|
|
 |
 |
Aswan
& Abu Simbel |
| Some
320 km outside of
Aswan in Nubia
lies what can only be
described as the truly
remarkable Temple of
Abu Simbel. It was carved
directly out of the sandstone
cliffs along the Nile and built
by Ramses II. Built under the pretense of
dedication to the gods Amon Ra, Harmakis,
and Ptah… many would say it
was built for Ramses’ own glorification.
On
the face of the temple
are four huge statues
of
King Ramses II seated on his
throne. Each individual statue is 20 meters
high, four meters from
ear-to-ear, and one
meter
across the mouth. Statues of Amon Ra,
Harmakis, and Ptah once stood at the heart
of the mountain from which this temple was carved.
|
 |
|
Twice
a year the sun would penetrate the entrance of the
temple, into the mountain, and shine on Amon Ra
and a statue of Ramses II. About 20
minutes later it
would then move to
shine on Harmakis but,
interestingly enough, would fail
to ever shine on Ptah, the God of Darkness.
In the temple's yard, there is a group of
monuments, the most important of which is
the famous marital monument on which is
registered the story of the marriage
of the Pharaoh and the daughter
of the Hethean King; after signing the
first peace treaty in the world between Egypt and
Khita. |
|
 |
In
the hall of columns, there are eight
huge pillars on which is sculpted the statue
of Ramses taking the figure Osiris, the God of the
Dead. This hall is also
known for its northern
wall on which is represented the
Battle of Kadesh. The southern
wall depicts a dazzling
scene of the King and his sons attacking the
Syrian citadel, and at the bottom we see a
shepherd trying to escape the
victorious King. Just beside this scene, the
King is pictured again
holding an enemy in one hand and stabbing
him with the other.
This scene is somewhat remarkable as the
enemy appears to be of
the same size as the
King while in other scenes
enemies were always
humiliated by being smaller than
the King. The Temple of
Abu Simbel contains
many other scenes of
no less importance than
the ones already described – indeed it is
worthy of at least one full day’s exploration.
Truly this is a temple not to be missed. |
|
|
