View source for Abu Simbel

{{short description|UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Egypt}}
{{for|the nearby village|Abu Simbel (village)}}
{{protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=de|otherarticle=Tempel von Abu Simbel|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Abu Simbel
| native_name = 
| alternate_name = 
| image = [[File:Ramsis, Aswan Governorate, Egypt - panoramio.jpg|250px]]
| alt = 
| caption = The Great Temple of [[Ramesses II]] (left) and the Small Temple of [[Hathor]] and [[Nefertari]] (right).
| map_type = Egypt#Nile
| map_alt = 
| map_size = 
| relief = yes
| coordinates = {{coord|22|20|13|N|31|37|32|E|display=inline,title}}
| location = [[Aswan Governorate]], [[Egypt]]
| region = [[Nubia]]
| type = Temple
| builder = [[Ramesses II]]
| built = Approximately 1264 BC
| epochs = [[New Kingdom of Egypt]]
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_offname = [[International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia|Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae]]
| designation1_type = Cultural
| designation1_criteria = i, iii, vi
| designation1_date = 1979 (3rd [[World Heritage Committee|session]])
| designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/88 88]
| designation1_free1name = Region
| designation1_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in the Arab States|Arab States]]
}}

'''Abu Simbel''' is a [[historic site]] comprising two massive [[Rock-cut architecture|rock-cut]] [[Egyptian temple|temples]] in the village of [[Abu Simbel (village)|Abu Simbel]] ({{langx|ar|أبو سمبل}}), [[Aswan Governorate]], [[Upper Egypt]], near the border with [[Sudan]]. It is located on the western bank of [[Lake Nasser]], about {{convert|230|km|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Aswan]] (about {{convert|300|km|abbr=on}} by road). The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century&nbsp;BC, during the [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|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 [[Structure relocation|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]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Abu Simbel|url=https://pcma.uw.edu.pl/en/2019/12/11/abu-simbel-2/|access-date=2020-08-05|website=pcma.uw.edu.pl}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/88|title=Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae|last=Centre|first=UNESCO World Heritage|website=whc.unesco.org|language=en|access-date=2018-02-24}}</ref>

==History==
===Construction===
During his reign, [[Ramesses II]] embarked on an extensive building program throughout Egypt and [[Nubia]], which Egypt controlled. Nubia was very important to the Egyptians because it was a source of gold and many other precious trade goods. He, therefore, built several grand temples there in order to impress upon the Nubians Egypt's might and Egyptianize the people of Nubia.<ref name="Verner">Verner, Miroslav. Temple of the Word: Sanctuaries, Cults and Mysteries of Ancient Egypt. (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2013).</ref><ref name="Hawass">Hawass, Zahi. The Mysteries of Abu Simbel. (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2000).</ref> The most prominent temples are the rock-cut temples near the modern village of [[Abu Simbel (village)|Abu Simbel]], at the Second Nile Cataract, the border between Lower Nubia and Upper Nubia.<ref name="Hawass" /> There are two temples, the Great Temple, dedicated to Ramesses II himself, and the Small Temple, dedicated to his chief wife Queen [[Nefertari]].

Construction of the temple complex started in {{circa|1264&nbsp;BC}} and lasted for about 20 years, until 1244 BC.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} It was known as the Temple of Ramesses, Beloved by [[Amun]].

===Rediscovery===
{{Multiple image
| align = right
| total_width = 450
| image1 = Exterior View of the Temple of Ybsambul illustration from the kings tombs in Thebes by Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778-1823) from Plates illustrative of the researches and operations in Egypt and Nubia (1820).jpg
| caption1 = Exterior view of the temples of Abu Simbel and their surroundings in 1820 from ''Plates illustrative of the researches and operations in Egypt and Nubia'' by Italian explorer [[Giovanni Belzoni]], showing sand partially covering the Great Temple
| image2 = Excavated temples of Aboosimble--Nubia-David Roberts.jpg
| caption2 = 1840s sketch from ''[[The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia]]''. Note this was approximately two decades after Belzoni had removed some of the sand to create an entrance to the Great Temple.
|}}

With the passage of time, the temples fell into disuse and the Great Temple eventually became mostly covered by a sand [[dune]]. By the 6th century BC, the sand already covered the statues of the main temple up to their knees.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} The temple was forgotten by Europeans until March 1813, when the Swiss researcher [[Johann Ludwig Burckhardt]] found the small temple and top [[frieze]] of the main temple. 
<blockquote>When we reached the top of the mountain, I left my guide, with the camels, and descended an almost perpendicular cleft, choaked with sand, to view the temple of Ebsambal, of which I had heard many magnificent descriptions. There is no road at present to this temple... It stands about twenty feet above the surface of the water, entirely cut out of the almost perpendicular rocky side of the mountain, and in complete preservation. In front of the entrance are six erect colossal figures, representing juvenile persons, three on each side, placed in narrow recesses, and looking towards the river; they are all of the same size, stand with one foot before the other, and are accompanied by smaller figures... Having, as I supposed, seen all the antiquities of Ebsambal, I was about to ascend the sandy side of the mountain by the same way I had descended; when having luckily turned more to the southward, I fell in with what is yet visible of four immense colossal statues cut out of the rock, at a distance of about two hundred yards from the temple; they stand in a deep recess, excavated in the mountain; but it is greatly to be regretted, that they are now almost entirely buried beneath the sands, which are blown down here in torrents. The entire head, and part of the breast and arms of one of the statues are yet above the surface; of the one next to it scarcely any part is visible, the head being broken off, and the body covered with sand to above the shoulders; of the other two, the bonnets only appear. It is difficult to determine, whether these statues are in a sitting or standing posture; their backs adhere to a portion of rock, which projects from the main body, and which may represent a part of a chair, or may be merely a column for support.<ref name="Burckhardt">{{cite book | last=Burckhardt | first=J.L. | author2=John Murray | title=Travels in Nubia | publisher=J. Murray | year=1819 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vE4GAAAAQAAJ | access-date=2023-01-31 | pages=88–90}}</ref></blockquote>

Burckhardt talked about his discovery with the Italian explorer [[Giovanni Battista Belzoni|Giovanni Belzoni]], who travelled to the site, but was unable to dig out an entry to the temple. Belzoni returned in 1817, this time succeeding in his attempt to enter the complex. A detailed early description of the temples, together with contemporaneous line drawings, can be found in [[Edward William Lane]]'s ''Description of Egypt'' (1825–1828).<ref>Lane E, "Descriptions of Egypt," American University in Cairo Press. pp.493-502.</ref>

===Relocation===
{{Main|International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia}}
[[File:Abusimbel.jpg|thumb|The statue of [[Ramses the Great]] at the Great Temple of Abu Simbel is reassembled after having been moved in 1967 to save it from flooding.]]

In 1959, an international donations campaign to save the [[monument]]s of [[Nubia]] began: the southernmost relics of this ancient civilization were under threat from the rising waters of the Nile that were about to result from the construction of the [[Aswan High Dam]].

[[File:Abu Simbel relocation by Zureks.jpg|thumb|right|A scale model showing the original and current location of the temple (with respect to the water level) at the [[Nubian Museum]], in Aswan.]]

One scheme to save the temples was based on an idea by [[William MacQuitty]] to build a clear freshwater dam around the temples, with the water inside kept at the same height as the Nile. There were to be underwater viewing chambers. In 1962 the idea was made into a proposal by architects [[Jane Drew]] and [[Maxwell Fry]] and civil engineer [[Ove Arup]].<ref>''Fry Drew Knight Creamer'', 1978, London, Lund Humphries</ref>

The salvage of the Abu Simbel temples began in 1964 by a multinational team of archeologists, engineers and skilled heavy equipment operators working together under the [[UNESCO]] banner; it cost some $40&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|40|1964|r=2}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}). Between 1964 and 1968, the entire site was carefully cut into large blocks (up to 30 tons, averaging 20 tons), dismantled, lifted and reassembled in a new location 65 metres higher and 200 metres back from the river, in one of the greatest challenges of archaeological engineering in history.<ref>Spencer, Terence (1966). [https://books.google.com/books?id=CFMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32 The Race to Save Abu Simbel Is Won.] [[Life (magazine)|''Life'' magazine]], December 2, 1966.</ref> Some structures were even saved from under the waters of Lake Nasser. Today, a few hundred tourists visit the temples daily. Most visitors arrive by road from [[Aswan]], the nearest city. Others arrive by plane at [[Abu Simbel Airport]], an airfield specially constructed for the temple complex whose sole destination is [[Aswan International Airport]].

The complex consists of two temples. The larger one is dedicated to [[Ra]]-Horakhty, [[Ptah]] and [[Amun]], Egypt's three state deities of the time, and features four large statues of Ramesses&nbsp;II in the facade. The smaller temple is dedicated to the goddess [[Hathor]], personified by [[Nefertari]], Ramesses's most beloved of his many wives.<ref>Fitzgerald, Stephanie (2008). ''Ramses II: Egyptian Pharaoh, Warrior and Builder.'' New York: Compass Point Books. {{ISBN|978-0-7565-3836-1}}</ref> The temple is now open to the public.

==Great Temple==
[[File:Großer Tempel (Abu Simbel) 31.jpg|thumb|Facade of the Great Temple of Ramesses II after relocation]]

The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, which took about twenty years to build, was completed around year 24 of the reign of Ramesses the Great (which corresponds to 1265 BC). It was dedicated to the gods [[Amun]], [[Ra-Horakhty]], and [[Ptah]], as well as to the deified Ramesses himself.<ref name="siliotti">Alberto Siliotti, Egypt: temples, people, gods,1994</ref> It is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt.

===Entrance===
[[File:Collapsed Colossus.jpg|thumb|The collapsed colossus of the Great Temple supposedly fell during an earthquake shortly after construction. On moving the temple, it was decided to leave it as the face is missing.]]

The single entrance is flanked by four colossal, {{convert|20|m|abbr=on}} statues, each representing Ramesses II seated on a throne and wearing the [[pschent|double crown]] of [[Upper and Lower Egypt]]. The statue to the immediate left of the entrance was damaged in an earthquake, causing the head and torso to fall away; these fallen pieces were not restored to the statue during the relocation but placed at the statue's feet in the positions originally found.
Next to Ramesses's legs are a number of other, smaller statues, none higher than the knees of the pharaoh, depicting: his chief wife, [[Nefertari|Nefertari Meritmut]]; his queen mother [[Tuya (queen)|Mut-Tuy]]; his first two sons, [[Amun-her-khepeshef]] and [[Ramesses B]]; and his first six daughters: [[Bintanath]], [[Baketmut]], [[Nefertari#Family|Nefertari]], [[Meritamen]], [[Nebettawy]] and [[Isetnofret]].<ref name="siliotti" /><br/>

The façade behind the colossi is {{convert|33|m|abbr=on}} high and {{convert|38|m|abbr=on}} wide. It carries a frieze depicting twenty-two baboons worshipping the rising sun with upraised arms and a [[stele]] recording the marriage of Ramesses to a daughter of king [[Ḫattušili III]], which sealed the peace between Egypt and the [[Hittites]].<ref name=Skliar>Ania Skliar, ''Grosse kulturen der welt-Ägypten'', 2005</ref> <br/>

The entrance doorway itself is surmounted by bas-relief images of the king worshipping the falcon-headed [[Ra|Ra Horakhty]], whose statue stands in a large niche.<ref name="siliotti" /> Ra holds the hieroglyph ''user'' and a feather in his right hand, with [[Maat]] (the goddess of truth and justice) in his left; this is a cryptogram for Ramesses II's [[Prenomen (Ancient Egypt)|throne name]], ''User-Maat-Re''.<br/>

===Interior===
The inner part of the temple has the same triangular layout that most ancient Egyptian temples follow, with rooms decreasing in size from the entrance to the sanctuary. The temple is complex in structure and quite unusual because of its many side chambers. The [[hypostyle]] hall (sometimes also called a pronaos) is {{convert|18|m|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|16.7|m|abbr=on}} wide and is supported by eight huge Osirid pillars depicting the deified Ramesses linked to the god [[Osiris]], the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life and vegetation, to indicate the everlasting nature of the pharaoh. The colossal statues along the left-hand wall bear the white crown of [[Upper Egypt]], while those on the opposite side are wearing the double crown of Upper and [[Lower Egypt]] (pschent).<ref name="siliotti" /> The bas-reliefs on the walls of the pronaos depict battle scenes in the military campaigns that Ramesses waged. Much of the sculpture is given to the [[Battle of Kadesh]], on the Orontes river in present-day [[Syria]], in which the Egyptian king fought against the [[Hittites]].<ref name=Skliar /> The most famous relief shows the king on his chariot shooting arrows against his fleeing enemies, who are being taken prisoner.<ref name=Skliar /> Other scenes show Egyptian victories in [[Libya]] and Nubia.<ref name="siliotti" />

From the hypostyle hall, one enters the second pillared hall, which has four pillars decorated with beautiful scenes of offerings to the gods. There are depictions of Ramesses and Nefertari with the sacred boats of Amun and Ra-Horakhty. This hall gives access to a transverse vestibule, in the middle of which is the entrance to the sanctuary. Here, on a black wall, are rock cut sculptures of four seated figures: [[Ra-Horakhty]], the deified king Ramesses, and the gods [[Amun Ra]] and [[Ptah]]. [[Ra-Horakhty]], [[Amun Ra]] and [[Ptah]] were the main divinities in that period and their cult centers were at [[Heliopolis (Ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]], [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] and [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]] respectively.<ref name="siliotti" />

===Solar alignment===
[[File:Templo de Ramsés II, Abu Simbel, Egipto, 2022-04-02, DD 26-28 HDR.jpg|thumb|Abu Simbel temple, four statues of divinities inside the inner sanctuary]]

It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 22 and February 22, the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of [[Ptah]], a god connected with the [[Duat|realm of the dead]], who always remained in the dark. People gather at Abu Simbel on these days to witness this.<ref name="siliotti" /><ref name=Skliar />{{clarify|date=November 2015}}

These dates are allegedly the king's birthday and coronation day, respectively. There is no direct evidence to support this. It is logical to assume, however, that these dates had some relation to a significant event.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} In fact, according to calculations made on the basis of the [[heliacal rising]] of the star [[Sirius]] (Sothis) and inscriptions found by archaeologists, this date must have been October 22. This image of the king was enhanced and revitalized by the energy of the solar star, and the deified Ramesses the Great could take his place next to Amun-Ra and Ra-Horakhty.<ref name="siliotti" />

Because of the accumulated drift of the [[Tropic of Cancer]] due to [[Earth]]'s [[axial precession]] over the past 3 millennia, the event's date must have been different when the temple was built.<ref>{{cite web|title=NASA Space Math Abu Simbel Alignment problem with answers|url=https://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/SED11/P1AbuSimbel.pdf }}</ref> This is compounded by the fact that the temple was relocated from its original setting, so the current alignment may not be as precise as the original one.

===Greek graffito===
{{Main|Abu Simbel Phoenician graffiti}}

A graffito inscribed in Greek on the left leg of the colossal seated statue of [[Ramesses II]], on the south side of the entrance to the temple records that:

{{blockquote|When King Psammetichus (i.e., [[Psamtik II]]) came to Elephantine, this was written by those who sailed with Psammetichus the son of Theocles, and they came beyond Kerkis as far as the river permits. Those who spoke foreign tongues (Greek and [[Carians]] who also scratched their names on the monument) were led by [[Potasimto]], the Egyptians by Amasis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/psamtik2.htm |title=king Psammetichus II (Psamtik II) |publisher=Touregypt.net |access-date=2011-11-20}}</ref>|author=|title=|source=}} Kerkis was located near the Fifth Cataract of the Nile "which stood well within the Cushite Kingdom."<ref name="Britannica, p.756">Britannica, p.756</ref>

==Small Temple==
[[File:Templo de Nefertari, Abu Simbel, Egipto, 2022-04-02, DD 153.jpg|thumb|The Small Temple after relocation]]
[[File:Kleiner Tempel (Abu Simbel) Pfeilerhalle 01.jpg|thumb|Interior of the Small Temple]]

The [[temple]] of [[Hathor]] and [[Nefertari]], also known as the Small Temple, was built about {{convert|100|m|abbr=on}} northeast of the temple of Ramesses&nbsp;II and was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramesses&nbsp;II's chief consort, Nefertari. This was in fact the second time in ancient [[Egyptian history]] that a temple was dedicated to a queen. The first time, Akhenaten dedicated a temple to his great royal wife, Nefertiti.<ref name="siliotti" /><!-- what about Tiye's temple in Sedeinga?--> The rock-cut facade is decorated with two groups of colossi that are separated by the large gateway. The statues, slightly more than {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}} high, are of the king and his queen. On either side of the portal are two statues of the king, wearing the [[white crown]] of [[Upper Egypt]] (south colossus) and the [[Pschent|double crown]] (north colossus); these are flanked by statues of the queen.

Remarkably, this is one of very few instances in [[Art of Ancient Egypt|Egyptian art]] where the statues of the king and his consort have equal size.<ref name="siliotti" /> Traditionally, the statues of the queens stood next to those of the pharaoh, but were never taller than his knees. Ramesses went to Abu Simbel with his wife in the 24th year of his reign. As the Great Temple of the king, there are small statues of princes and princesses next to their parents. In this case they are positioned symmetrically: on the south side (at left as one faces the gateway) are, from left to right, princes [[Meryatum]] and Meryre, princesses [[Meritamen]] and [[Henuttawy (19th dynasty)|Henuttawy]], and princes [[Pareherwenemef]] and [[Amun-her-khepeshef]], while on the north side the same figures are in reverse order. The plan of the Small Temple is a simplified version of that of the Great Temple.

As in the larger temple dedicated to the king, the [[hypostyle]] hall in the smaller temple is supported by six pillars; in this case, however, they are not Osiris pillars depicting the king, but are decorated with scenes with the queen playing the [[sistrum]] (an instrument sacred to the goddess Hathor), together with the [[Deity|gods]] [[Horus]], [[Khnum]], [[Khonsu]], and [[Thoth]], and the [[goddess]]es Hathor, [[Isis]], [[Maat]], [[Mut]] of Asher, [[Satet|Satis]] and [[Taweret]]; in one scene Ramesses is presenting flowers or burning [[incense]].<ref name="siliotti" /> The capitals of the pillars bear the face of the goddess Hathor; this type of column is known as Hathoric. The bas-reliefs in the pillared hall illustrate the deification of the king, the destruction of his enemies in the north and south (in these scenes the king is accompanied by his wife), and the queen making offerings to the goddesses Hathor and Mut.<ref name=Skliar /> The hypostyle hall is followed by a vestibule, access to which is given by three large doors. On the south and the north walls of this chamber there are two graceful and poetic bas-reliefs of the king and his consort presenting [[papyrus]] plants to Hathor, who is depicted as a cow on a boat sailing in a thicket of papyri. On the west wall, Ramesses&nbsp;II and Nefertari are depicted making offerings to the god Horus and the divinities of the Cataracts—[[Satet|Satis]], [[Anubis]] and Khnum.

The rock-cut [[sanctuary]] and the two side chambers are connected to the transverse vestibule and are aligned with the axis of the temple. The bas-reliefs on the side walls of the small sanctuary represent scenes of [[Sacrifice|offerings]] to various gods made either by the pharaoh or the [[Great Royal Wife|queen]].<ref name="siliotti" /> On the back wall, which lies to the west along the axis of the temple, there is a niche in which Hathor, as a divine cow, seems to be coming out of the mountain: the goddess is depicted as the Mistress of the temple dedicated to her and to queen Nefertari, who is intimately linked to the goddess.<ref name="siliotti" />

==Climate==
[[Köppen-Geiger climate classification system]] classifies its climate as [[hot desert climate|hot desert]] (BWh).

{{Weather box
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|location=Abu Simbel
|Jan high C=23.6
|Feb high C=26
|Mar high C=30.2
|Apr high C=35.3
|May high C=39.1
|Jun high C=40.6
|Jul high C=40.2
|Aug high C=40.2
|Sep high C=38.7
|Oct high C=36
|Nov high C=29.7
|Dec high C=24.9
|Jan mean C=16.4
|Feb mean C=18.2
|Mar mean C=22.1
|Apr mean C=27
|May mean C=31
|Jun mean C=32.7
|Jul mean C=32.7
|Aug mean C=32.9
|Sep mean C=31.4
|Oct mean C=28.8
|Nov mean C=22.7
|Dec mean C=18.1
|Jan low C=9.2
|Feb low C=10.4
|Mar low C=14.1
|Apr low C=18.8
|May low C=23
|Jun low C=24.8
|Jul low C=25.3
|Aug low C=25.7
|Sep low C=24.2
|Oct low C=21.6
|Nov low C=15.8
|Dec low C=11.4
|Jan precipitation mm=0
|Feb precipitation mm=0
|Mar precipitation mm=0
|Apr precipitation mm=0
|May precipitation mm=0
|Jun precipitation mm=0
|Jul precipitation mm=0
|Aug precipitation mm=0
|Sep precipitation mm=0
|Oct precipitation mm=0
|Nov precipitation mm=0
|Dec precipitation mm=0
|Jan rain days=0
|Feb rain days=0
|Mar rain days=0
|Apr rain days=0
|May rain days=0
|Jun rain days=0
|Jul rain days=0
|Aug rain days=0
|Sep rain days=0
|Oct rain days=0
|Nov rain days=0
|Dec rain days=0
|Jand sun=10
|Febd sun=10
|Mard sun=10
|Aprd sun=10
|Mayd sun=11
|Jund sun=11
|Juld sun=11
|Augd sun=11
|Sepd sun=10
|Octd sun=10
|Novd sun=10
|Decd sun=10
|source 1= ''Climate-Data.org''<ref>{{cite web|title=Climate: Abu Sinbil – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/475742/|publisher=Climate-Data.org|access-date=14 August 2013}}</ref>

|source 2= ''Weather to Travel''<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/egypt/abu-simbel.php |title=Abu Simbel Climate and Weather Averages, Egypt |publisher= Weather to Travel|access-date=12 July 2013 }}</ref> for sunshine and rainy days
}}

==Gallery==
===Historic pictures===
<gallery class="center" widths="187" heights="175" classes="center" caption="Temple of Ramesses II">
File:Illustration by David Roberts, digitally enhanced by rawpixel-com 6.jpg|1840s sketch from ''[[The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia]]''
File:Maxime Du Camp (French - Westernmost Colossus, the Great Temple, Abu Simbel - Google Art Project.jpg|Westernmost Colossus, 1850 by [[Maxime Du Camp]]
File:John Beasly Greene (American, born France - (Ibsamboul. Spéos de Phré) - Google Art Project.jpg|Earliest photo, 1854 by [[John Beasley Greene]]
File:Abu Simbel ( 175 miles south of Aswan, left bank).jpg|alt=Geneva architect, Jean Jacquet, a Unesco expert, makes an architectural survey of the Great Temple of Rameses II (1290–1223 B.C.).|Genevese architect Jean Jacquet, a UNESCO expert, makes an architectural survey of the Great Temple of Rameses II
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9930.jpg|Front view of the Great Temple before 1923
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9505.jpg|Interior of the Great Temple, before cleaning
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9499.jpg|Interior of the Great Temple, after cleaning
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9500.jpg|People standing at the entrance to the Great Temple, sometime before 1923
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9498.jpg|View of the Great Temple from the west, photo credited to [[William Henry Goodyear]], before 1923
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9494.jpg|Facade of the Great Temple from before 1923
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9488.jpg|View of the rightmost statue at the Great Temple, partially excavated, with a person (possibly [[William Henry Goodyear]]) for scale
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9489.jpg|View of the Great Temple's colossal statues from the right, partially excavated
File:S10 08 Abu Simbel, image 9491.jpg|Colour photo of the Great Temple from the right, partially excavated, from before 1923
File:S10 08 Abu Simbel, image 9487.jpg|The Great Temple from the right, from before 1923
</gallery>

<gallery class="center" widths="187px" heights="175px" caption="Temple of Nefertari">
File:John Beasly Greene (American, born France - (Ibsamboul. Spéos d'Hathor, partie gauche de la façade) - Google Art Project.jpg|Earliest photo of Small Temple, 1854 by [[John Beasley Greene]]
File:John Beasly Greene (American, born France - (Ibsamboul, Stèle à Droite du Temple d'Hathor) - Google Art Project.jpg|Stele adjacent to Small Temple, 1854 by [[John Beasley Greene]]
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9496.jpg|The Small Temple from below and left, before 1923
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9495.jpg|Interior of Nefertari's (queen's) temple at Abu Simbel, with graffiti
File:S10.08 Abu Simbel, image 9504.jpg|The Small Temple in context, before relocation. Goodyear Brooklyn Museum Archives
</gallery>

===Modern pictures===
<gallery class="center" widths="187" heights="175" classes="center" caption="Temple of Ramesses II">
File:Abu Simbel Temple May 30 2007.jpg|Facade of the Temple of Ramesses II, photo taken in 2007
File:S F-E-CAMERON EGYPT 2006 FEB 00671.JPG|Close-up of the leftmost statue at the temple of Rameses II
File:SFEC EGYPT ABUSIMBEL 2006-001.JPG|Central, inset statue of [[Ra-Horakhty]] at the Great Temple
File:Abu Simbel - baboons detail.jpg|Baboon carvings above the heads of the statues of Ramses at the Great Temple
File:RamsesIIEgypt.jpg|A close-up of one of the colossal statues of Ramesses II wearing the [[Pschent|double crown]] of [[Lower and Upper Egypt]]
File:2N9A6519-Pano.jpg|Frieze inside the Great Temple of Abu Simbel
</gallery>

<gallery class="center" widths="187px" heights="175px" caption="Temple of Nefertari">
File:Nefertari Temple Abu Simbel May 30 2007.jpg|Closer view of the Small Temple, 2007
File:SethAndHorusAdoringRamsses crop.jpg|The gods [[Set (mythology)|Set]] (left) and [[Horus]] (right) blessing Ramesses in the Small Temple at Abu Simbel
File:NefertariOfferingToHathor crop.jpg|Nefertari offering [[sistrum|sistra]] to seated goddess [[Hathor]]. Frieze inside the Small Temple.
File:RamessesOfferingToPtah crop.jpg|Ramesses offering to seated god [[Ptah]]. Frieze inside the Small Temple.
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Cave temples in Asia]]
* [[List of ancient Egyptian sites]], including sites of temples
* [[List of archaeoastronomical sites sorted by country]]
* [[List of colossal sculptures in situ]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite web|last1=Berg|first1=Lennart|title=The Salvage of the Abu Simbel Temples|url=https://www.icomos.org/public/monumentum/vol17/vol17_2.pdf/| website=International Council on Monuments and Sites|access-date=7 March 2015|date=1978}} - Highly detailed article describing the process of saving and creating a new location for the temples.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Abu Simbel}}
{{Collier's poster|Abu-Simbel}}
*{{Google maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&q=abu+simbel,+egypt&sll=22.35214,31.615734&sspn=0.082716,0.172005&z=18&ll=22.3366,31.625497&spn=0.002585,0.005375&t=k&om=1 |title=Abu Simbel archeological site |access-date=20 February 2016}}
*[http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Story.aspx?sid=1200 Abu Simbel] at the website of ''Egypt State Information Service''

{{World Heritage Sites in Egypt}}
{{Ancient Egypt topics}}
{{Sculptures}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Abu Simbel| ]]
[[Category:13th-century BC establishments in Egypt]]
[[Category:1813 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Egypt]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century BC]]
[[Category:Colossal statues in Egypt]]
[[Category:Egyptian temples]]
[[Category:Lake Nasser]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Egypt]]
[[Category:Nefertari]]
[[Category:Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:Open-air museums in Egypt]]
[[Category:Ramesses II]]
[[Category:Rock reliefs in Egypt]]
[[Category:Stone buildings]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Egypt]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Egypt]]
[[Category:Relocated monuments of Lower Nubia]]
[[Category:Rock-cut architecture]]
[[Category:Ra]]
[[Category:Amun]]
[[Category:Ptah]]
[[Category:Hathor]]