Abu Simbel is the rock containing the temple. Abu Simbel temple - unofficial wonder of the world in Egypt Great temple of ramses ii in abu simbel
When the construction of the Aswan Dam on the great Nile River began in the 1960s, the Abu Simbel Temples, dedicated to Pharaoh Ramses II and his beloved wife Nefertari and built three thousand years ago, were under the threat of flooding. The temple rescue operation has become one of the largest international civil engineering projects of the last century.
In 1959, the government of Egypt (at that historical moment - the United Arab Republic) decided to build a huge dam, designed to regulate the water level in the river, as well as generate electricity. The construction of the Aswan Dam was financed and undertaken by the USSR; about two thousand Soviet engineers, workers, and managers worked in Egypt at a time. The HPP project was developed and tested on a model in the Soviet Union.
Original taken from humus
in Ancient Egypt. Part 26. Rescue of Pharaoh Ramses II
At the first stage of preparation, the temples were measured in the most detailed way, photographed, and then, according to the drawn up drawings, the cutting lines of the stone were planned. The area around the old and new temples was also mapped in detail. Along the way, geographic and geological studies were carried out, including the properties of local sandstone and the behavior of groundwater, excavations and earthworks were carried out. Since the construction of the Aswan Dam was going on in parallel, the water level in the Nile rose by several meters per year. A temporary dam was erected to protect the construction site into which Abu Simbel had become, but the waters of the Nile forced the engineers to work faster and faster - soon the territory of the temple complex was to be flooded.
Temples of Abu Simbel and the history of their salvation in numbers:
The facade of the temples is carved into the rock 31 meters high and 38 meters wide. Above the façade, there is an ornament in the form of twenty-two baboons, greeting the sunrise. The size of each of these monkeys is about 2.5 meters.
The facade of the large temple is decorated with four statues of the pharaoh, depicted seated on a throne. The height of these statues is about 20 meters, and the head of each of the sculptures reaches four meters. Each statue weighs over 1200 tons.
The facade of the Small Church is decorated with six full-length figures, each 11 meters high. Between the statues of Pharaoh Ramses II are the statues of his wife Nefertari. This is a rare case of the image of the wife of a pharaoh in statues of the same size as the figure of the king himself.
More than 50 countries of the world took part in the project to relocate the temples of Abu Simbel.
The cost of the project to relocate the temples was about $ 42 million in 1968 prices.
The cave temple complex was moved 65 meters higher and 200 meters further from the river. For transportation, the temples were sawn into 1036 blocks, the weight of which reached from 5 to 20 tons.
Judging by the archaeological data, this place was considered sacred even before Pharaoh Ramses II decided to perpetuate his military victories and just rule by building magnificent temples. Many centuries later, when the temples were buried under tons of sand, Arab sailors named this rock Abu Simbel - "the father of bread", because one of the fragments of a stone bas-relief was visible on the shore: a man in an ancient Egyptian apron resembling a measure of bread.
The temples of Ramses were reopened only in 1813, when the Swiss explorer Burckhardt, who was traveling up the Nile in disguise as an Arab, reached the third rapids of the great river. He drew attention to the huge heads, crowned with crowns of pharaohs, protruding from the sand, but the guides could not tell anything intelligible about these sculptures. Burckhardt announced his discovery, and an expedition of the famous adventurer and treasure hunter Belzoni immediately set off in his footsteps. Under his leadership, the temples were excavated from the sand, and although the expected treasures were not found in them, Belzoni wrote in his diary: “We entered the largest and most beautiful crypt in Nubia. Our surprise increased even more when it turned out that this is not only a very large, but also magnificently decorated temple - with bas-reliefs, paintings and statues. "
In hieroglyphic inscriptions Abu Simbel is called “the sacred mountain”, and the whole complex of buildings and fortifications is called “the fortress-city of Ramses”. On one of the columns of the Small Temple, the inscription is carved: "Ramses, strong in truth, favorite of Amun, created this divine dwelling for his beloved wife Nefertari."
The Abu Simbel temple complex really turned out to be magnificent - both from a historical, artistic and engineering point of view. Both temples - Bolshoi and Maly, are carved into a sandstone rock about 100 meters high. Both temples have beautiful bas-reliefs, wall paintings and many cryptograms and inscriptions praising the pharaoh. The big temple consists of 14 rooms that penetrate 60 meters into the rock. The largest hall, decorated with eight statues of the god-pharaoh, measures 18 by 16 meters and rises 8 meters in height. In the large hall, mostly battle scenes are depicted. Some of the paintings on the walls of the hall depict the victories of the pharaoh in Libya and Nubia, but the most significant scene is the battle of Cadet, where the decisive battle between the Egyptians and the Hittites took place.
The temple was built in such a way that twice a year the rising sun in the morning pierces the entire suite of underground halls with rays and illuminates the statues of the sanctuary. During the transfer of the temple, it was possible to restore its structure so that this property was preserved.
At the entrance to the Great Temple there are four colossal twenty-meter high statues. Crowned with crowns, with ureas on their foreheads and with false beards, the colossus sitting on thrones symbolize the highest power. Under their feet are the defeated enemies of the pharaoh. On the thrones of the colossi, the gods of the Nile are depicted, who bind papyrus and lily together - a sign of the unity of both lands, Lower and Upper Egypt. At the feet of the colossus are female figures that look very fragile compared to the huge statues of the king - these are images of Nefertari, the beloved wife of Ramses, his mother and daughters.
On the hip of one of the statues of Ramses, an inscription made with knives in ancient Greek was found, which historians attribute to the 6th century BC: “When King Psammetichus came to Elephantine, those who came with Psammetichus, the son of Teocles, wrote this. They sailed on a ship through Kerkis as long as the river allowed. Potasimto led the strangers, Amasis led the Egyptians. Archon, son of Amoibikh and Pelek, son of Udam, wrote this. " The Ionian mercenaries, who perpetuated themselves in this act of vandalism, left behind one of the oldest examples of Greek writing.
The small temple is more graceful and feminine - it is dedicated to Nefertari, "the one for whom the sun shines." There are only 5 rooms in it, also decorated with statues of gods and the royal couple. As the writer and traveler Jacques Christian writes in his book "In the land of the Pharaohs": "Ramses is present in the sanctuary of his wife, he performs two functions there: a military leader, the conqueror of the forces of darkness, and the high priest who makes sacrifices. The columns here are crowned with the faces of the goddess Hathor, the ruler of love and joy, there are many images of flowers around, the high silhouette of Nefertari sanctifies everything around with its noble beauty. At the entrance to the temple, a pharaoh is depicted holding out flowers to Hathor and the queen in the form of the goddess Isis. On the other side of the gate, Ramses protects Nefertari, he defeats the Nubians and Asians, levies tribute on his enemies and pays homage to Amon-Ra and Horus. "
All these cultural treasures of the ancient civilization, perfectly preserved under the thickness of the sand, were to perish irrevocably at the bottom of the Nasser reservoir lake. But the salvation of the temples of Abu Simbel was declared an action of world significance under the auspices of UNESCO. A hasty design of the rescue operation began.
The scale of the Aswan hydropower complex can be estimated from its technical data sheet: “Electromechanical equipment: number of units - 12. Power - 2100 megawatts, electricity generation - 8 billion kilowatt-hours per year. The complex includes a rock-fill dam with a clay core 111 meters high and 3820 meters long, 520 of which are on the riverbed. The volume of the embankment is 41.4 million cubic meters, an inlet channel 1150 meters long, an outlet channel 538 meters long, tunnel water conduits 282 meters long and 15 meters in diameter, a flood spillway in the form of a concrete spillway dam 288 meters long, a reservoir with a useful volume of 114 cubic kilometers ... A unique anti-seepage curtain 165 meters deep was created under the dam foundation, for the construction of which an original system of underwater compaction of sandy soils was specially developed. "
In addition to generating electricity, which is still enough for the whole of Egypt, the Aswan Dam gave the country the opportunity to transfer 300 thousand hectares from seasonal irrigation to permanent irrigation and develop about 600 thousand hectares of new land due to water reserves in the man-made Lake Nasser. However, in addition to the obvious economic benefits, the new hydroelectric power station created several new problems that did not appear immediately - the natural balance of the movement of silt and sand along the Nile was disrupted; his delta began to collapse gradually; the land, which did not naturally receive annual fertilization during the flood, began to become salted. These problems are gradually being solved through new projects that support the ecology of the great river, and only one loss should have become irreversible not only for Egypt, but for the entire earthly civilization. The flood zone formed during the launch of the dam included unique monuments of the ancient Egyptian kingdoms, in particular the Abu Simbel temple complex, built thirteen centuries BC.
Transfer of Abu Simbel
Transfer of ancient Egypt
The history of the mega-transfer of all time - the movement of 20 of the most valuable ancient temples of Egypt in order to save them from the rising water level in the Nile during the construction of the Aswan Dam. 51 countries took part in this project. Unique architectural monuments, the temple of King Ramses II and the temple of his first wife, Queen Nefertari, were moved to a new location - 65 meters higher and 200 meters further from the river. But most importantly, we managed to preserve the unique feature of the temple of Ramses II - every year, on February 22 and October 22, the rising sun, passing through the gates of the temple, illuminated the faces of the gods! This has been the case for over 3000 years. It'll be this way forever!
FRT from comments:
Temples were built on the places of Power. The transfer of any cult ancient artifact is a complete loss of energy inherent in the Earth itself and its connection with the Cosmos.
Having retained the stones and shape, people do not know how to preserve the Power.
In the same way, all Egyptian things exported to Europe were de-energized. Without reference to a Place, there is no previous meaning in them. And only reborn Gods will be able to "charge" them anew. ;-)
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In order not to get lost among the sea of offers from various travel agencies, most people try to find out on their own about Now in specialized publications you can find any information about this country and reviews of other tourists. One of the iconic places of the country is the Abu Simbel temple. But not everyone knows about him. Of course, there are more popular attractions than Abu Simbel. Egypt is primarily known for the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx statue. But it is in front of this temple that more than 5 thousand tourists gather on February 22 and October 22.
What attracts them there?
Abu Simbel on the map is a small town lost among the sands of Nubia in northern Egypt, near the border with Sudan. His temples, carved into the rock, stand on the western shore of Lake Nasser. The majestic ensemble was built in 1244 BC. in honor of the victory of Ramses II over the Hittites. More precisely, there are two temples here. The large one is dedicated to the Pharaoh and the three gods, and the small one is dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramses's beloved wife, the beautiful Nefertari.
In general, during the reign of Ramses II, five cave temples were erected, but Abu Simbel is rightfully considered the most magnificent of them. Despite the fact that these temples are dedicated to three gods who patronized the army of the pharaoh, in fact they glorified Ramses II, who ruled for 67 years in Egypt. During this time, he conquered 11 countries. His mummy is kept in
Features of the structure and location
The entrance to the Great Temple faces east. The facade is decorated with four twenty-meter statues of the pharaoh, who is majestically seated on a throne. Archaeologists are still surprised by the likeness of portraits and sculptures. Moreover, all the statues are the same, only one had a head that broke off during an earthquake. At the feet of the pharaoh are sculptures of wives and children, and above the entrance to the temple is depicted
Halls
Temple of Ramses 2 consists of four rectangular rooms, which gradually decrease. The first hall is the most spacious. Its high vault is supported by tetrahedral columns, and the walls are covered with texts and colored reliefs. It contains statues of the pharaoh in the guise of This hall was open to all comers. Only the "noble" could enter the second. The third room, which is even smaller than the previous one, was accessible only to the priests. Only the Pharaoh and his family could enter the fourth room. It was there that the statues of the gods Harmakis, Amon-Ra and Ptah with the faces of the ruler were located. Everything in the temple speaks of the power and wealth of Ramses 2: the walls of each hall are decorated with amazing reliefs that tell about the hostilities and his life. And the sun and cobra depicted on the ceiling symbolize the power of the state and just punishment for those guilty before the pharaoh.
But after several centuries the colors faded, and Abu Simbel himself was almost completely absorbed by the sands of the Sahara. And only at the beginning of the nineteenth century, while studying the temple of Hathor, a scientist from Switzerland noticed fragments of figures, and after extensive excavations for several years, the temple of Ramses 2 was cleared of sand.
For most of the year, partial shade reigns in its halls, and only on spring days, which coincide with the dates of the birth and coronation of the pharaoh, one can witness a magnificent spectacle. To see it, crowds of tourists flood Egypt these days. Exactly at 5 hours 58 minutes, the rising sunlight enters the temple and begins its leisurely journey through its halls. At the end of its path, the beam slides over the shoulder of Amon-Ra and the face of Ramses 2, lingering for several minutes. It is said that at this moment the Pharaoh begins to smile.
After that, having moved to the statue of Harmakis, the sunlight leaves the Great Temple without touching the statue of Ptah, the lord of the underworld, who does not need it. Of course, there is no mysticism here, but only a very accurate calculation of the Egyptian astrologers and priests.
But there was another secret in the temple, which was eventually forgotten. Every morning at dawn, groans and quiet crying were heard in him. For a long time, no one could explain this phenomenon, but scientists still managed to reveal the secret. It's all about cracks in the building, or rather, the air temperature. At sunrise, it rose, the cracks widened and began to make these sounds. When they were closed, the moaning stopped.
Small temple of Abu Simbel: structural features
The Small Temple of Abu Simbel is located 100 meters from the Great Temple. It is dedicated to the ancient Egyptian goddess of love Hathor, to whom the features of Nefertari, the elder and beloved, were transferred. They wrote about her as a beautiful and intelligent woman. Only she in the entire history of Ancient Egypt was awarded such an honor. The small temple looks much more modest and consists of one hall and a sanctuary. On its façade, in niches, there are statues of Ramses II and Nefertari. The skillfully created play of light gives them a special mystery. In the sanctuary there is a sculpture of the goddess Hathor in the form of a sacred cow, and in front of her is an image of the pharaoh.
The Abu Simbel complex was located at the bend of the Nile, which was a very important strategic moment. The statues of the pharaoh were clearly visible from afar, personifying the strength and might of the country. They looked especially impressive in the morning, when the rays of the rising sun painted them blood-red.
Restructuring
In the 60s of the last century, a new danger loomed over the temple. The lake on the shore of which it is located could completely flood it, and all because of the construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile. Many projects have been put forward to save the cultural heritage site. They even suggested building an underwater glass dome over the temples. But a unique decision was made - to dismantle the building into blocks and move it to a higher place. The operation was attended by specialists from fifty countries. More than $ 42 million has been spent. For four years this landmark was sawn into separate fragments weighing from 3 to 20 tons, which were numbered and transported to an artificial embankment.
There they were drilled out and filled with a resinous compound, which was supposed to strengthen the stone. In total, more than a thousand blocks turned out. The re-assembled temples were covered with a reinforced concrete bell, and a stone hill was poured on top, which was supposed to imitate rocks. But this was done so carefully that it seemed that the temples stood here for centuries. And the head of one of the statues, which once broke off, was also moved and placed very accurately at the foot of the temple.
Study of the structure
Thanks to these works, Abu Simbel was thoroughly studied by archaeologists and experts from UNESCO, who were struck by the art of ancient architects. Having carefully studied the base of the building, experts were surprised to find that the lines of the facade are parallel to the cracks in the rock, this made the temple stable, and the rocks served as a natural support for the huge statues.
Iron oxide, which was used to strengthen the layers of sandstone, in addition to its main purpose, gave the stone a variety of bright hues - from purple to red and even pink. As a result of this operation, the complex was moved 200 m further and 65 m above the lake level, and it was no longer threatened with flooding.
A little conclusion
September 22 Abu Simbel - a temple in Egypt - again receives tourists. The cultural heritage has been preserved for posterity and has become one of the hallmarks of tourist Egypt.
Town:
Category: architecture
Monuments of Nubia is a complex of grandiose structures that fully represent the culture of an ancient and great civilization. It can be used to judge the religious and cultural customs of the ancient Egyptians, the power and influence of Egypt and its rulers.
The city of Abu Simbel and the island on the Nile - File have preserved exceptional monuments of the past: the temple of Ramses II and the sanctuary of the goddess Hathor.
These exceptional archaeological sites are perfectly preserved and are of great interest to historians, archaeologists and people with an interest in culture and art.
In the Abu Simbel rock, next to the large temple built in honor of Ramses the Great, there is a small temple made in honor of Queen Nefertari, the first wife of Ramses. These two famous temples were carved into the rock around the 13th century BC. The colossal statues adorn the entrance to the large temple, and in front of the small one there are 6 statues: 4 statues of the king and 2 of the queen. Their size and grandeur are amazing.
A temple of the goddess Hathor was erected on the island of File, which was once densely built up with granite buildings, many of which have survived. This pagan sanctuary was not destroyed by the Christians who came here, since it was mistaken for the temple of Isis, equated in Christian traditions with the Mother of God. Such confusion saved the appearance of the temple, but the frescoes and reliefs were still partially destroyed.
Abu Simbel city
Big Abu Simbel temple was built in honor of King Ramses the Great, small - in honor of his first wife, Queen Nefertari. Both buildings are perfectly preserved. The first temple is crowned by the entrance with four colossi carved into the rock, depicting a seated king. The height of each is about 20 meters. The second temple is decorated with six high-relief carved statues in the form of a king and queen.
File is an island on the Nile River, "sacred land" in ancient times. According to legend, Osiris was buried here, and only priests could live on such a land. Under Nectaneba I, a temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor was erected on the island. Under Justinian, who destroyed all pagan monuments, this sanctuary was not touched - it was considered built in honor of Isis, who in late ancient times was brought closer to the Mother of God. Then it was re-consecrated into the Church of the Theotokos - it retained its external appearance, but some of the frescoes and reliefs were completely destroyed by the churchmen.
The construction of the Aswan Dam jeopardized the existence of these unique structures - the rising waters of the Nile could destroy them, tk. the Abu Simbel group of rocks is located on its coast, and the island of Phile could be completely flooded. Thanks to a campaign launched by UNESCO in 1959, the monuments were saved and moved to a new location. For this, the temples in Abu Simbel had to be cut into blocks with an average weight of 20 tons, moved to a safe area and reassembled. The Sanctuary of Isis was moved along stone blocks from File to the island of Agilika, where it was restored from photographs.
All of these sites were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
Abu Simbel- a rock on the western bank of the Nile, it was in it that two famous ancient Egyptian temples were carved around the 13th century BC.
One of them, a large one, was erected in honor of King Ramses II himself, and the second, smaller one, in honor of his first wife, Queen Nefertari. Ramses II ordered the construction of a large temple in honor of his victory over the Hittites. In the first temple, distinguished by well-preserved important historical images and inscriptions, the king is depicted worshiping himself, that is, his divine image, which is worshiped by the king-man. Surrounded by other deities, he stands out as a huge figure with his back to the rock. Since the king's troops were patronized
the three gods Amon, Ra and Ptah, Ramses ordered to depict them, and at the same time himself in the front statues, and give the gods their own appearance. The statues reach 20 m in height. In the 60s, a unique operation was carried out - the temples of Abu Simbele were carefully sawn and moved to a new, higher place - now they stand 64 m higher and 180 m further from the coast, otherwise they would have been swallowed up by the reservoir them. Nasser, created with the construction of the Aswan Dam. On September 22, 1968, the temples in Abu Simbel were reopened to the public.
This temple was included in the list of World Cultural Heritage not only as a work of ancient art, but also as a representation of the engineering thought of that time.
Thus, the temple of Ramses II, as well as the rest of the monuments of Ancient Nubia, is a grandiose complex of structures representing the culture of that time. This complex can be used to make judgments about the culture, religion of the ancient Egyptians, about the influence and power of Ancient Egypt, including its kings.
The UNESCO sites in Ancient Nubia as a whole are of colossal importance for the world culture of mankind.
The monumental temples of Abu Simbel are a vivid evidence of how skillful builders were the ancient Egyptians and what colossal knowledge in the field of architecture and astronomy they possessed. Located on the western shore of Lake Nasser, these architectural monuments are one of the landmarks of Egypt.
a small village
This small village is located on the border of Egypt with Sudan. You will not find many entertainment venues here, but this does not prevent thousands of tourists from visiting Abu Simbel every day. It is on its territory that two unique, rock-cut temples of the first half of the 12th century, built by Ramses II, are located; one - in honor of his victory over the Hittites, the other - as a sign of tender feelings for his wife Nefertari. They are called "Big" and "Small", respectively.
This unique complex is no less popular among tourists than the famous pyramids of Giza and Luxor.
Where is
The architectural monument is located near the border of Egypt and Sudan, in the historical region of Nubia, 285 south of the administrative center of the governorate (province) of Aswan.
Abu Simbel Map
How to get there
There are several ways to see this attraction:
- By plane... For this, the daily very early flights of EgyptAir from Cairo and Aswan are intended.
- By bus. You can take it or a minibus in Aswan. The duration of the trip is at least four hours, so it will not be superfluous to check the health of the air conditioner in the transport.
- River transport. A cruise ship runs from Aswan, on which you can get to your destination along the Nile.
Egypt is open to tourists all year round. And for a trip to Abu Simbel, all seasons are optimal, except for the summer. In the forty-degree heat, acquaintance with these magnificent structures can turn into a real torment.
When is the best time to go: about the weather
The peak of interest in temples from tourists is in March and September. This is no coincidence. Pharaoh was born on October 20 and was crowned on February 20. It is on these days without two minutes to six that the ray of the rising sun works real miracles with the statues. He penetrates through all the rooms of the temple and lingers for a few minutes on the face of the pharaoh in the last hall, giving the impression that Ramses II is smiling.
Top attractions and excursions
Hundreds of tourists come here every day to see this majestic monument to the power of Ramses II. Many travel agencies offer day trips in this direction or longer tours to the sights of Egypt with a must visit Abu Simbel.
In the 1960s, unique structures on the banks of the Nile could be subject to flooding due to the construction of a second dam near Aswan. International organizations could not allow the destruction of the world cultural heritage. Between 1965 and 1968, they were cut into separate blocks and moved to a new, elevated location further from the river. The specialists working on this large-scale project made sure that the new location of the architectural monument exactly repeats the old one. Thus, you can still see the unique solar phenomenon twice a year.
This temple is called Big. Erecting this large-scale structure, Ramses II dedicated it not only to his own person, but also to three gods: Amon, Ra-Horakhta and Ptah. But, despite this, the central figure of the entire structure is the Pharaoh himself. Everything, starting with the facade of the temple, where four twenty-meter figures of Ramses II are seated, and ending with the farthest room, where his statue is also located, testifies to his power and greatness.
The walls of all four halls of the temple are covered with reliefs depicting scenes of the victorious battles of Ramses II, and are covered with texts praising the pharaoh. The ceiling is supported by rows of majestic columns, forming the so-called hypostyle, typical of ancient Egyptian architecture.
Nefertari is the only wife of the Pharaoh, who had the honor to be depicted on the facade of the temple. In ancient Egypt, this was a unique case.
A hundred meters north of the Big Temple, a symbol of the Pharaoh's love for his beautiful wife Nefertari, the Small Temple, was built. Also, this structure is designed to exalt the Goddess of Heaven Hathor, depicted as a woman with the head of a cow.
There are six sculptures of the Pharaoh's wife on the facade of the building. Her figure is centered in each triplet.
The small temple is also made in a hypostyle form. In its depths there is a sanctuary with a statue of the Goddess of Heaven. All the sculptural structures of the Nefertari Temple are half the size of the sculptures of the Great Temple.
How about nightlife and entertainment
The main attraction in this small village is related to its main attraction - the temples of Ramses and Nefertari. Since 2000, an incredible show called "Sound and Light" has been held here. The show is accompanied not only by light effects, but also by text. Tourists receive headphones for rent and, choosing the language they understand, enjoy the show.
Where to live and what to eat
Abu Simbel is a small village, on the territory of which there is only one, albeit such a significant, attraction. That is why you will not find a wide variety of hotels and restaurants here.
If you are planning to see the sound and light show, you will have to take care of an overnight stay in Abu Simbel. The show starts late in the evening, so visitit will fail.
Hotels
So that tourists can stay overnight near the temples, there are two hotels of different price categories. Nefertari Hotel Abu Simble belongs to a 4-star class and is located almost four kilometers from the center of the village. Here you can rent a non-smoking room and book an airport shuttle.
Also, tourists can use the services of a restaurant and parking. On the territory of the complex there is an opportunity to rent a conference room. Vacationers are provided with unlimited Internet. The cost of a room per day is about $ 100. e.
Tuya hotel offers apartments an order of magnitude cheaper, a night at the hotel will cost a tourist $ 60. e. For this money, the hotel offers the following services: free internet, parking, restaurant, conference room rental, the ability to order a transfer to / from the airport, evening entertainment.
Restaurants and cafes
In addition to restaurants in hotels, those wishing to eat deliciously can visit the Eskaleh Eco Lodge restaurant. This establishment offers a menu of traditional African cuisine at attractive prices.
Tasty food and a cozy atmosphere await tourists in Alaa al-Rahman Restaurant, and admirers of gourmet cuisine will find many interesting dishes in the menu of the Ramsis restaurant.
Flower Nubia Cafe is the only cafe in the village. Here tourists will be offered a huge selection of all kinds of tea, coffee and delicious food. Also, this place is famous for its excellent hookah.
The relocation of Abu Simbel remains UNESCO's most expensive project.
Despite the fact that getting to Abu Simbel is not easy, this place is well worth the effort and time. The unique rock temples of Nubia cannot but enchant the traveler with their grandeur. They are designed not only to remind people of the power of Pharaoh and his love for his wife. Temples are living evidence of what tremendous knowledge and skills the people of that time possessed.
