After the Pyramids of Giza, probably the most recognized monuments in all of Egypt are the two Temples of Ramses II carved out of solid rock at a site on the west bank of the Nile, south of Aswan, known today as Abu Simbel. The temples are magnificent, but the fact that they were moved, actually dismantled and raised over 60 meters up the sandstone cliff from where they had been built more than 3,000 years before is even more remarkable. Once moved, they were reassembled, in the exact same relationship to each other and the sun.I’m getting ahead of my story. It was our last day on the cruise,
we were heading back to Cairo that evening for a New Year’s Eve celebration. We were up bright and early to catch a 6:00 a.m. flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel. Before coming on the trip I had read about the reconstruction of the temples and knew they had to be relocated due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam. I was excited to see this remarkable feat.
The temples were built by Pharaoh Ramses II (1279-1213 BCE) over a 20-year period beginning in 1244 BCE and dedicated to the sun gods Amon-Re and Re Horakhte. Known as the "Temple of Ramses, beloved by Amun", it was one of six rock temples erected in Nubia during the long reign of Ramses II. With the passage of time, the temples fell into disuse and eventually became covered by sand. The temples were actually discovered by a Swiss orientalist, JL Burckhardt, in 1813, but it wasn’t until 1817, when Italian explorer, Giovanni Belzoni, traveled to the site and was able to enter the complex that their existence became known. Belzoni took everything valuable and portable with him. Tour guides at the site relate the legend that "Abu Simbel" was a young local boy who guided these early re-discoverers to the site of the buried temples, which he had seen from time to time in the shifting sands. Eventually, they named the complex after him: Abu Simbel. True or not, it makes a good story.The massive facade of the main temple is dominated by the four seated colossal statues of Ramses. These familiar representations are of Ramses II himself.
Each statue, 67 feet high, is seated on a throne and wears the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Each are sculpted directly from the rock face. The thrones are decorated on their sides with Nile gods symbolically uniting Egypt. I can go on and on about the various statuary, the bas-relief that frames the entrance and much of the interior that tells stories of the marriage of Ramses to battle scenes and military champaigns. It was a wonderful morning and if you ever have the opportunity to visit Egypt, visiting Abu Simbel is a must.We flew back into Aswan and since we still had several hours until our flight back to Cairo we took a motorboat to the beautiful island of Philae. Philae Temple was also dismantled and reassembled in the wake of the High Dam. The temple, dedicated to the goddess Iris is in a beautiful setting, which has been landscaped to match its original site.
For a change of pace (after four days of visiting temples I was templed out!!!!) we stopped at a wonderful perfumery on the way back to the ship.
The owner of the factory explained the use of oils and aromatherapy by the ancient Egyptians, who distilled essential oils for cosmetic purposes as well as to treat all manner of illnesses.
Oils were also used in religious practices and in preserving dead bodies for the afterlife. According to our presenter, essential oils of different flowering plants cure everything from heartburn to headaches to insomnia. Since I’ve been an insomniac for years, I bought the magic elixir (oil of lavender) in hopes of getting a few hours of sound sleep. The verdict is still out!
We made it back to the ship for a late lunch, said our goodbyes to the ship’s captain,
gathered our mountains of luggage, and headed back to the airport at Aswan for our flight back to Cairo. It was New Year’s Eve. I had arranged for a special dinner at the Villa D’Este, a wonderful Italian restaurant in the Conrad Hotel. Because of the horrendous traffic in Cairo we didn’t get back to the hotel until almost 8:00 p.m. We managed to stay awake long enough for dinner, but faded fast after a couple glasses of champagne. So much for whooping it up in Cairo for New Year’s!!!The job of a tourist is never ending. Amr, our guide, did let us sleep in, so to speak, but by 9:00 a.m. we were heading out of Cairo to see the Pyramids of Dahshur and the soaring Step Pyramid, the first stone structure ever erected and a prelude to the Pyramids of Giza.
The earliest Egyptian pyramids were actually step pyramids. During the Third Dynasty the architect Imhotep built Egypt's first step pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser, by building a series of six successively smaller mastabas (an earlier form of tomb structure), one atop of another. But, by the Fourth Dynasty, plans had changed into the transformation of the "true pyramid". The earliest smooth-sided pyramids are those found in Dahshur.
At the archaeological site of Dahshur are some of the oldest pyramids in Egypt, including the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.
Also at Dahshur are several minor temples and tombs, some constructed during the Middle Kingdom.We headed back to Cairo in the late afternoon with a brief stop at a local carpet factory.
Having been to carpet showrooms and factories in Turkey, it was interesting to compare the types of carpets made in Egypt. From what little we saw at the factory, I definitely prefer Turkish carpets.
Join me next week in old Old Cairo visiting the beautiful Coptic Church of St. Sergius and the century old Ben Ezra Synagogue.
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