bulbul's mind and matter

Abu Simbel

And my tryst with the Great Temple’s Solar Configuration

Abu Simbel in Egypt comes under Aswan Governorate, upper Egypt, and the complex is famous for two huge, sandstone, rock-cut temples. The builder of those temples was the great Pharaoh , Ramesses II who ruled for 67 years. The construction of the temples started approximately in 1264 BC. It went on for 20 years and was completed in 1244 BC which was roughly the 24^th year of Ramesses’ reign. The Great Temple is dedicated to himself and the Small Temple is dedicated to his chief queen, Nefertari.

The name of the region is Nubia. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site known as ‘Nubian monuments’. Nubia was important to Ramesses II because it was a ‘source of gold and many other precious trade goods.’ To show his power to the Nubians, Ramesses II built many mighty temples and the most noteworthy were the above-mentioned ones. The temples were covered in sand as it was abandoned. It was rediscovered between 1813-1817 by Swiss orientalist Johann Ludwig Burckhardt and Italian explorer Giovanni Betzoni.

The Great Temple and the Small Temple are located on the western bank of Lake Nasser. However, this is not the original site where the temples were built. They were originally located in Aswan at the second waterfall of Nile river. The Aswan High Dam was being constructed and upon its completion the temples faced the danger of being flooded under the rising waters of the Nile.

View of the Great Temple from the west. photo:William Henry Goodyear (before 1923) Wikimedia commons

Between 1964 and 1968 with the help of “multinational team of archaeologists , engineers and skilled heavy equipment operations,” “working together under the UNESCO banner,” the entire site was “cut into large blocks” ,dismantled, lifted and reassembled in a new location 65 m higher and 200 m away from the river.

A Scale Model at the Nubian Museum, Aswan, showing the Original site of the Temples and the Relocated Site with respect to the Water Level
Courtesy:Wikimedia commons

Solar Configuration

Abu Simbel is not only famous because of the aforementioned temples but also because of the architecture of the Great Temple pertaining to solar orientation. The ancient Egyptian architects constructed the Great Temple in a unique way. The temple faces east at a precise angle. Twice a year, on February 22 and October 22,the first sun rays creep about 185 feet into the cavernous interiors of the temple, all through its corridor, its large chambers, narrow halls and enters the inner sanctum where there are four statues. It falls perpendicularly on the back walls of the innermost shrine and illuminates three statues , namely, Ramesses II, the sun gods Ra-Horakhty and Amun . The fourth statue is the Theban God of darkness, Ptah, who remains in the shadows throughout the year because ancient Egyptians believed that he should not be illuminated by sunlight until the end of the world. This 3,300 year old phenomenon is concrete proof of the scientific, geometric, engineering, astrological, sculptural feat of ancient Egyptians. The dates were chosen for a specific reason. February 22 was Ramesses II’s birthday and was celebrated as the ‘feast of king Ramesses II’ and October 22 was the day when he ascended the throne and was celebrated as the ‘feast of the coronation of the king’. People from all over the world gather at Abu Simbel on these days to witness this divine mystery and I was one among the enormous global populace to be a part of this engineering miracle on February 22. There is some confusion about the duration of the sunrays inside the sanctuary: some say it lasts for about twenty minutes, perhaps a little more or a little less and some say it lasts only for six minutes.

Sunrays Illuminating the Faces of Three Statues in the Innner Sanctuary
Author:UNESCO, Wikimedia commons

The Journey

We started from Aswan at about eleven p.m. The motorable distance between Aswan and Abu Simbel is roughly 300 km . It is approximately a four-hour journey by road. My hotel (Helnan Hotel) had given us packed breakfast. Like us, from all over the world people had decided to see the Great Temple of Abu Simbel on February 22. Hence there was a mad rush. A steady stream of vehicles either zoomed past us or followed us because all roads led to Abu Simbel. What was amazing were the shops along the roadside. They were all open and the guide told us that this was an usual thing in Egypt. Midway along our journey a policeman hopped into our bus, presumably as our escort due to the mad rush.

The climate in Aswan was comfortable but when we reached Abu Simbel it was biting cold such was the treacherous climate in Egypt. We reached there in the dark at about 4 a.m. The area was crawling with people .Many vehicles were already at the parking lot. At the security check there was a long line. We had to put all our belongings under the scanner. After the security check we walked for some time through lanes which were not very well-lit, only just. Then we reached the temples. The security was stupendous. The temples were illuminated in soft lights and they changed hue so that the statues looked larger and mysterious in the sometimes darkish, sometimes glowing lighting aesthetics. There was no bright illumination in the vicinity of the temple because the mysterious impact of the faintly-lit statues would be diminished.

Lighting Arrangement At the Temple

Dark and Mysterious in the Faint Light

Perhaps, the police were guarding the premises from the top of the temples because lights from the higher zones emitted frequently. We could not see the ground and the faces of the people; only dark heads and a glimpse of the surroundings through the intermittent flash of mobile cameras. Sometimes I felt that there might be a gorge or at most a ditch and I might fall into it due to the jostling. But that was not to be. At the edges of the mammoth gathering policemen created a rope corridor for tourists and prevented us from going backwards beyond a certain point. Since a portion of the whole world had gathered there the security arrangement was foolproof.

The Great Temple

Massive Crowd Before the Great Temple

Just Before Dawn -Break

Gradually we could smell the morning air. There was a murmur of anticipation as the dawn broke in degrees . The darkness was vanishing and a grey light emanated. The greyness slowly engulfed the whole sky and soon an eggshell-white morning greeted us. We waited with bated breath for the sun to rise any minute but where was it? The sky was not rosy towards the east .It was grey as ever and covered in fog. Time passed but the greyness of the morning didn’t seem to leave us. The wind was still chilly but not as biting as the night. The huge gathering still didn’t lose hope; never mind, a few more minutes and the sun will rise. But no such luck. Finally, the sun peeped through the clouds, a pale replica , as pale as it can be of its fiery self. The weak rays did not reach anywhere so there was no view of the sunrays illuminating the statues inside the sanctuary.

The Pale Sun and the Grey Morning

A Disheartened Crowd before the Weak Sunrays

A melancholia gripped the massive crowd. I was very disheartened but it reduced when I saw the temples in morning light. The Great Temple is dedicated to Ra-Horakhty, Ptah and Amun, Egypt’s three state deities of the time and features 4 large statues of Ramesses II in the façade. I stood in awe at the sight of those massive, sandstone creations.

The Great Temple in the Pale Morning

No wonder, the Great Temple is considered to be the grandest and most beautiful of all the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II. The colossal statues (66 feet high) of Ramesses II flanks the entrance to the temple Each statue is seated on a throne and wears double crowns signifying lower and upper Egypt.It is known as Temple of Ramesses,beloved by Amun.

The Damaged Statue amidst the Massive Ones
Photo: Onder Kokturk, Wikimedia commons

One statue which is situated left to the entrance was damaged in an earthquake. As a result its head and torso fell off. During relocation, those fallen pieces were placed at the statue’s feet because that was the place where it was originally found. The smaller statues next to Ramesses’ feet represents his family members: wife, mother, sons and daughters.

The Single Entrance to the Great Temple
Photo:Than217, Wikimedia Commons

The temple has a single entrance and it was tiny compared to the huge statues outside. The halls were also medium sized ,not the gargantuan garths of the temple interiors in India. We had to see the interiors in artificial lights but I can only imagine how the interiors would look when sunlight touched them and made them brilliantly-lit with natural light. The walls are adorned with friezes.

A Bas -Relief on the Wall Depicting a Battle Scene

A Frieze Depicting Worship

The Inner Hall

A Frieze in the Great Temple depicting Ramesses II making an Offering to Horus

The Small Temple is dedicated to Hathor, the Goddess of love and music, personified by Nefertari, Ramesses’ most beloved of his many wives. It is a miniature and simplified copy of the Great Temple. The façade has six standing statues over 30 feet high of Ramesses II and his deified wife, Nefertari. They are flanked by smaller statues of their children.