Abel Simbel Temples

Rameses II temple at Abel Simbel
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This morning saw the end of our boat cruise and an early departure to the Aswan airport for our flight to Abel Simbel. With our luggage tagged to Cairo, we were off on our 40min flight – embarking up the rear of the plane. This was surely a budget airline, and when I dared to use the restroom during the flight – I just closed my eyes and prayed I didn’t catch anything! Once landed, we had a total of 2hrs before our return flight was departing. Once there, and the now customary trip through the metal scanner for us and our bags, Assem gave us a brief history of these temples.

Queen Nefertari Temple built by her husband Rameses II
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After a dust storm, an archaeologist was contacted by a fellow called Abel Simbel and told of the appearance of a large figure in the sand, and asked whether he would like to see it. Intrigued, the fellow said yes, and was shown what appeared to be part of a huge colossus that had been buried by centuries of silt and sand. Upon his return home, he told a number of his peers, and told then if they wanted to see it to travel to the nearby city and ask for a man named Abel Simbel. After all this time, this is now the name given to the location of the colossus statues carved into the mountain and the inner temples they guard.

Man can move a mountain (and temples)

The two temples in their new resting place...
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We are told with the building of the high dam, these temples too would have been sunken forever under water.  After a huge international effort, the statues, and mountain inner temples were moved piece by piece to where they stand today, as part of an artificial mountain. The main temple was built by Rameses II, and the front of the temple is flanked by four large statues of him. The other temple is the only temple in Egypt built for a Queen, showing how much Rameses II adored his Queen Nefertari. Her temple is fronted by six statues, four of Rameses II flanking either side of two of Nefertari. We are able to take photos outside, but are not permitted to take photos inside either of the temples.

We finish here and are back to Aswan on the plane where we wait for about 90min before boarding another plane to take us back to Cairo. Here, the trip back to the hotel from the airport takes nearly an hour and a half, with many near misses and horn honking and the stop-start nearly making me sick. Joe and I are invited to join a couple from Colorado at a local pizza place for dinner later that night. They found this place on our first visit to Cairo and were keen to go back. Taking our life into our own hands we crossed two busy roads (nearly took 10 mins), but were eventually rewarded with a scrumptious pizza and chocolate cake and a good cappuccino for dessert. The trip back was just as hazardous but successful.

We stopped at a nearby Vodaphone shop to see if we could get our local phone sims working by putting some money on a prepaid account.  This however did not work and Joe decided to go back to the shop the following day. That was it for today.