Abu Simbel is one of the most recognisable ancient sites in Egypt, if not the world but many people don’t know that this enigmatic structure built by Pharaoh Ramesses II in 1244 BC, was dismantled, cut into blocks and moved stone by stone to a new location in the 1960s.
For around 3,000 years it sat on the west bank of the River Nile, between the first and second cataracts of the Nile. Abu Simbel contains two temples, carved into the mountainside. Interestingly, its original location was considered to be in Nubia, a land that was at times independent from ancient Egypt.
Abu Simbel may have survived relatively intact until the 20th century but it was modern man that put the site at risk and forced it to be moved.
In the 1960s, a decision was made to build a new High Dam at Aswan, forcing the temples to be relocated onto the desert plateau, around 200 feet above and 180 feet west of their original location. Today, the original site is now flooded.
Moving the temples of Abu Simbel was a colossal job and involved cutting it into pieces that each weighed between 3 and 20 tons and then reassembling them precisely as they once were. The whole project took 5 years to complete and involved 3,000 workers. Back in the 1960s it also cost a whopping $42 million.
Watch this video to learn more about the events of Abu Simbel in the 1960s, including some extremely rare footage you may never have seen before. #egypt#architecture
Simbel is one of the most recognisable ancient sites in Egypt, if not the world, but many
people don't know that this enigmatic structure that was built by Pharaoh Ramesses II in 1244
BC was dismantled, cut into blocks and moved stone by stone to a new location in the 1960s.
For around 3000 years it sat on the west bank of the river Nile, between the first and second
cataracts of the river.
Abu Simbel contains two temples, each carved into the mountainside. Ludwig Burghardt is
the man who rediscovered it beneath the sand in 1813, and four years later, the famous
explorer Giovanni Belzoni uncovered the buried entrance to the main temple.
The larger of the two temples contains these four colossal statues of a seated figure of
Ramesses the Great at its entrance, each around 69 feet tall. It was built in such a way that
twice a year, on October 22nd and February 22nd, sunlight shone into the inner sanctuary
and lit up three statues that were seated on a bench, including one of the pharaoh.
The importance of these dates is debated by experts, but most believe they mark the birth
and coronation of the king.
The second smaller temple is thought to have been for Queen Nefertari. Its front includes
two statues of the queen and four of the king, each around 33 feet in height.
Interestingly, its original location was considered to be in Nubia, a land that was, at times,
independent from ancient Egypt.
Abu Simbel may have survived relatively intact until the 20th century, but it was modern
man that put the site at risk and forced it to be moved.
In the 1960s, a decision was made to build a new high dam at Aswan, forcing the temple
to be relocated onto the desert plateau, about 200 feet above and 180 feet west of the original
location.
Today, the original site is now flooded.
Moving the temples of Abu Simbel was a colossal job, and involved cutting it into pieces that
each weighed between 3 and 20 tonnes, and then they were precisely reassembled as they
once were.
The whole project took five years to complete and involved 3,000 workers.
Back in the 1960s, it also cost a whopping $42 million.
So why did it cost so much and take so long?
Well, the larger of the two temples, known as the Temple of Ramesses Meriamen, meaning
Ramesses, Beloved of Amun, stretched into the interior of the mountain for 210 feet.
And as well as the exterior, the interior was also beautifully carved with exquisite
detail.
The workers of the 1960s didn't just move a temple, they actually moved a mountain.
A reporter who was present at the completion said,
It was enough to make one doubt if the temples were moved at all.
I will do a more in-depth video in the future about the features of the temple, but for
the remainder of this video, I will first present to you a vintage report from before
the work began in the 1960s, followed by vintage photographs and video of the incredible work
that took place to move Abu Simbel.
Thank you very much for watching and supporting this channel in 2019, and I wish each and
every one of you a Happy New Year.
But now a new enemy threatens, progress.
Abu Simbel, with its inner temples and outer shrines, will be flooded as the new Aswan
Dam raises the level of the Nile River 180 feet.
Priceless relics such as this 30 foot high statue of Ramesses II, hewn from living rock,
must be moved or they will be lost forever.
To preserve the treasures of Abu Simbel, the United Nations Economic and Social Council,
UNESCO, has approved a plan to cut the statues into sections and reassemble them on a plateau
above the present site.
Here in animation is how the gigantic international salvage operation will work.
Step one, a giant crane will lift to the upper plateau the top third of the 20 ton,
60 foot high outer statues.
Step two, the middle section of Ramesses II is raised up some 150 feet.
Step three, the final part is moved from the old site to the new.
Step four, the middle part is put back in place.
And finally, the first third is mounted on the other two.
The same procedure will be followed for all four figures.
When work is completed, the waters of the Nile will rise
to flow again at the feet of Ramesses II.
Once, it seemed, this priceless heritage of antiquity was doomed.
The past would be drowned in order to make way for the future.
But science and man have combined talents and skill
to preserve for countless ages and untold centuries
the magnificent treasures of Abu Simbel.
