Abu Simbel
If you’ve never been to Abu Simbel, never even heard of it… chances are you probably know what it looks like. It’s one of the most famous monuments in Egypt aside from the Pyramids and the Sphinx and it’s fame is due in large part to it’s colossal size. The statues depict the greatest of all the Pharaohs, Ramesses II, and were originally built to impress Egypt’s southern neighbors; important when you consider that most of the gold the Egyptian’s used came from this region.
This is usually only available as an optional excursion and takes place on the longer cruises (of a week) during one of the free days. Traveling from Aswan by coach, it takes around 5 hours to reach Abu Simbel. You may find traveling in an armed convoy a little unsettling, but it is really a precautionary measure rather than a reactionary one. Incidents of terrorism are few and far between in Egypt, though the authorities are keen to keep it this way. There is an option to fly to Abu Simbel, landing on an airfield especially constructed at the site, although this is more expensive and you still don’t buy a lot more time at the site itself.
ramessess the great himself probably didn't think he'd last this long
The monuments themselves are quite simply astonishing in both scale and beauty and the interiors are just as spectacular. Much like at the Valley of the Kings you are prohibited from taking photographs inside the temples, but postcards of the interior are available in packs at a very reasonable rate.
One of the most interesting aspects of Abu Simbel is that the monuments no longer stand where they once did. They were moved just 65 meters higher and 200 meters further back, away from what is now Lake Nassar. The need to halt the annual floods that the Nile was prone to in order to support a burgeoning population meant that a large area of the Nubian Desert had to be flooded in the process. The problem with this was that many ancient monuments were in danger of being submerged beneath the rising lake’s waters. Following an appeal by UNESCO, various nations came forwards to fund a salvage operation that would save Abu Simbel and other monuments from a watery oblivion. Costing around $40 million, Abu Simbel was moved piece by piece in a staggeringly delicate endeavor that took almost 5 years to complete. The fascinating story of it’s rescue is detailed in the entrance building and we highly recommend that you take some time to hear it.
My only gripe about a trip to Abu Simbel is that no matter how you do it, you just don’t get enough time there!
Ramesses II and his wife nefetari
one of these statues didn't have a head for heights
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