Abu Simbel: Worth the extra time spent?

A common quandary you would encounter when planning your trip to Egypt would be whether to take the extra time (and cost) to make the day long visit to Abu Simbel?

Nearly 300 kms from Aswan (the starting or ending point of all Nile Cruises), the drive to Abu Simbel and back across the stark desert region can be ‘punishing’. You are normally advised to start early (as early as 4 am) and return back exhausted in the afternoon. Optionally, if you have the money – you can take a flight to and from Abu Simbel – a nice option if you are willing to spend the extra dollars.

Given the time taken, you might be tempted to strike off this visit to manage an already stretched trip duration. After all, you cannot cover everything of this lovely country in one trip of a lifetime!

My personal opinion – a trip to Egypt is NOT complete without a visit to admire the Temples of Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel is an amazing tribute to the greatness of the builder Pharaoh Rameses II and to the modern engineering effort – which ‘cut’ and trans located this entire rock cut monument to prevent its drowning during the formation of Lake Nasser due to the building of the High Dam across the Nile. The beauty of the monuments set on the banks of the Lake Nasser, the scale of these massive ‘mountain-cut’ monuments and the very interesting reliefs of both the temples make it a must visit.

Built about 3,300 years ago by Pharaoh Rameses II, Abu Simbel consists of two monuments – the Great Temple dedicated to Rameses II and other deities and the Small Temple dedicated to the beautiful queen Nefertari. The structures were created, at least in part, to celebrate Ramesses’ victory over the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BCE. (Depicted in detail across the north wall of the Hypostyle Hall).

The Small Temple is also notable in that it is the second time in ancient Egyptian history, that a ruler dedicated a temple to his wife (the first time being the Pharaoh Akhenaton, 1353-1336 BCE, who dedicated a temple to his queen Nefertiti).

Trivia: Origin of the name ‘Abu Simbel’: While it is assumed that the name, `Abu Simbel’, is the ancient name for the complex, this is not so. Apparently, either the Swiss explorer Burckhardt (who discovered the site) or Giovannia Belzoni (who excavated the site) was led to the site by a boy named Abu Simbel in 1813 CE and the site was then named after him.

All in all, do visit Abu Simbel during your trip to this ancient land. Even the ‘punishing’ journey across desert can be quite appealing with its starkness and the numerous mirages, the heat creates.