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Key Information:
Tour Duration: 1 day(s)
Group Size: 2+ people
Destination(s): Abu Simbel/Aswan
Specialty Categories: Luxury
Season: All year
Airfare Included: Yes
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: |
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Abu Simbel a short trip to south of Aswan takes you to an unique site. The most spectacular aspect of this temple is its setting in the solid rock above the banks of the Nile River between the First and Second Cataracts. Between January 1966 and September 1968, the restoration work crews carved the temples into over a thousand pieces. The pieces were then reassembled on an artificial hill above the reach of Lake Nasser.
Ramses II built the Great Temple to honor himself and the gods of the state. The four seated statues of Ramses are about 20 meters in height. At the feet of Ramses stand the statues of his favorite children. Many stelae were found at the southern end of the temple, including the famous Marriage Stela. This stela describes the arrival of the Hittite princess to Egypt to marry Ramses following the treaty with the Hittites.
Inside the temple, eight Osiride statues of Rameses II are attached to pillars and support the roof. The sun shines on Ramses II�s statues only two days out of each year: Oct 22 and Feb 22. These two days were his birthday and his coronation day.
The walls depict scenes which show Ramses greatness in battle. Ramses was particularly proud of his victory at the battle of Kadesh and depicted this on numerous monuments including this temple.
The Temple of Hathor is to the north of the Great Temple. It depicts Ramses II�s first queen Nefertari on the facade between statues of her husband. The inside of this temple shows Nefertari participating in the divine ritual in the same capacity as her husband.
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