Abu Simbel LIfe!!!!!!!!!!!!

Project of Relocating of Abu Simbel

When: During the period 1964-5 the relocating of the temple took place.

Why: The temple was relocated to be saved from the rising waters of the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile.


How:The Two Temples were removed block-by-block and reconstruction on two artificial concrete hills capable of withstanding 10,000t. Special attention was given to reproduce their relative positions and orientation to the Sun.

Where: 65m higher and 200m further back from the shore of Lake Nasser.

Summary: The project was described by Life magazine as 'one of the greatest challenges of archaeological engineering in history', while the 'new' complex is now Egypt's second most important tourism site after the Pyramids at Giza.

Outcomes:
1) A specially built airport located 1km from the temples allows visitors to make day trips and serves 500,000 visitors per year.
2) Abu Simbel appears in the 1977 James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me' as the headquarters of MI6.

Abu Simbel's Relocation

Abu Simbel is the location of the most famous temple of Ramses II. The most spectacular aspect of this temple is its setting in the solid rock above the banks of the Nile River between the First and Second Cataracts.



As impressive as Abu Simbel is, it probably would not be quite as famous were it not for its relocation because of the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

First Rediscovery

Of course, over time, the temples stopped being used, eventually becoming covered by the dessert sand. By the 6th century BC, the Great Temple was already covered in sand up to the knees of the statues, and both temples were eventually forgotten until rediscovered in the early 1900's.
Abu Simbel was reportedly first rediscovered in 1813 by a Swiss scholar named Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. History says that as he was preparing to leave the area of Lake Nasser, by traveling down the Nile, Burckhardt came over the mountain and saw the front of the great temple, the rest of it having been buried in the sand. Burckhardt told his friend (Italian explorer Giovanni Belzoni) and Belzoni joined him at the site to help with the excavation. The two were unable to dig out the entrance of the temple.
Belzoni returned four years later, with the English explorer and Egyptologist William John Bankes, and was able to reveal the entrance and to enter the base of the monument, taking every small item of value with him when he left. Many believe that the name given to the temples, Abu Simbel, comes from a young local boy who had seen the buried temples through the shifting sands, and purportedly guided Burckhardt to the temples.

The History of The Temple of Abu Simbel

The pyramids of Giza are perhaps the most recognizable artifacts of the ancient Egyptian world.Closely behind are the Abu Simbel temples in Southern Egypt.

The Temples- The Great Temple and The Small Temple.Each temple was specially made by Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BC.
The two temples of Abu Simbel were an act of ego, pride and love on the side of Ramses 2.
He ordered these temples built to:
1) Honor his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. To represent the battle, the base of the temple was carved with figures of bound captives.Scholars today believe this battle with the Hittites was a stalemate.

2) Intimidate Egypt's neighbors, the Nubians. It was Ramses’ way of trying to make an impression upon Egypt’s neighbors, as well as to force Egypt’s religion upon these neighbors.
3) Honor Nefertari: The Small Temple is a monument to his most beloved queen (out of his many wives), Nefertari. It is also dedicated to the ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor.

Honor himself: The Great Temple Ramses had built to honor himself, dedicating it to the god Re-Horakhty.