Abu Simbel

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I know this entry gets a lot of hits from the general public. If readers are trying to determine whether Abu Simbel is worth the trip, I would say it depends on your time in Egypt. We got stuck in the Aswan airport on our return and that fact alone ruined this side trip. I had little time in Egypt and had not planned to spend five hours in the airport getting back to Cairo. These temples though are amazing historical, architectural, and now engineering feats; the best of the ancient world and the modern world. Take the trip, just make sure you are on the next flight to Cairo and not stuck in the Aswan airport.

We flew from Aswan to Abu Simbel to see the famous temple of Ramses II carved right in the stone cliff. This temple was dismantled and reassembled in its exact original form in a man-made concrete structure. This was necessary because the Nile flooded the original site after the Aswan dam was built. Several other temples were also flooded. The rescue of Abu Simbel was done by UNESCO and several nations (the US paid for a third of it) as the Egyptians were satisfied to flood their heritage. Several other temples lie at the bottom of Lake Nasser. Engineers from around the world tackled the problem of how to move Abu Simbel because it was actually created out of the stone cliff in which it sat. Ultimately it was cut up in large pieces and moved, and meticulously reassembled. It is difficult looking at this temple to believe it has been taken apart and reassembled. It was an extraordinary and well-done effort. No pictures allowed inside so you can’t see the depth and complexity of the temple that was moved. There are 30 foot high Ramses II statues inside, and a small temple called the Sacred Sanctuary with four seated gods. The temple is designed so that the sun lights this chamber on two days each year - Ramses II’s birthday and anniversary of his coronation. When Abu Simbel was moved to its current location, this date was off by one day. Our guide blamed it on the Russians (maybe that's an old cold war joke for the benefit of us Americans).

Likewise, the adjacent Temple of Hathor, built in honor of Nefertari, Ramses II’s most favorite wife (of many wives), was also moved to its current location. This Temple is unique because it places Nefertari on equal footing with Ramses II. After returning to the airport we flew back to Aswan. Although we were going on to Cairo, we had to wait 5 hours in the Aswan airport for another flight. The other people in our group who had gone to Abu Simbel stayed on the plane and it continued to Cairo. Our agent could not explain why we were not on the direct flight to Cairo. So, instead of an opportunity to see more of Cairo, we wasted the rest of the day in the airports and arrived back at the Marriott after 7 pm. After getting our bags repacked for the flight home the next day, we only had time for a quick bite to eat at the hotel. Typical of the trip which based on my experience was badly organized. The tour company in Egypt was Emeco and we booked the tour in the US through Wildland Travels. I would not recommend either of them or the boat Ti-Yi. If you would like to see all my photos from this trip email me and I will send you the link.

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Photos

Abu Simbel
Temple of Ramses II

Temple of Hathor
Built for Queen Nefertari