When you do your checklist of things to see and do in Egypt, there’s one pretty amazing place that better be on it. Of course you will see the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx, check out King Tutankhamun’s treasures at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and walk amongst kings at Luxor’s Valley of the Kings, but make sure you save a spot on that list for Abu Simbel. If you leave Egypt without going to this great site, I don’t think you can truly say you have seen it all.
Located 300 kilometers south of Aswan on the banks of Lake Nasser, the magnificent temples built by the great Ramses II dominate the desert landscape. You can get there by bus (about 3 hours each way), but the quicker and more comfortable way is to fly. Sure it’s more expensive but you get to fly over the endless desert sands instead of spending hours traveling on them, not to mention the great aerial view you get if sitting on the left side of the plane as you approach Abu Simbel airport. Sitting right there by the lake in the middle of nowhere, even from a height of several thousand feet, you get the idea this place is going to be pretty special.
When you land you join the shuttle buses which ferry passengers out to the site, passing through the small town. Abu Simbel is a great example of tourism sustaining a population. There is little reason to go to this small village other than the great temples, however due to their popularity a thriving population has been established and locals have all the essential amenities found in any city or large town in Egypt. To give you some idea of the impact tourism has on this town, the temples have up to 10,000 visitors pass through each day during the busy winter season. An average day out of season - around 3,000…
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| Temple of Hathor and Nefetari |
This is where having a private guide came in handy. Arriving at the temples there would have been a couple of hundred people, with several large bus groups and 2 full plane loads, and this was on the late morning departure at around 9:30am. Supposedly if you are there very early in the morning when the bus tours from Aswan arrive, along with the early flights, it is much more crowded. With only the 2 of us and our guide, it was easy for him to lead us through the crowds and get us to the temples before everyone else. He visits this place several times a day and is very familiar with the comings and goings of its visitors, so he knew exactly how to give us the best possible experience.
While everyone else headed straight for the well-known Great Temple of Abu Simbel built by Ramses II as a tribute to himself (seriously this man had an ego ten times the size of Paris Hilton and Kanye West combined!), we went for the smaller Temple of Hathor (fertility goddess) and Nefertari (Ramses II’s favorite of 50+ wives). We had a good 20 - 25 minutes inside all alone without the intrusion of others. As we left, the hordes were on their way having finished with the big temple. When it was time to check out the big temple, while we were not alone, there was a significantly lower number of other people compared with what would have been had we visited it first. Needless to say, we tipped our guide well!
Due to the large number of people visiting Abu Simbel, guides are not permitted to enter the temples with their guests. This is to protect the site. Without a guide most visitors spend less time inside which reduces the wear and tear on the buildings. It also creates a mystical atmosphere inside with the majority of people remaining quiet, or at least keeping the volume to a minimum, so I think it actually enhances the experience. Before going inside each of the temples, the guide sat down with us and told us what we would see and what to look out for. He had photos and drawings which he used to point out some of the most significant artwork and their meaning. It was great to know what to look for, but also to have the freedom to let our own eyes seek and explore as well.
When approaching the big temple, obviously you are faced with the 4 massive statues of Ramses II guarding the entrance, but once you enter you are greeted with a corridor of yet more likenesses of the great Pharaoh. Because the site was only discovered in 1813, it escaped defacement by Christian invaders so the hieroglyphics and carvings are intact and cover the walls and columns everywhere the eye falls. The only damage is the odd piece of carved graffiti left by adventurers in the 19th century. The great battle scene to the left is one of the most impressive carvings in Egypt. At the back of the temple sits 4 statues - Ptah (god of the underworld), Amon-Ra (King of Gods), Ramses II himself and Harmakhis (sun god). These statues are positioned in a way that once a year (February 22 from memory) the sun rises and penetrates the temple to illuminate the statues - all except Ptah, who as the god of the underworld, is forever cloaked in darkness.
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| Ego, what ego?! |
To add to the spectacle of Abu Simbel, is its famous move. The site was originally located 65 meters lower than its current location and on the banks of the Nile River, but with the building of the High Dam in Aswan and creation of Lake Nasser, the temples were to be flooded. UNESCO, recognizing the significance of the site, stepped in and lead the rescue project which began in 1964 and an for 4 years. The temples and the cliff they are carved into, were painstakingly cut into pieces, numbered, moved to higher ground and reassembled. To gaze on the temples now, you would never know they have not been where they now lay for their entire existence. Even the fallen 2nd Ramses statue was moved to replicate the exact position in which it originally fell, no restoration was attempted. Your guide will tell you all about it and there is also a small exhibition you can visit in the rest area after your visit to the temples.
So to make what has become a long story short, if you are going to Egypt, you gotta go to Abu Simbel! Like the Pyramids, it is a historical and cultural icon that more than lives up to expectations.
Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Upper Egypt and throughout Egypt. Also have a look at traveler photos of Egypt over on the Viator Flickr site.
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