The Trip That Keeps Growing

Day 12 18 October 2020 Abu Simbel

We got up early this morning (5 AM) to take a 4-hour drive to Abu Simbel., a Nubian city near Aswan. During the drive our Trip Leader gave us an insight into the Nubian people, an indigenous group of African descent who once called the area around Aswan their home. However, the construction of the High Dam resulted in the flooding of not only the monuments in this area, but the displacement of thousands of Nubian people.

At one point we passed by a rather large town being built in the desert in the middle of nowhere. Mito said it was for date tree farmers who, when completed, would move there and tend to the more than 1,000,000 date palm trees that have been planted. Egypt is the #1 producer of dates, and the desert is the perfect place to grow the trees. Located next to the town, was a spillway from Lake Nassar so there was plenty of water to irrigate the trees as needed.

Abu Simbel, located in the southern part of Egypt close to the Sudan border, is both an archaeological site and an engineering feat of historical proportions. Archaeologically, it is the site of two temples built by Ramses II and dedicated to both the gods Amon-Ra, Ra-Harakhty, and Ptah and as a tribute to his wife Nefertari. They were originally carved into the sandstone cliff on the west bank of the Nile River to commemorate Ramses’ victory over the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BCE. There is some discrepancy between historians as to the exact dates they were constructed but it was sometime between 1264 -1224 BCE. Some people believe that Abu Simbel was also built to intimidate Nubia.

Ramses’ temple – the Great Temple – stands 98 feet high and has four 66-foot-high statues of Ramses sitting on his throne at the main entrance wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Around his feet are small figures representing Ramses’ children, Nefertari, and his mother. The head of one of the statues was more than likely hit by lightning hundreds of years ago and now resides at the feet of the statue.

Walking through the entrance, you are in the Hypostyle Hall. The figures that line the main passageway are statues of Ramses II portrayed as Osiris. On the walls of the Hall are scenes from Ramses II campaign against the Hittites in the Battle of Kadesh. This battle, one of the world’s largest chariot battles, is sometimes referred to as the first world war. Ramses sought to wrest control of Syria from the Hittites, but the results were inconclusive. Ramses declared the siege of Kadesh a great military victory, but the Hittites claim they were successful because Ramses did not achieve his military objective. The battle led to the first recorded peace treaty in the world. And 15 years later, the two sides returned to Kadesh and signed the first known nonaggression pact in history.

From the Hypostyle Hall you enter into the Vestibule, a room with three aisles separated by rows of four square pillars. Each of the pillars contain scenes of Ramses II being received by the gods.

The Vestibule leads to the Transverse Chamber decorated with scenes showing Ramses II making offerings to the gods. The center door of the Vestibule leads to the small chamber of the Sanctuary, which only Ramses could enter. On the rear wall are four figures – Ptah (god of the underworld), Amun-Re (god of the sun), Ramses II, and Re-Harakhty (another manifestation of the sun god, which translated means “Re (who is) Horus of the Horizon’s – Horus was also the god of the rising and setting sun).

One of the unique features that Ramses built into his temple is its entryway. On the days 21 October (thought to be Ramses’ birthday) and 21 February (the day of his coronation) the first rays of the morning sun would illuminate the entire length of the Great Temple, including the inner sanctuary, and light up not only his statue, but the statues of the gods Amun-Re and Re-Harakhty. Ptah, the god of the underworld, would remain in darkness.

The smaller second temple, The Temple of Hathor (sometimes referred to as the Temple of Nefertari), is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, Ramses favorite wife, for the worship of the goddess Hathor. Its entrance is also guarded by six large statues, including two of Nefertari. This was the first time that the carved statue of a wife was the same size as the pharaoh. Generally, statues of wives only came up to the pharaoh’s knees. This is an indication of how significant and beloved Nefertari was to Ramses II. She was a very influential person who helped broker the treaty between the Egyptians and the Hittites. This was also only the second time that a temple had been dedicated to a wife. The first was a temple built by Akhenaten for his wife Nefertiti. Inside the temple are images of both Queen Nefertari and Hathor, who was considered the consort of the sun god Ra.

Inside the Temple of Hathor is the Hypostyle Hall with its square pillars depicting drawings of Hathor on the left side of the hall and drawings of Ramses and Nefertari on the right side. After walking through the Transverse Chamber, you come to the Sanctuary which has a niche at the far end with a relief of Hathor in front of the niche. The carvings on the inside of the niche show Ramses and Nefertari offering incense and libations to Hathor.

It was considered an epic feat of engineering when the original temples had to be move because of the construction of the Aswan Dam. Originally built into a cliff on the western bank of Lake Nasser 178 miles from Aswan, it was determined that the flooding caused by the new Aswan High Dam would submerge these temples. Between 1964-1968, a multinational team of archeologists and engineers, under the UNESCO banner, dismantled these temples, block by block, and moved them almost 200 feet up the sandstone cliff to the plateau at the top of the cliff. They were then meticulously reassembled, in the same orientation to each other and the sun. on the plateau and built into a man-made mountain to give the original impression of being cut into the rock cliff. The total cost of this operation of 40 million US dollars. It was mid-boggling standing in front of the temples to realize that they were once 200 feet below you!

From Abu Simbel, we stopped at a beautiful resort for lunch before driving back to the ship. When we stopped for a restroom break, Mito pointed out a desert mirage – it looked like homes in the desert were sitting in a lake. What a site.

As were neared our ship, we found the roads teeming with people, all dressed up and very festive. They were preparing to celebrate MawLid al-Nabi al-Sharif, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. They were lining the streets in anticipation of the procession. The celebration was starting that evening and would continue until tomorrow.

Returning to the ship, we had out Farewell Cocktail and Dinner. Tonight, it was our turn to sit with the Master of the Boat, a very personable individual with a lot of experience in the hotel/hospitality industry. This was then followed by a Nubian show which introduced us to some of the traditions of the Nubians. More of the this show and the Nubians in my next blog.