ABU SIMBEL TEMPLES, EGYPT, APR.2017

Abu Simbel Temples are two massive rock temples at Abu Simbel, a village in Numibia, southern Egypt, near the border with Sudan. They are situated about 230 km (145 ml) southwest from Aswan, 300 km by the road (188 ml). The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Nubian Monuments" which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae (near Aswan). The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. Their huge external rock relief figures have become iconic. The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968, on an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir. The relocation of the temples was necessary to prevent their being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River. Construction of the temple complex started in approximately 1264 BCE and lasted for about 20 years, until 1244 BCE. Known as the "Temple of Ramesses, beloved by Amun" it was one of six rock temples erected in Nubia during the long reign of Ramesses II. Their purpose was to impress Egypt's southern neighbours, and also to reinforce the status of Egyptian religion in the region.

    The complex consists of two temples. The larger one is dedicated to Ra-Harakhty, Ptah and Amun, Egypt's three state gods of the time, and features four large statues of Ramesses II in the facade. The smaller temple is dedicated to the goddess Hathor, personified by Nefertari, Ramesses's most beloved of his many wives. The temple is now open to the public. We went there by private car and driver, accompanied by our new guide for Aswan, Nile Cruise and Luxor, Mr. Rajab Alazab, very educated young Egyptologist, speaking excellent English. They came to pick from the Cruise Ship very yearly in the morning. We met the sunrise in the Nubian Desert. We needed 3 hours driving to there, 2 hours for sight-seeing and 3 more hours back. It was 1 full working day for them. We were very much satisfied from the journey through the South Sahara (Nubian) Desert and the seeing and going around the temples. In this blog- album are given the best photos from around the Temples. Inside  the Temples was forbidden to take photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASWAN DAMS AND UNFINISHED OBELICK, EGYPT, APR.2017

         BAswan Dams are really two: old - Aswan Low Dam, built downstream between 1898 and  1902 and new - Aswan High Dam, build across  the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt between 1960 and 1970. Based on the success of the Low Dam, construction of the High Dam became a key objective of the new Government following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, with its ability to better control flooding, provide increase water storage for irritation and generate hydroelectricity. The High Dam has a significant effect on the economy and culture of Egypt.

     The Aswan High Dam is 3,830 m (12,570 ft) long, 980 m (3,220 ft) wide at the base, 40 m (130 ft) wide at the crest and 111 m (364 ft) tall. It contains 43,000,000 cubic meters of material. At maximum 11,000 cubic meters per second (390,000 cu ft/s) of water can pass through the dam. The reservoir, named Lake Nasser, is 550 km (340 ml) long and 35 km (22 ml) at its widest, with the surface area of 5,250 sq km (2,030 sq ml). It holds 132 cub km (1.73x10 on 11 degree  (trillions) cu yd of water).
       We visited Aswan dams by car on the way from the Airport of Aswan  to our hotel-cruise ship accosted on Nile River in the Port of Aswan. We stopped on the High Dam for view and taking photos and continued to pass over the Low Dam. Our next stop was The Unfinished Obelisk.
   The Unfinished Obelisk of Aswan is the Largest known ancient obelisk. It was ordered by Hatshepsut (15th century BC) possibly to substitute the Lateran  Obelisk in Karnack, moved  later to Rome. It is 1/3 larger than any ancient Egyptian Obelisk ever erected. If finished it would be measured 42 m (137 ft) and weighted 1,200 tons. The obelisk was carved directly out of bedrock, but cracks appeared in the granite and the project was abandoned. The Unfinished Obelisk is protected by the Egyptian government as an archeological site and visited by all tourists, visiting this Area. All our photos of the Dams and Obelisk are shown in this album.