The good news for Wednesday was that we’d be witnessing sunrise in the Sahara as well as seeing Abu Simbel. The not-so-good news was that we’d be departing for Abu Simbel at 6am.
Day had not yet dawned when we boarded the bus for the 3 ½ to 4-hour drive to Abu Simbel. Hussein explained that we had to travel there by bus because at this time of year, the water level in certain portions the Nile was too low to allow for riverboat traffic.
As we traveled south on a modern highway, Hussein called our attention to mining operations (primarily magnesium phosphate), factories (processing food for export), road construction, and newly built settlements we were passing. The new towns include mosques, churches, hospitals, and schools. The government hopes to convince 5 million people who currently live in the Nile delta and the Nile valley to move to the desert.
Since the dam was built, agriculture is now possible year-round with irrigation from Lake Nasser. The water is channeled to the newly green land by canals. The main canal is 150 miles long. The most important crops are corn, alfalfa, wheat, dates, and fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and watermelon. Everything is grown organically since the water still contains plenty of nutrients. According to Hussein, this desert area is the future of Egypt. The government plans to add an additional 5 million acres of green land in the coming years.
I learned that Egypt is concerned that Ethiopia has recently built a dam on the Nile near their border with Sudan. If Ethiopia were to release a huge volume of water, it could flood into Egypt where it would go into one of the main canals. For this reason, there is constant military surveillance of the Ethiopian dam.
A bit of trivia: 12 million Egyptian people live abroad and send back $42 billion annually. That’s the country’s chief source of revenue.
By 7am, the sun was fully above the horizon. In the bright morning light the sands of the Sahara gleamed like gold. The sky above was a flawless Tiffany blue. There was a seemingly endless stream of trucks on the road. Hussein told us that the vehicles heading south were on their way to Sudan, bringing aid as well as crops from the recently cultivated land. Another convoy of trucks was heading north, carrying a load of dry alfalfa to be used as food for livestock.
An hour later, we pulled off the road in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. But there was a coffee shop with clean restrooms (and western toilets).
A little further south, we saw one of the smaller canals that carries water from Lake Nasser.
About 9:30, we arrived on the shore of Lake Nasser at Abu Simbel and approached the temples from the back.
The relocation involved moving the temples a distance of 200 feet to a site that was 60 feet higher in elevation. Their original location is now entirely underwater. The two temples were built for Ramses II, who reigned from c. 1279 to 1213 BCE. Both were cut directly into the rock. When the temples were relocated, this setting was recreated.
The larger temple is the temple of Ramses II. It was built over a 20-year period in the early part of his long reign. Four monumental statues of the seated pharaoh, wearing the double crown of Egypt, are posed beside the entrance to the temple. The statues are an awe-inspiring 20 meters (65.5 feet) high. Their sheer size overwhelms the viewer and that was clearly the intention. Ramses built the temple on Egypt’s southern border to make an emphatic statement of his power to the Nubians who were frequently in conflict with the Egyptians. In addition to emphasizing his power, the statues also send the message that Ramses is a god. You can get an idea of the scale in the photo below.
One of the statues collapsed during an earthquake in 6th century CE and sand covered the others until they were rediscovered in 1813 by European explorer who learned about the hidden temple from local boy. Excavation soon followed and before long, treasures from the temple were stolen by robbers. When the statues were relocated, the fallen pieces were placed in the same position where they were found at the original site.
If you zoom in and look carefully, you can see smaller figures standing at the feet of the statues of Ramses. These are his mother, his favorite wife (Nefertari), his two oldest sons, and six of his daughters. In case you’re counting, Ramses had 55 wives and over 200 children.
The temple faces east, toward the rising sun. In the frieze at top of the façade, baboons, who often chatter at dawn, are celebrating the sunrise. In ancient Egypt, baboons were associated with the god Thoth and they represented wisdom.
A pair of falcons flanks the entrance to the temple. In ancient Egyptian culture, falcons were associated with the god Horus and represented divine kingship.
In the niche above the actual doorway to the temple, the falcon-headed sun god Ra-Horakhty is depicted. This deity was a fusion of Ra (the sun god and creator of the universe) and Horus (the god who was the son of Isis and Osiris).
The first room Inside the temple is a hypostyle hall, i.e. a room with the roof supported by rows of columns. The hall contains eight colossal statues of Ramses represented in the form of the god Osiris.
Along the walls of the hall are military scenes portraying Ramses in battle. Most notably, there are scenes from the battle of Kadesh (located in modern-day Syria), where the Egyptians fought the Hittites. Scholars know that the battle did not end in a decisive military victory for the Egyptians or the Hittites. Rather, it ended with what may be the world’s first peace treaty. The text of the peace treaty is written on one of the walls. I especially like the carvings of Ramses in his chariot, accompanied by his pet lion.
Notice the vultures on ceiling of the hypostyle hall. Their role was to protect the temple.
The rooms that lead off the main hall feature Ramses making offerings to various gods and goddesses.
At far end of the temple is the sanctuary with seated statues of four gods along the back wall. On two days of the year, February 22 and October 22, the rays of the sun enter the temple and illuminate the faces of the gods. The ancient Egyptians were knowledgeable about astronomy. It is believed that February 22 was the date of Ramses’s coronation and October 22 was his birthday. I wanted to take a photo in the sanctuary but it was impossible because of the number of tourists standing directly in front of the statues to have their pictures taken. Ugh, I get so impatient with those annoying tourists.
Ramses also built a smaller temple at Abu Simbel. It’s dedicated to Nefertari, his favorite wife, and Hathor, the goddess of motherhood, fertility, love, and music. Six colossal statues are carved into the façade of the temple. They stand 16 (52.5 feet) meters high. Four depict Ramses and two depict Nefertari. The small figures at their feet represent princes and princesses. By the way, Hussein told us that “nefer” means “beautiful” and Nefertari’s name is usually translated as “most beautiful one.”
In the interior hall, the smiling face of Hathor is carved into six pillars. The goddess is often represented with a flat face and cow ears.
The walls are decorated with scenes of Ramses, Nefertari, and various gods and goddesses.
The two scenes below depict Ramses and Nefertari making offerings to the sacred bull of Memphis.
Before we headed back to Aswan, we stopped at a lovely resort for lunch. If you’re looking for luxury in an isolated desert location, this would be a good place to go.
The long drive back to the ship took the rest of the afternoon. At least I was able to sleep part of the way. That helped me stay awake for dinner.
I enjoyed the after-dinner entertainment, which was provided by a lively group of Nubian musicians and dancers.
I was relieved to learn of tomorrow morning’s relatively late departure for the Philae temples. We wouldn’t be leaving until 8am.
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