Where is abu simbel today

Lake Nasser is known for its excellent freshwater fishing, as well as its numerous crocodiles. But the highlight of the Nubian Valley is undoubtedly the temple complex, which 3, years on endures as an iconic symbol of both humankind's common heritage and how one ancient monument can help preserve the planet. Of course, it could have been something else entirely:.

Places That Changed the World is a BBC Travel series looking into how a destination has made a significant impact on the entire planet. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Discovery Heritage. Share using Email. By Laura Kiniry 10th April It's all done so perfectly.

Zecchi notes that the four seated statues of the pharaoh, at the entrance, show the ruler wearing a short kilt, nemes headdress, double crown with cobra and false beard. The interior of the temple stretches into the mountain for about feet 64 meters. The first room is an atrium made up of eight pillars, four on each side, that Zecchi notes depicts Ramesses II in the guise of the god Osiris. The atrium also has now empty storerooms on its sides. Researchers have noted that on two days of the year October 22 and February 22 all these statues, except for Ptah who is associated with the underworld , are bathed in sunlight.

As mentioned earlier, the smaller temple at Abu Simbel has, outside its entrance, four statues of pharaoh and two of his bride, Nefertari. Each statue is about 33 feet 10 meters tall, a buttress in between each of them. The interior of the temple is simpler than that of the great temple. It contains six pillars that show depictions of the goddess Hathor. The new site was about meters further inland and 65 meters higher up. The temples' alignment in relation to one another and to the cardinal directions had to be exactly the same as before.

This was so that during certain hours of the spring and autumn, the rays of the sun would continue to illuminate the statues in the larger temple's inner halls, 60 meters into the cliff. The blocks were put back into position one at a time with extreme precision. The permitted deviation was just plus or minus 5 mm.

Here as well, Atlas Copco's pneumatic equipment came well to use. Its ease of handling and low weight was an added bonus in working with the porous sandstone. The blocks were secured to one another using reinforcement bars and drilled holes, and the joints were filled with an artificial material. Atlas Copco's Kv drill was one of the tools used for drilling the holes.

The temples could obviously not be framed in natural stone as at their original site. This feature had to be artificially produced. Ramses' temple was cut into the face of the cliff, before which is a rock-cut terrace. The temple is approached across this terrace up a flight of steps with an inclined plane in the middle, and enclosed on either side by a balustrade behind which stood a row of hawks and statues of Ramses in various forms.

This facade is one feet wide, and feet high, while the colossal statues are 67 feet in height. At the top of the pylon, above the cornice, is a row of baboons, who, as Watchers of the Dawn, are shown with their hands raised in adoration of the rising sun.