Abu Simbel temples in Egypt

These two immense carved rock temples at Abu Simbel, a town in the ancient Nubia region of Upper Egypt, are dedicated to the 13th century Pharaoh Ramses II and his first wife Nefertari.

The relocation of a temple from Abu Simbel to Nubia, Egypt, between 1964 and 1968

When the Aswab Dam was built, the world-famous temples of Abu Simbel were threatened and an entire cultural landscape was flooded. The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 on an artificial hill made of a domed structure, the entire site was carefully cut into large blocks (up to 30 tons, averaging 20 tons), dismantled, lifted and reassembled in a new location 65 meters higher and 200 meters further back from the river, in one of the greatest challenges of archaeological engineering in history.

Luxor Temple

These two immense rock-hewn temples at Abu Simbel, a town in the ancient region of Upper Egypt Built around 1400 BC. C. made of Nubian sandstone, the Southern Sanctuary is an elegant temple complex located in Luxor, on the east bank of the Nile.

Karnak Temple

The Karnak temple complex in Luxor developed over more than 1,000 years, mainly between the 12th and 20th dynasties. It was, in its heyday, the largest and most important religious complex in ancient Egypt. The Karnak temple consists of 134 gigantic stone columns, the 12 largest columns are 24 m high and 3.5 m in diameter!

Kom Ombo Temple

Kom Ombo, one of the most unusual temples in Ancient Egypt, was built primarily during the Ptolemaic dynasty, between 180 and 47 BC. C., although there is evidence that it was located on a previous temple.

The building is unique because its “double” design meant that there were duplicate courtyards, halls, sanctuaries and rooms for two groups of gods. The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with Hathor and Khonsu. Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris (“Horus the Elder”), along “with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister, a special form of Hathor or Tefnet/Tefnut) and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands) . ).” The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis.

Dennis Jarvis

Temple of Hatshepsut

Also known as Djeser-Djeseru, the “Holy of Holies” in the language of Ancient Egypt, the temple was built for the pharaoh Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty, the longest-reigning pharaoh, considered by historians to be one of the most successful ancient Egyptians. and as the “first great woman in history.”

Edfu Temple

Temple of Horus in Edfu, the second largest temple in Egypt. This temple, built between 237 and 57 BC, is dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus and is also known as the Temple of Horus.

Located between the Egyptian cities of Luxor and Aswan. A French archaeologist named Auguste Mariette discovered it from its sand burial in the 1860s. It is one of the most beautiful and best preserved Egyptian temples.

Temple of Philae

Located in a quiet area Island and dedicated to the goddess of love, the Temple of Isis was almost lost in floods when the Aswan Dam was built in the 1960s. Fortunately it was rescued and is now one of the most beautiful and best preserved ancient sanctuaries in Egypt .