Abu Simbel:Everything You Need To Know To Plan Your Visit

Abu Simbel undisputedly one of the world’s most breathtaking monuments, and Egypt’s second most visited touristic site, the Pyramids of Giza being on the top of the list. The relocation of the temples was a historic event in the 1960’s. At that time, the temples were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser when the High Dam was constructed.

Abu Simbel Temples build by Ramses II, The great temple dedicated to him and the smaller temple dedicated to his beloved wife queen Nefertari and was built 3.000 years ago.

To get here, you can plan a day trip from either Aswan or Cairo.travel times can be long(if you travel by land, it takes three and half hour one way drive)or expensive(if you travel by air), so is it worth it? Absolutely! The temples of Abu Simbel are some of the most impressive and unique temples you will see in Egypt, so it is well worth the visit.

Where Is Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is located 280km (174 Miles) southwest of Aswan and 40 km (24 Miles) north of the Sudanese border. It sits on the western bank of Lake Nasser in the region called Nubia.

About Abu Simbel Temple

Abu Simbel, site of two temples built by the Egyptian king Ramses II (reigned 1279–13 BCE), now located in Aswan southern Egypt. In ancient times the area was at the southern frontier of paranoiac Egypt, facing Nubia. The four colossal statues of Ramses in front of the main temple are spectacular examples of ancient Egyptian art. By means of a complex engineering feat in the 1960s, the temples were salvaged from the rising waters of the Nile River caused by erection of the Aswan High Dam.

Carved out of a sandstone cliff on the west bank of the Nile, south of  Aswan, the temples were unknown to the outside world until their rediscovery in 1813 by the Swiss researcher Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. They were first explored in 1817 by the early Egyptologist Giovanni Battista Belzoni.

The 66-foot (20-metre) seated figures of Ramses are set against the recessed face of the cliff, two on either side of the entrance to the main temple. Carved around their feet are small figures representing Ramses’ children, his queen, Nefertari, and his mother, Muttuy (Mut-tuy, or Queen Ti). Graffiti inscribed on the southern pair by Greek mercenaries serving Egypt in the 6th century BCE have provided important evidence of the early history of the Greek alphabet. The temple itself, dedicated to the sun gods Amon-Re and Re-Horakhte, consists of three consecutive halls extending 185 feet (56 metres) into the cliff, decorated with more Osiris statues of the king and with painted scenes of his purported victory at the Battle of Kadesh. On two days of the year (about February 22 and October 22), the first rays of the morning sun penetrate the whole length of the temple and illuminate the shrine in its innermost sanctuary.

Just to the north of the main temple is a smaller one, dedicated to Nefertari for the worship of the goddess Hathor and adorned with 35-foot (10.5-metre) statues of the king and queen.

How To Get To Abu Simbel

To visit Abu Simbel, there are three ways, the first, round-trip flight from Aswan, second, by land from Aswan and the third, when flying between Cairo and Aswan.

The first way which round-trip flight from Aswan consider the fastest and the best way to get there and flight time average 45 minutes one-way.

The flights are timed such that you have roughly and hour and half to visit the temples before you catch the flight back to Aswan.

Note: Egypt Air is the only airline that offers flights to Abu Simbel.

The second way by land, expect a long journey more than 8 hours trip, one way, it is a 174 miles drive that takes between 3 and 3 and half hours.

Egypt Key Tours offers a variety of land options based on the type of vehicle, for more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us or email us at: info@egyptkeytours.com

https://www.egyptkeytours.com/tours/tour-to-abu-simbel-temples-from-aswan-by-flight/

https://www.egyptkeytours.com/tours/tour-to-abu-simbel-temples-from-aswan-by-vehicle/

Prices for Abu Simbel in 2021:

• 255 EGP per person
• 133 EGP per student
• 300 EGP PER Camera
• 20 EGP for a tripod