Abu Simbel

The façade of the Great Temple at Abu Simbel, with four seated colossi carved into the mountain.

03Cities and regions

South of Aswan

On the west shore of Lake Nasser, near the Sudanese border, two temples were carved into a sandstone mountain in the 13th century BC. Work began around 1264 BC and lasted about twenty years. Four seated statues of Ramesses II, each 20 m high, guard the façade of the Great Temple, and beside it a smaller temple for his wife Nefertari is fronted by standing figures. Inside, colossal pillars shaped as statues hold up the hall, and carved walls lead deep into the mountain towards the sanctuary; the first hall alone has eight of these giant figures. When the lake rose behind the High Dam, both temples were cut into 1,036 blocks and moved between 1964 and 1968 to higher ground inside an artificial hill, oriented so that the rising sun still reaches the sanctuary on 22 February and 22 October. Abu Simbel is about 300 km from Aswan by road, so most visitors come on a day trip or by plane.

0 m
Height of the façade statues: 0
Blocks the temples were cut into: around 1264 BC
Carving began: about 230 km
Distance from Aswan

Highlights

The sun daysOn 22 February and 22 October the first rays reach the back of the temple and light the statues in the sanctuary.