- temples of Ramesses II and queen Nefertari
(22o21' N 31o38'
E) of two rock-cut temples of Ramesses II, located about 250 km south-east of
Aswan. The temples were discovered by the traveller Jean-Louis Burckhard
in 1813 and cleared by
Giovanni Belzoni four years later. The largest
temple is dedicated to Amon-Re, Re-Horakhte, Ptah and the deified Ramesses
II. The facade is dominated by four colossal seated figures of Ramesses II
wearing the double crown and nemes headcloth. Between the two pairs of
figures is the entrance to the cavernous interior of the monument. The
monument thus symbolized Ramesses II's domination of Nubia. The great
temple is precisely aligned so that twice a year (20 February and
20 October) the rising sun illuminates the sanctuary and seated statues of
the gods at the rearmost point of the temple.
Alittle to the north of the great temple lies a small rock-cut temple
dedicated to queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor of Abshek. This facade
features two standing figures of the king, flanking those of his queen, on
each side of the entrance. A passage leads to a six-pillared hall with
sistrum-capital columns, followed by a vestibule, and finally the
sanctuary, where a statue of the goddess Hathor protects Ramesses II.
the 1960's these temples were threatened by the rising waters of Lake
Nasser resulting from the construction of the Aswan High Dam and were
dismantled, moved and reassembled on 210 m further inland and 65 m higher, through the
co-operation of archeologists and engineers working under a UNESCO