Egypt
Abū Sunbul

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    • Day 7

      Abu Simbel & Philae

      January 15, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      5am call today for Abu Simbel, almost all of us signed up for this option, and piled onto a minibus to make the 3hr drive south. When we arrived, there was a lot of buses there making this site the busiest so far.

      Everyone stopped for the token photos of the temple before a brief talk and free time. The site itself was amazing, as was the hearing the efforts of the relocation itself to save and preserve it when they made Lake Nasser. To the right of the temple, Ramses II had a temple built for his wife, Queen Nefetari. You can visit inside both temples where the walls are covered with hieroglyphics.

      I recommend going to the temple for Nefetari first to avoid the crowds. When you come back to the main temple, you'll be able to get photos with smaller crowds if any.

      Back in town, we joined the rest of our group for yummy and cheap falafel sandwiches before rushing off to Philae, where a temple dedicated to the goddess Isis was relocated to an island. We'd originally wanted to visit it during the sound and light show at night, but the logistics of getting there and the possibility of cancellation if there were low numbers deterred us. We could've booked the package through our tour leader, but we opted not to.

      It was some negotiations with the taxi driver and boatman, but we seemed to do alright. The taxi driver took us to and from to the temple for 150LE (including the wait), while the boat was 200LE. Certainly if you had a bigger group, the cost is less per person. But still, it was only a little more than our other friends had previously gotten the day before. Funny thing, when we bought our tickets, they said they didn't have enough change, and we asked a local, and he said he had no change even though you could clearly see it. We were fresh out of small bills after paying for admission and resigned ourselves to the fact that we'd likely have to give the taxi driver 200LE instead. But he was good and got us there before ticket sales closed, so it was all fine and dandy.

      Back to Philae, the temple is also beautiful, looking out from the island. The ruins pose fantastic photo opportunities all around, and you could easily spend an hour or so just wandering and having a sit down. Definitely worth going to, and I'm glad we did end up getting to see it.

      For dinner, it was time to cross off another Egyptian dish off our list, "fiteer" or Egyptian pizza. It's folder over like a calzone, but still perfectly round, and the crust is flaky, almost like a croissant. I'd read about Pizza Biti near the train station and we set off there. Ordering take out, a medium cost 100LE and it was a near perfect portion, and we enjoyed it by the pool of the hotel. A fun inexpensive dinner with a view, and sort of a sound and light show. The Movenpick building across was lit up and changed colors, while a passing boat pumped out music.
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    • Day 37

      Abu Simbil - Two Temples

      June 15, 2015 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

      These two temples are incredible! The Great Temple of Ramesses II is on the left and the Small Temple of Nefertari is on the right.

      The Abu Simbel temples are two massive rock temples at Abu Simbel (أبو سمبل in Arabic), a village in Nubia, southern Egypt, near the border with Sudan. They are situated on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about 230 km southwest of Aswan (about 300 km by road).

      The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.

      The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968, on an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Damreservoir. The relocation of the temples was necessary to avoid their being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River.

      The temples were incredible inside, once again we weren't able to take photos inside. The walls were lined with pictures carved into the wall and painted.
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    • Day 6

      Abu Simbel

      October 5, 2017 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Die Tempel von Abu Simbel, der große Tempel zum Ruhm Ramses II. und der kleine Hathor-Tempel zur Erinnerung an Nefertari, dessen Große königliche Gemahlin. Sie erheben sich nach einer Versetzung in den 1960er Jahren heute auf einer Insel im Nassersee, die an der Nordwestseite durch einen befahrbaren Damm mit dem Ort Abu Simbel verbunden ist.Read more

    • Day 8

      Abu Simbel

      April 7, 2018 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      Die Tempel von Abu Simbel sind zwei Felsentempel am Westufer des Nassersees. Sie befinden sich im ägyptischen Teil Nubiens am südöstlichen Rand des Ortes Abu Simbel und wurden im 13. Jahrhundert v. Chr. unter König (Pharao) Ramses II. aus der 19. Dynastie des altägyptischen Neuen Reiches errichtet.

      Die Felsentempel von Abu Simbel, der große Tempel zum Ruhm Ramses’ II. und der kleine Hathor-Tempel zur Erinnerung an Nefertari, dessen Große königliche Gemahlin, stehen seit 1979 auf der Weltkulturerbeliste der UNESCO. Beide Tempel befinden sich nicht mehr an ihrem ursprünglichen Standort. Um sie vor dem ansteigenden Wasser des Nassersees, des durch den Assuan-Staudamm aufgestauten Stausees des Nil, zu retten, wurden sie in den Jahren 1963 bis 1968 abgetragen und 64 Meter höher auf der Hochebene von Abu Simbel wieder aufgebaut. Dort erheben sie sich heute auf einer Insel im Nassersee, die an der Nordwestseite durch einen befahrbaren Damm mit dem Ort Abu Simbel verbunden ist.

      Der Name Abu Simbel ist eine europäische Umstellung des arabischen Abu Sunbul, einer Ableitung vom antiken Ortsnamen Ipsambul. In der Zeit der Könige des Neuen Reiches hatte die Region, in der die Tempel errichtet wurden, vermutlich den Namen Meha. Eine sichere Zuweisung konnte bislang jedoch nicht vorgenommen werden.

      Im heutigen Sudan, etwa 20 Kilometer südwestlich von Abu Simbel und etwas nördlich des zweiten Nilkataraktes, befand sich im Neuen Reich der Ort Ibschek mit einem Tempel der Hathor von Ibschek, die auch im Kleinen Tempel von Abu Simbel verehrt war. Dieser Bereich ist heute vom Nubia-See überflutet.
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    • Day 5

      Abu Simbel

      November 30, 2018 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      Berühmt wurde Königin Nefertari in der Neuzeit vor allem durch die prächtigen Wandmalereien in ihrem Felsengrab QV66 im Tal der Königinnen in Theben-West, das 1904 von Ernesto Schiaparelli entdeckt wurde, sowie durch den ihr und der Hathor von Ibschek geweihten Kleinen Tempel in Abu Simbel. Ihre Bedeutung im Leben Ramses’ II. wird besonders deutlich durch ihre Darstellungen in der altägyptischen Kunstdieser Zeit. Sie wird sehr häufig in gleicher Größe neben ihrem Gemahl abgebildet, was einer weitgehenden Gleichstellung ihrer Person mit dem König nahekommt. Dies war im alten Ägypten eher ungewöhnlich und ist sonst nur für die großen königlichen Gemahlinnen Teje und Nofretete bezeugt.Read more

    • Day 2

      Abu Simbel, Ramses' big conquer

      February 22, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      First stop in the magestic Abu Simbel, visited the two temples made by Ramses II, provably the greater (and more narcissistic) faraon in Egypt. It was nice to see how he destined another temple to his wife (obviously not as big or impacting as his, we want to keep our ego where it is) but seing the appresiation to this big and powerful woman gave me a good start of the trip. What's next?

      📍 Essentials: Abu Simbel
      💡 Travelling tips: visit it before the Sound&Light Show, its way emptier and not so hot
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    • Day 6

      Abu Simbal, Rameses II

      April 14, 2021 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Famous rock cut temple in upper Egypt/Nubia. This was carved out of the native rock in the 13th century BCE as a commemoration of Rameses victory in the battle of Kadesh. Most of the wall decoration shows this. This is probably the most famous of the temples raised above Lake Nasser after the high dam (see another post) was complete and would have flooded the monument.
      The 1st 2 pictures are of the famous facade. The 3rd is the doorway into the temple, the 4th shows the statues in the 1st hall inside. The last 2 are examples of the carving and painting on the walls.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Abū Sunbul, Abu Sunbul, Abu Simbel, Abou Simbel, ABS, Абу-Симбел

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