The story of Abu Simbel
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Abu Simbel Due to its remote location close to today's Sudanese border in Southern Egypt, Abu Simbel was unknown until 1813 when only the heads of the temple's colossal statues were visible above the sand. The breathtaking impression of its exterior also extends within where a magnificent hall with two rows of column-like statues leads into the depths of the temple. Abu Simbel is famous for its precise orientation toward the sun. Twice a year, the first rays of the morning sun shine down the entire length of the temple chamber and illuminate the rear wall of its innermost shrine. Various portrayals and descriptions of Egyptian gods can be found throughout, many of them portrayed with animal heads, such as hawks. Due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam, Abu Simbel has been relocated from its original position on the banks of the Nile.
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As much a brochure as a book, at 80 pages, but for me it was worth the read and the photos.
I visited Abu Simbel in 1995, and loved it - the scale, the drama and the wonder of the engineering.
In the case you are unaware, the High Dam or the Awan River was a massive irrigation scheme, designed to control the release of water to prolong the growing season, with the bonus of hydro electric power generated by the release of the water. The High Dam raised the level of the lake it created upstream, and this was destined to flood the two magnificent temples at Abu Simbel created by Ramses II in the 13th Century BC.
The solution to this problem, arrived at by UNESCO, was to relocate the temples to higher ground. As the temples were carved from the mountain side, disassembly consisted of large scale engineering project - the temples were very carefully cut into one thousand and forty two blocks, all requiring lifting by crane and reassembling and grouting. Because it was necessary to recreate the setting of the temple - carved into a mountain - the engineers also needed to create a mountain! A vast concrete dome was created to carry the weight of the ‘mountain' so that it would not crush the temple.
This book explains it, in albeit oversimple terms, but also has some excellent photographs of record.
But I have jumped ahead a little. First the book provides an overview history of Egypt (upper and lower), some of the Pharos, and some of the culture (chapter 1). It then rolls in Nubia (upper and lower) with a similar explanation of the interactions with Egypt over time (chapter 2). Chapter 3 and 4 provide detailed descriptions of the Great and Small temple at Abu Simbel. Chapters 5 and 6 describe the saving and relocation of the temples.
I mentioned above that the description was in simple terms. This book may well be in translation, or perhaps it is aimed at readers for whom English is not their first language; perhaps it has been dumbed down to suit readers of all ages. The wording is incredibly simple and it has a repetitive form where a short simple sentence is made, and immediately followed by a simple definition of a word in the prior sentence.
For example: “Then, to lift the blocks, mechanical crane was used. A crane is a tall machine which is used to lift heavy objects.” or “Bulldozers pushed piles of sand up to the chests of the sitting statues. A bulldozer is a large machine which is used for moving heavy objects.”
In spite of this awkward style, I still enjoyed this little book, which set me on a road of reminiscing of my time in Egypt.
3.5 stars, rounded down.
