Wednesday, November 18, 2009

ABU SIMBEL

Also called Ipsambul, site on the bank of the Nile River near the southern border of Egypt, some 33 mi. northeast of Wadi Halfa, Sudan. It is the location of two famous temples, hewn from a sandstone cliff by order of Rameses II (c. 1250 B.C). The entrance to the larger, known as the "Great Temple" and dedicated to Re-Harakhti and other Egyptian deities, is flanked by four colossal statues of Rameses, about 65 ft. high. Historically significant inscriptions and reliefs, including one representing the Battle of Kadesh, are found inside the temple. Construction of the Aswan High Dam has caused the site to flood, and a vast international effort was crowned in 1996 when the two temples were cut into blocks and trucked to a nearby location above water level. The temples are the largest of the many Nubian monuments saved.

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