Wondrous Abu Simbel Colossol Temples In Egypt

Visiting The Wondrous Abu Simbel Colossol Temples In Egypt

I was so glad I did not miss visiting the wondrous Abu Simbel colossal temples on our Viking Cruises trip along the Nile River. From our stop in Aswan, we flew to Abu Simbel and explored the two massive rock-cut temples of Ramesses II. 

The temples were unique not just for their size and the massive colossal statues at the entrance. But the amazing fact was that in 1968 these two temples were moved piece by piece when the Aswan Dam was created to save them from being flooded. They were moved 200 m (656 ft) to the northwest and 65 m (213 ft) higher than their original location. The temples were cut into about 1042 large blocks, lifted to the new site and built back into a cliff that was created. This was a major engineering accomplishment for this UNESCO World Heritage site.

We expected a visit to Abu Simbel to be a highlight of the temples on the Nile River. 

Ways To Visit Abu Simbel

On most stops on our Viking Nile River cruise, we had a choice of excursions included in the price of the cruise. But in a few spots, there were some expensive optional tours offered. Sadly, we booked a hot air balloon ride in Luxor that we missed when the weather did not co-operate.

The other expensive tour that was offered took us to the Abu Simbel temples. The Viking trip included a flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel and then several hours touring the temples. 

There were 2 other options commonly used to see the Abu Simbel temples. Land tours were available from Aswan but these required long drives of about 4 hours each way through the Sahara Desert. While a cheaper option, we did not want to spend this much time in a bus in transit. If we were staying in Aswan for any length of time, there were also 3 or 4 night cruises on Lake Nasser that included overnight stays in Abu Simbel.

After doing a lot of research, we agreed we did not want to miss seeing the wondrous Abu Simbel colossal temples. And we decided the Viking option was best for us. Unlike our hot air balloon excursion, there was less risk of cancellation for this extra adventure.

An Excursion That Almost Did Not Happen

We expected the excursion to Abu Simbel to be a highlight of our Viking Nile River cruise. We saw many of the main temples in Luxor on our first visit to Luxor in 2016. And at some point, we expected we might get a bit tired of seeing temple after temple along the Nile River. But we knew that Abu Simbel was an amazing sight.

But then David broke his foot on the second day of our river cruise when we explored the Dendara Temple in Qena. We made the decision not to fly home immediately and let the swelling go down. But we knew David would not be exploring any more temples.

After David’s injury, for each of the excursions along the Nile River we made decisions about whether I would go alone. But the decision was quite easy for Abu Simbel given the cost we paid for the optional excursion and how much we really wanted to see this.  We agreed I would still fly to Abu Simbel and not miss this adventure. And we hoped that our travel insurance would cover the lost cost of David’s missed excursion.

In the end, we were glad I did not miss the wondrous Abu Simbel colossal temples.

A Quick Stop At The Aswan Dam

Our Viking cruise group (minus David) had an early morning departure for the trip to Abu Simbel. But that gave us enough time for a short stop enroute at the Aswan Dam. A Viking excursion later in the day gave passengers a longer stay at the Aswan Dam.

The Aswan Dam was an engineering marvel. After 10 years construction, the dam creating Lake Nasser was finished in 1970. The dam regulated the water flows on the Nile River and became a major source of power for Egypt. But to create the dam, major areas were flooded. This required the relocation of many communities. And also required the relocation of many temples such as Abu Simbel.

Our bus passed armed security and parked on top of the dam. From this position we got an amazing view over the power plant and the Nile River downstream of the dam. On the other side, we saw the massive Lake Nasser.

We found different educational posters at this stop which detailed the design and construction of the Aswan Dam. It reminded me of the stunning Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River we visited in China. That dam also created major challenges and impacted many from its construction. 

A First Look At The Wondrous Abu Simbel Colossal Temples

From the Aswan Dam it was a short drive to the Aswan Airport. We boarded our private charter flight for a short flight of about 45 minutes. Out the windows of the plane, we saw the vast Sahara Desert below us. We saw the long highway through the desert and canals that brought water to several areas for agriculture. 

Landing in Abu Simbel, it was a short bus ride to the temple site. We had two options to reach the temples from the parking lot. Golf carts were available for those who chose not to walk in the hot temperatures (40°C or 104°F). I happily chose the golf cart and bypassed the pesky vendors when we returned to the bus!

The site was large with large open areas, a shop and shaded green space. The first view of the two massive rock-cut temples set into the limestone cliff was indeed stunning. One of the temples was dedicated to Ramesses II and the front contained four imposing seated colossal statues. The second smaller temple was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramesses II’s Great Royal Wife, Queen Nefertari. Of course, I sent a video back to David of the amazing Abu Simbel temples to know I had arrived safely! 

Admiring The Entrance To The Ramesses II Temple

Approaching the Ramesses II temple, we got a closer view of the massive colossal statues of Ramesses set into the cliff face. Colossol statues are three-dimensional sculpture of a person or animal that is at least twice human life-size. These were many times human scale! It was thought that the massive size of these statues were used to scare potential enemies who approached Egypt’s southern region from the Nile.

The two seated figures on each side of the entrance had small figures carved at their feet which represented Ramesses’ children, his queen, Nefertari and his mother (Muttuy or Queen Ti). I was intrigued when I saw one of the statues that was damaged during an earthquake. Its broken head and torso were simply left lying on the ground.

Above the doorway we saw the image of Ra Horakhty, the falcon-headed sun god. And reliefs showing Ramesses II worshipping Ra. Along the top, we saw a long row of 22 baboons worshipping the sun. Baboons were associated with the god Thoth and were revered by ancient Egyptians.

Our first view of the Ramesses II temple got us excited to explore more of the wondrous Abu Simbel colossal temples.

Exploring Inside The Ramesses II Temple

We entered the interior and wandered through two halls, a sanctuary and six side chambers. 

In the first hypostyle hall, we found eight tall pillar statues of Ramesses II as Osiris (god of the afterlife and resurrection). The statues stood with their arms crossed to show the power of the kings. The reign of the kings was reinforced with statues on one side wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt and on the other side they wore the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. As we wandered in this hall, we found a wide variety of reliefs that showed military campaigns. 

The second large area contained a series of square pillars decorated with scenes. We were interested to see some colour still in the reliefs.

At the end we saw the sanctuary with four rock-cut sculptures. It was said that the temple was aligned such that these sanctuary sculptures would be illuminated on two key Ramesses II dates – February 22 for his coronation day and October 22 for his birthday.

Before leaving the Ramesses II temple, we explored the six narrow side chambers from the hypostyle hall. The scenes on the walls represented offerings to the gods.

Wandering through the Ramesses II temple made me very glad I had not missed the excursion to the wondrous Abu Simbel colossal temples.

The Smaller Temple of Hathor and Nefertari

From the Ramesses II temple we moved to the smaller temple.  The outside was adorned with six colossal statues of Ramesses II and his queen, Nefertari. We were surprised when we saw the queen portrayed at a scale equal to a pharaoh. At the feet of the statues we saw small statues of the sons and daughters of the royal couple.

The first large area was a hypostyle hall with six pillars with the face of Hathor. Hathor was the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and music. She was shown as a beautiful woman with cow’s ears and an image of a temple on her head. 

The pillars also contained reliefs that showed the queen in different activities. A few of the reliefs showed Ramesses II striking his enemies with the queen looking on.

As we wandered around, we saw a variety of other reliefs. And very small chambers that were blocked off from entry. 

The smaller temple of Hathor and Nefertari provided a different perspective on my visit to the wondrous Abu Simbel colossal temples.

Don’t Miss The Wondrous Abu Simbel Colossal Temples In Egypt

After our visit, we flew back from Abu Simbel and returned to our Viking Nile River cruise in Aswan. David waited to see all the great pictures and hear all about the wondrous Abu Simbel temples. He was certainly sad he missed this adventure in Egypt.

Many temples were on our plan for this Egypt visit. But Abu Simbel was definitely a highlight of the trip. This excursion was definitely worth the extra cost on our Viking Nile River cruise.

Did you visit the wondrous Abu Simbel colossal temples? Was it worth the extra trip for you? 

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