Ancient Egypt, said that "everything seems like the original, enough to doubt that time has really been transferred."

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