Abu Simbel

Today we are driving further south, almost 4 hours by car, to Abu Simbel to visit the temple of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari.

I think everyone knows these temples, which were dismantled and rebuilt in another location in the late 1960s due to the construction of the Aswan Dam.

The journey goes through the desert, a practically new road leads through the dry, sandy landscape. In between, green areas can be seen where wheat is grown. The water is diverted from the Nile. The Egyptian state is trying to make use of the land in the desert as the population grows. There is not enough space in the cities (no surprise there) and more agricultural products need to be produced. Hence the cultivation in the middle of the desert. Crazy!

Arrival in Abu Simbel, right next to Lake Nasser.

I am deeply impressed. The depictions in the temple are incredibly expressive and vivid - unfortunately, the other temple visits pale in comparison. If you want to visit a temple in Egypt, you should choose Abu Simbel!

The complex for Ramses II is winding and full of side rooms, you can hardly get enough of it. I ask Hoda why Ramses II had such a temple built in the deep south of the country. Even back then, the border with Nubia was nearby (today it is the border with Sudan). Ramses II wanted to demonstrate his power and Egyptian culture to the Nubians and had this temple built - if you see the temple 3500 years later, the effect is definitely the same. Here you understand that pharaohs were worshipped like gods.

Next to it is the temple for Nefertari, which Ramses II had built. It is much smaller and in the first room, one person is particularly prominent: Ramses himself. :) But Nefertari is depicted with him everywhere, standing by his side or behind him. That is a great honor when you have a man who had several dozen other women and almost 100 offspring.

In the evening, we come back for the light and sound show at the temple. The show is dripping with pathos, but if you have time, you should indulge in it anyway because it is unique to see the temples at night and under the starry sky.

Abu Simbel will stay with me for a long time.