Abu Simbel Temple

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Egypt 2007

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Date: 09/23/2007 Views: 179

Abu Simbel Temple

Abu Simbel temple is considered by many to be the 8th or 9th wonder of the ancient world. Abu Simbel has two temples, the first is a temple dedicated to Amun-Ra and served as a temple for Ramses II and his wife Nefertari, celebrating the victory of the Pharaoh in the Battle of Khadesh. The second temple is dedicated to the Goddess Hathor and Nefertari.

With the creation of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, the temples were in danger of getting submerged under the rising waters from the reservoir at Lake Nassar. The United Nations subsidized a project to separate the temples from their original cliff-side location, and move them to the top of the cliff, some 200 higher in elevation.

At the original site, twice per year (Ramses birthday & coronation day), the sun shines directly through the main temple entrance, through the internal great hypostyle hall, and illuminates 4 statues in the sanctuary. The relocation of the temple shifted this twice annual event by 2 days, neither of which are near an equinox or solstice.

Abu Simbel is truly a wonder of the ancient world. The fact that it was moved block by 4-ton block 4000 years later, is a wonder of the modern world.

Date: 12/02/2007

Owner: Steven Sturges

Size: 38 items

At the airport, reading the news Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 199	Art, Georgia, Wendy, Ellen, & Julie catching up on the USA Today (really yesterday) Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 85	Group "enjoying" the heat of souther Egypt Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 111	First view Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 102
Ramses II Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 122 Comments: 1	Ramses II with a tic-tac-toe board behind him Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 112 Comments: 105	Right side of entrance, "older" Ramses II Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 121	All 4 statues Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 114
Front on Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 111	Statues of "older" Ramses II Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 105 Comments: 96	Legs of the left side statues. Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 107 Comments: 79	Ra in center above entrance Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 94
Close-up of Ra Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 120 Comments: 88	Solitary Statue in front of Ramses II Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 99	"child" between Ramses legs Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 102 Comments: 2	"Young" Ramses Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 123 Comments: 92
Ramses wife, Nefertari Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 94	Large, muscular legs Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 102	Steve, Ramses II, and a mini Horus Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 101	Steve at the entrance Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 112
Ear from the collapsed statue Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 96	"Young" Ramses, Old Steve Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 107	All Four Statues Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 103	Horus Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 92
Statuettes in front of temple Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 118	"Young" Ramses and Nefertari Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 104	Nefertari Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 119	Ramses captured enemy's Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 99
A sense of perspective Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 103	A sense of perspective Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 103	The toppled statue Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 88	"Young" Ramses & Horus Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 107
Facade of Temple of Hathor Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 101	Julie, giving some perspective Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 108	Looking up at Nefertari... Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 106	...and of course Ramses. Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 95
Our flight back to Cairo Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 90	Natural Pyramids in the southern desert Date: 09/28/2007 Views: 211