Why was the Abu Simbel temple moved?
Moving the temple Abu Simbel survived through ancient times, only to be threatened by modern progress. Because the site would soon be flooded by the rising Nile, it was decided that the temples should be moved.
How did they relocate Abu Simbel?
The temples were not built of stone or any other material, but were instead carved into a cliff. To move the temples, the rock above the temple roofs first had to be “peeled away”. The roofs, walls and not the least the temple facades were then cut into blocks, each weighing between 20 and 30 tons.
What is the purpose of Abu Simbel?
Ramses built the Temple at Abu Simbel in Egypt to intimidate his enemies and seat himself amongst the gods.
How was the Abu Simbel saved from near destruction?
Dismantling began at the top of the temples, while their facades were protected by sand cushions to prevent fragments from falling and causing damage. The Great Temple alone was covered with 19,000 cubic metres of sand. The interior of the temples was bolstered by a steel scaffolding.
Why was Egypt’s Abu Simbel temple moved in the 1960s?
The relocation of the temples was necessary or they would have been submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile. The project was carried out as part of the UNESCO Nubian Salvage Campaign.
What happened in the 1960s to the temple of Ramesses 2 at Abu Simbel?
The four colossal statues of Ramses in front of the main temple are spectacular examples of ancient Egyptian art. By means of a complex engineering feat in the 1960s, the temples were salvaged from the rising waters of the Nile River caused by erection of the Aswan High Dam.
Who excavated Abu Simbel?
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
Carved out of a sandstone cliff on the west bank of the Nile, south of Korosko (modern Kuruskū), the temples were unknown to the outside world until their rediscovery in 1813 by the Swiss researcher Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. They were first explored in 1817 by the early Egyptologist Giovanni Battista Belzoni.
Which pharaoh ordered the construction of the Abu Simbel?
Ramses II wanted there to be absolutely no question which pharaoh had built the magnificent temple at Abu Simbel. At its entrance, four 60-plus-foot-tall seated statues of him serve as sentries. Dedicated to the sun gods, the temple extends 185 feet into its cliff via a series of three towering halls.
Who ordered the construction of the Abu Simbel temples?
Abu Simbel, site of two temples built by the Egyptian king Ramses II (reigned 1279–13 bce), now located in Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), southern Egypt. In ancient times the area was at the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt, facing Nubia.