Abu Simbel Temples, Abu Simbel, Egypt

Abu Simbel is a historic site comprising two massive rock-cut temples in Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan. The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th Dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. Their huge external rock relief figures of Ramesses II have become iconic. His wife, Nefertari, and children can be seen in smaller figures by his feet. Sculptures inside the Great Temple commemorate Ramesses II's heroic leadership at the Battle of Kadesh.

The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 to higher ground to avoid it being submerged by Lake Nasser, the Aswan Dam reservoir. As part of International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, an artificial hill was made from a domed structure to house the Abu Simbel Temples, under the supervision of a Polish archaeologist, Kazimierz Michałowski, from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw.

The Abu Simbel complex, and other relocated temples from Nubian sites such as Philae, Amada, Wadi es-Sebua, are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Nubian Monuments.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Abu Simbel, Egypt

See all sites in Abu Simbel

Details

Founded: 13th century BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Egypt

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.britannica.com
whc.unesco.org

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

geok lan Chang (6 months ago)
Amazing! Wish I know how to read hieroglyphics before I visited. Must be some fascinating stories... But too crowded. The date is 16 Jan 2025. So many people. Though it is end of winter and windy outside, it is warm and gets hotter when you stay in the temple longer. If you want a more fun visit to the temple, I would recommend bring along a hieroglyphics guide. The journey here from Aswan was 4 hours started at 4.30am

Nermin Gerges (6 months ago)
This place is amazing. Sunny, beautiful and a beautiful historical architecture to check out. However, it is best visited with a guide or someone who knows history really well to explain to you how and why everything was built. Other than that, you'd be there for the photos. Your guide can also arrange for a felucca to take you for 30 mins in front of the temple, which is a refreshing view.

Dutch Downunder (6 months ago)
Ok, obviously, this is a very significant place to be fortunate enough to go and see. The temple itself is beautiful and well kept. Outside, however, it is not particularly interesting as there is horrible fencing at the waters edge. This is a shame as the waters and views around the temple are quite amazing, and the body of water from the Nile is unbelievable. Last but not least, everything is a rubbish pile. How these people keep throwing their garbage on the side of the road is beyond me. A real pity.

razorrau1 (7 months ago)
Abu Simbel temples is one of the great stops of a riverboat cruise! It is a very massive ornate carved structure that is just unbelievable! It's amazing how they built the statues so big and move them! It was a very great time at this stop and the whole complex is just a very beautiful!

Normand Schafer (7 months ago)
One of my favorite archaeological sites to visit in Egypt. It is a real treasure with an incredible old and recent history to go along with it. It's incredible to see the layers of history over time. From the time you turn the corner to see the magnificent statues to entering into its many chambers one can sense a lot of history. Even the 1800s graffiti that is carved into some sections inside the entrance, it is a glimpse into the past. I can only imagine what it would have been like to discover this in the early 1800s as it was uncovered after thousands of years.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Abu Simbel Temples