Things to see and do Abu Simbel

The great temple of Abu Simbel was the brainchild of Ramses II. It took almost 20 years to build it out of the rock, and from it emerged this major architectural masterpiece of antiquity. It is dedicated to Amun-Ra, the most powerful god of the Theban cult, to Ra-Harakhty, who dominates the Heliopolitan cult, to Ptah, the center of the Memphis cult, and to Ramses II, the deified god.

The politico-religious significance of this temple is monumental, as if Pharaoh wanted to bring together here the three Egyptian cults, each of which had its hour of glory. He himself, by divinizing himself, as is his right since he is the successor to Ra, who was succeeded by Shu, then Gheb, then Osiris, then Horus, then Pharaoh, whose cycle continues up to him, son of Seti ^I, of the ^19th dynasty, victorious in so many victories over his enemies, and builder of so many temples dedicated to the cult of his successor, Ra.

The temple's façade is preceded by 4 monumental statues of Ramses II seated, accompanied by his beloved wife, Nefertari, his mother, Mouttouy, and his sons and daughters. They reach heights of over 20 m. In the niche surmounting the temple entrance, the falcon-headed Ra-Harakhty stands erect, surmounted by the solar globe. A frieze of baboons completes the upper part of the façade.

A short corridor leads into the first hypostyle hall, supported by eight Osirid statues in the guise of Ramses II. On the left, they wear the white crown of Upper Egypt, on the right the double crown of the united country. The walls magnify royal victories, particularly that of Qadesh over the Hittites.

This leads into a second hypostyle hall with 4 square pillars, where Pharaoh presents offerings to the major deities of the Egyptian pantheon. A vestibule follows this hall into the sanctuary, where four seated statues stand impassively awaiting today's visitor, the priest of Amun in Pharaoh's time. These are the three major gods of the three cults and that of Ramses II.

Various chambers cut into the rock expand the ten-room temple, decorated with bas-reliefs in different colors. The axis of the temple doorway to the sanctuary was designed so that the sun would strike the statues on October 22 and February 22 of each year to celebrate festivities dear to Ramses II.

You can also visit the modern structure that backs onto the temple, which was cut up and assembled here when it was moved prior to the construction of the Aswan Dam. The contrast is interesting.

The façade of the temple dedicated to Hathor and Ramses II's wife, Nefertari, once again expresses the desire to show the closeness of Pharaoh and the gods, but this time by elevating the royal wife to an unusual level. While Pharaoh is represented four times on the façade by monumental Osirid statues wearing the double crown, Nefertari is given two statues of the same height, whereas she was usually depicted smaller, in accordance with the canons of Egyptian statuary. In the large temple next door, Pharaoh's mother, sons and daughters are represented by statues no taller than their parents' hips.

The interior of the temple consists of a hypostyle hall supported by six pillars with hathoric capitals. On the walls, the royal wife offers gifts to the goddess, who takes on the features of either a woman or a cow, notably on a boat when Nefertari offers her papyrus. The ceiling is adorned with two different sets of royal epithets. On the left, the queen is described as follows: "The King of Upper and Lower Egypt Usermastra Setepenra, his beloved, the royal wife Nefertari Meremut, beloved of Hathor, endowed with life". The vestibule is accessed via three doors, and leads to two side chambers and the sanctuary, where a statue of Hathor in the guise of a cow emerging from the mountain is enthroned in its niche.