Today, we are witnessing one of the most amazing archaeological rescue operations that took place in history, the salvation of the Abu Simbel temple and its removal from its position, for fear of its sinking after the establishment of the High Dam.
The temple was carved into the mountains and dates back to the reign of King Ramses II in the 13th century BC, and it is a permanent monument to him and Queen Nefertari, to commemorate his victory in the Battle of Kadesh, and it consists of two temples, the largest dedicated to three gods of Egypt at that time who are a shepherd - Harakhti, Ptah, and Amun, and in the façade there are four large statues of Ramses II, and the smaller temple is dedicated to the god Hathor.
The Temple of Abu Simbel was forgotten until 1813, when the Swiss orientalist JL Borchardt found the main temple promenade, and he talked about this discovery with his Italian counterpart, the explorer Giovanni Belonzi, and they traveled together to the site, but they were unable to dig an entrance to the temple, and Pelonzi returned in 1817, but This time, he succeeded in his attempt to enter the synagogue, and took everything valuable that he could carry with him.
In 1960, the facility complex was completely moved to another place, on an artificial hill made of the structure of the dome, and above the reservoir of the High Dam in Aswan, and it was necessary to move the temples to avoid being submerged during the construction of Lake Nasser, and the formation of the huge artificial water reservoir after the construction of the High Dam in Aswan on The Nile River.
And an international campaign of donations began to save the temple, and the rescue operation began in 1964, and this operation cost 40 million dollars, between 1964 and 1968, the whole site was cut into large blocks (up to 30 tons and an average of 20 tons), and it was dismantled and re-installed at the site. New at a height of 65 m and 200 m higher than the river level, and it is considered by many to be one of the greatest works of archaeological engineering, and some structures were saved from under the waters of Lake Nasser.
Mon, May. 17, 2021
