Abu Simbel Temples
معبدا أبو سمبل
Twin rock-cut temples carved by Ramesses II, guarded by four 20 m colossal statues. They were once cut into blocks and moved upward to escape Lake Nasser.
Abu Simbel lies on the shores of Lake Nasser, about 280 km south of Aswan, near the Sudanese border. It comprises two rock temples carved around 1264 BC under Ramesses II. The facade of the Great Temple has four seated pharaoh statues about 20 m tall. Inside are eight Osiride pillars and reliefs recording the Battle of Kadesh. The Small Temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. In the 1960s, to keep the temples from being submerged by Lake Nasser, formed by the High Dam, the international community cooperated to cut both temples into more than a thousand blocks. They were reassembled 65 m higher. This rescue directly led to the World Heritage Convention. The axis of the Great Temple is ingeniously designed: around 22 February and 22 October, the rising sun shines through a 60 m deep corridor to light up the statues in the inner sanctuary. Getting there: it takes about 3.5 hours by bus from Aswan (tour groups often depart at 4 a.m.), or about 45 minutes by plane. Entry is about 750 Egyptian pounds (confirm on site). Stay overnight at Abu Simbel to see the evening sound-and-light show, and visit the temples at dawn, alone, while they are still empty.
Opening hours
05:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Temple of Kalabsha
- Aswan High Dam
- Philae Temple (Temple of Isis)
- Nubian Village (Gharb Soheil)
- Sehel Island (Famine Stela)
- Nubian Museum
- Mausoleum of Aga Khan III
- Sofitel Legend Old Cataract