All You Need to Know about Saving Temples of Abu Simbel Story

On the occasion of the phenomenon of the sun perpendicular to the holy of holies of the Temple of King Ramesses II in Abu Simbel that takes place on Feb. 22, let's pick up the story of saving the two temples of Abu Simbel in the sixties of the last century.

The Great Abu Simbel Temple of King Ramesses II in the Aswan Governorate is one of the most famous ancient temples in Egypt. The temple witnesses the phenomenon of the sun perpendicular to the Holy of Holies in the temple twice every year: one on October 22 and the other on February 22 each year.

The international campaign to save the monuments of Nubia began in 1959 after it came under threat due to the rise in the water level of the Nile River, which resulted from building the High Dam in Aswan.

The government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, represented by the former Minister of Culture Dr. Tharwat Okasha, therefore requested UNESCO to take the necessary measures to safeguard these heritage monuments in Nuba.

Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that in 1964 a multinational team of archaeologists, engineers and skilled heavy equipment operators began working together to save the two temples of Abu Simbel (the Great and Small Temple of Abu Simbel).

It took nearly six years to move the two temples, as they began to cut the two temples very carefully into large blocks, each of which weighed 30 tons, with an average of 20 tons, and they were removed and re-installed again in a new location at a height of 65 meters, he added.

The temples of Abu Simbel are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Nubian Monuments," which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae (near Aswan). The temples were built to be permanent monuments to King Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari, in celebration of his victory in the Battle of Kadesh.