We flew to Abu Simbel from Aswan by Egypt air flight. It was a 40 min flight. In afternoon we visited the temple. This village is located near the borer of Sudan. This is a UNESCO heritage site and one of the most famous Nubian monuments. The entire site was relocated due to the creation of Lake Naseer. Flocks of birds can be seen returning inland at dusk , they flew out in the morning to catch Nile fish.
We watched Light and Sound show at Abu Simbel. It was one the best light and sound show I have seen in Egypt. It explained in great detail the life and time of pharaohs , history of the temple and pictorial depiction of relocation of the temple in 1968.
We were staying at the Eskaleh Nubian lodge. The friendly owner, Fikry el Kashef, a Nubian musician, was educated in Switzerland but returned to his homeland after the Abu Simbel temples were moved. The lodge was constructed using locally available construction material using Nubian architecture.
We woke up very early next morning to visit Abu Simble temple . It was magnificent to watch sunrise there when when first rays of sun lights up colossal status of Ramses II. Later we went inside the temple.
The larger of the two temples contains four colossal statues of a seated Ramesses II at its entrance, each about 69 feet (21 meters) tall.
Inside the temple of Rameses huge statues have been carved out of the rock. At the far end Rameses is depicted with three deities. These were illuminated only twice a year (October 22 and February 22) when a shaft of light from the rising sun penetrated the passage for a few minutes. Light would shine into the inner sanctuary and light up three statues seated on a bench, including one of the pharaoh. It’s been hypothesized that these dates may celebrate his coronation and birth.
In addition Abu Simbel has a second, smaller, temple that may have been built for queen Nefertari. Its front includes two statues of the queen and four of the pharaoh, each about 33 feet (10 meters) in height. Each is set between buttresses carved with hieroglyphs.
We spent around 4 hours at Abu Simbel and then walked back to our hotel for breakfast. Latter a shared minibus picked us up from the hotel . Due to security reason all tourist buses join as part of a police convoy at 10.30 AM to Aswan
