Learn about the story of saving the temples of Abu Simbel

In conjunction with the celebration of the phenomenon of the sun perpendicular to the holy of holies of the temple of King Ramesses II in Abu Simbel at dawn tomorrow, corresponding to February 22 of each year, learn about the story of saving the two temples of Abu Simbel in the sixties of the last century.

The Great Abu Simbel Temple of King Ramesses II in Aswan Governorate is one of the most famous ancient temples in Egypt. The temple witnesses the phenomenon of the sun perpendicular to the Holy of Holies in the temple twice every year, one on October 22 and the other on February 22 each year.

The international campaign to save the monuments of Nubia began in 1959, after it was under threat due to the rise in the water level of the Nile River, after the process of building the High Dam in Aswan, so the government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, represented by the former Minister of Culture Dr. Tharwat Okasha, hastened to address UNESCO to take Serious steps and an international appeal to all countries of the world to participate in the project to save the monuments of Nubia.

Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that in 1964 a multinational team of archaeologists, engineers and skilled heavy equipment operators began working together to save the two temples of Abu Simbel (the Great and Small Temple of Abu Simbel).

It took nearly six years to move the two temples, as they began to cut the two temples very carefully into large blocks, each of which weighed 30 tons, with an average of 20 tons, and they were removed and re-installed again in a new location at a height of 65 meters, and 200 meters from the roof. The waters of Lake Nasser, in one of the greatest challenges of archaeological engineering in history, to then preserve these temples to keep them alive to the present day as a witness to the greatness of construction in Egypt in the past and present.

Dr. Hisham El-Laithi, Head of the Central Department for Recording Egyptian Antiquities, added that before the start of the process of transferring the two temples, specifically in 1956, the Egyptian Antiquities Registration Center was established to record and document the temples, as it played an important role in the rescue operation as it is the scientific body entrusted with documenting and recording Egyptian antiquities. By fully documenting and recording the two temples before, during and after the rescue operation by means of architectural lifting, photography, and facsimile drawing, for all the scenes and inscriptions on the walls of the temples from the outside and inside, which are now preserved in the center’s archives.

It is worth noting that the construction of these two temples began in about 1264 BC, and construction took about twenty years until 1244 BC. The Great Abu Simbel Temple (Temple of Ramesses II) was dedicated to the worship of Ra Hor my sister, Ptah and Amun Ra, the three greatest gods in the Egyptian state. At that time, the facade of the Great Temple consisted of four colossal statues of Ramesses II, each of which was 22 meters high.

The temple was designed so that the sun would shine on the face of the statue of Ramses in the Holy of Holies.

It is located to the north of the temple of Ramesses II, the small temple of his wife Nefertari, and they are separated only by a small valley. It was dedicated to the worship of the goddess Hathor.

The temples of Abu Simbel are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites known as the "Nubian Monuments", which stretch from Abu Simbel to Philae (near Aswan). The temples were carved as permanent monuments to King Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari, in celebration of his victory in the Battle of Kadesh.