Four colossal statues of Ramesses II face the lake, twenty meters tall and over three thousand years old. Abu Simbel sits far south near the Sudanese border, and this early trip from Aswan gets you there before the crowds.
Overview
Nothing prepares you for your first sight of Abu Simbel. Four colossal figures of Ramesses II sit carved into the rock, each about twenty meters tall, facing the lake as they have for more than three thousand years. It is the most dramatic temple in Egypt, and it stands far in the south, close to the Sudanese border, so reaching it is part of the adventure.
You leave Aswan before dawn, with your driver doing the work while you rest, and arrive in the soft early light when the stone glows and the crowds are still small. Your Egyptologist guides you through the Great Temple, built to honor Ramesses II and the gods of Egypt, and then to the smaller Temple of Nefertari, dedicated to his queen and to the goddess Hathor. The story of how both temples were cut into blocks and lifted to higher ground in the 1960s, to save them from the rising waters behind the High Dam, is one of the great rescues in the history of heritage.
There is free time to wander around the site, photograph the colossi against the lake and step inside to see the sanctuary, where on two days each year, in February and October, the rising sun lights up the statues in the innermost chamber.
Book this Abu Simbel day trip from Aswan if you want to see one of the wonders of the ancient world without the hassle of organizing a long journey. EgyptLens arranges the private vehicle, the Egyptologist, the tickets and a packed breakfast, and brings you back to Aswan in the early afternoon.
Highlights
- The four colossal statues of Ramesses II at the Great Temple
- The Temple of Nefertari, dedicated to the queen and to Hathor
- The story of how the temples were moved in the 1960s
- The sanctuary where the sun aligns with the statues twice a year
- Private vehicle and Egyptologist with a packed breakfast
- Back in Aswan in the early afternoon
