Abu Simbel is the site to which Ramses II's and Nefertari's temples were moved to before the rising waters caused by the Aswan High Dam flooded its former site. These temples were dismantled, moved piece by piece, and reassembled in a matter of two years.

You can get there from Aswan by a 4-hour bus ride or a 35-minute flight. We went by plane early in the morning. Sitting on the left side seemed to afford a good view of the High Dam and the temples - at least it did so on this particular flight.

After a few minutes’ bus ride through a small nondescript town (not touristy at all), we were quickly ushered past 30 or so shops that were just opening (time for shopping later) in order to enter the temple area to start our tour before it got too crowded.

It is a very busy, well-controlled, and quite well-managed site - Even at 9am, at least 30 buses were dropping off groups. The temples are huge - the largest is that of Ramses, and the smaller one was built for his favorite wife Nefertari (Nefer means beautiful).

It is difficult to imagine that these temples were built so long ago and unimaginable that they were also moved so far with very little damage and also placed in the absolute same orientation.

After the half-hour tour and informational talk by your guide, you are free to wander for and hour or so. You must visit a tent set up with the "story in pictures" of the feat of this move that the US assisted in both monetarily and on site. This temple was originally positioned so perfectly as to allow light to shine on the altar which is deep inside the tomb, on only two specific days each year - once in the spring and once in the fall. After it was moved - light still shines on the altar twice a year - only one day later - amazing!! The Egyptians are very grateful for our aid.

You can leisurely walk the expansive grounds overlooking the Nile - there is an outdoor cafe for snacks and coffee or an outdoor market, but only one restroom for all these visitors.

Back to the market shops - a jolt back to the 21st century and capitalism!! The market is beautifully done, with curved walkways, flowering shrubs, a waiting area for the buses with benches and lots of shops. For the moment, you forget that you're in Egypt. What a shame - they should have built it at the airport instead and allowed the temples their environmentally natural spot without the commercialism.

We took a short Egyptian Air flight to Abu Simbel on the Sudanese border to see the two massive temples of Ramses II & his Queen, Nefertari. An excursion to Abu Simbel out of Aswan includes the roundtrip flight, ground transfers, & a guided tour.

As with Philae, this entire temple complex was dismantled stone by stone & reassembled high above its original site in order to save it from the rising waters caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam--a remarkable feat of engineering & international cooperation. Director-General of UNESCO, Dr. V. Veronese, speaking @ the Abu Simbel appeal in 1960, said of Abu Simbel--"These monuments do not belong solely to the countries who hold them in trust. The whole world has the right to see them endure."

Twice a year, the dawn rays of the sun reach far into the heart of the sanctuary to shine on the three statues on the right. The one on the far left remains in darkness, as he is the god of the underground.

"There was a morning of mornings when we lay opposite the rock-hewn Temple of Abu Simbel...one felt rather than saw that there were four figures in the pit of gloom below it...The stronger light flooded them red from head to foot, & they became alive--as horridly & tensely yet blindly alive as pinioned men in the death-chair before the current is switched on. One felt that if by a miracle the dawn could be delayed a second longer, they would tear themselves free, & leap forth to heaven knows what sort of vengeance." -Rudyard Kipling (1913)-

The majestic temples of Ramses II and his Queen Nefertari lie almost 300km South of Aswan, on the shore of Lake Nasser. They aren’t quite in their original position, having had to be moved after being threatened by the rising waters of Lake Nasser following the construction of the Aswan dam, but the sheer effort required to move these edifices makes the knowledge of this fact inspiring rather than disappointing.

An armed convoy forms on the outskirts of Aswan every morning at 4am, as the desert between Aswan and Abu Simbel is reknowned for hijackers and Islamic extremist terrorists. They herd luxury coaches and clapped out minibuses then race across the desert like migrating wildebeests.

You can book a place on the trip at most hotels – prices start from about 15USD (entry not included), but you get what you pay for in terms of comfort. If you’re going for the bottom end of the market you may wish to stipulate when paying which seat you want on the bus (offering a little extra) – a 600km round trip on a hard fold-down seat is no joke, take it from someone who’s tried it!

Entry is about 6USD, but if you’re not part of an organised tour, you may want to run from your bus to the ticket booths (stiff joints allowing) – there’s only 2 and long queues can build up very quickly (and tempers flare!).

Turning left or right after the entrance brings you round in a semi-circle to the site – consisting of a pair of temples carved into (fake) mounds. The temple of Ramses II is the more impressive with its four massive seated colossi (3 of which are in good condition) and spectacular paintings inside. If you have any time left at the end then head back to the site entrance for a look at the visitor centre with its photos of the painstaking dismantling and reconstruction of the site.

Everybody then climbs back on to their buses and races back to Aswan, arriving back at lunchtime as if it had never happened.

Your tour may include a stop off at the High Dam – if you’re planning to see the dam, then do it this way, as it’s not really worth a trip on its own (see story on dam).

We took a 17 minute flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel. The flight alone was cool, overlooking desolate sand that stretched for miles. Suddenly Lake Nassar came into view and the incredible structure of Abu Simbel was visible from the air!

We checked into the Nefertari Hotel and walked five minutes down a lonely sandy road, and we were there. Oddly enough, a whole row of security guards lined the entrance, staring sternly as we walked past. We were the only tourists. As we rounded the mountain, a gradual ascent along a sandy path led to the great monument. Majestic, massive, memorable these mighty statues of Ramses II face the lake. They were built in 1290 BC to intimidate the Nubian people, and remind them who was ruling Egypt.

One of the four statues fell as a result of an earthquake in 27 BC, knocking his upper torso to the ground. His face is in the sand, with only an ear visible. When we saw it, we both cried out, "Ozymandias!" Shelley's poem, Ozymandias, (Greek for Ramses) describes the irony of how the great king immortalized forever in magnificent statues now lies broken in the sand. "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies...on the pedestal these words appear, ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings. Look on my works, ye mighty and despair!' Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck... sands stretch far away." (Oddly enough, the shattered remains of another statue of Ramses II in the Ramesseum in Luxor is given credit for being the inspiration for Shelley's poem, but if you compare the two sights and reread the poem, there is no question that Abu Simbel is the true site of Ozymandias!)

Staring at the monument, there is much to look at. The four statues differ slightly and are surrounded by smaller statues of the queen, their children, falcons, praying baboons, and hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Yet, inside his temple was even more intriguing. Entering a huge door, we walked between eight more statues of Ramses II facing each other. Straight back, lights illuminate four statues in the inner sanctum, one of Ramses, the other three of gods, showing the importance he placed on himself, that of an equal to the gods. Once encased in gold, these statues gleamed in sunlight twice a year, as rays illuminated them on February 21st and October 21st engineered to celebrate Ramses' birthday and coronation. Incredible! Since the temple was moved to another island to escape rising waters in the 1960's, the date is off by one day.

Corridors and narrow inner rooms extend like fingers from the center, each decorated differently. Walls highlighted Ramses' achievements and companionship with the gods, with pictures of battles, chariots, offerings, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. Some of the narrow rooms had niches carved into the walls, where objects were stored for worship. Very cool place!

Abu Simbel is 125 miles south of Aswan and only 25 miles north of the Sudan border. There are two temples at this site built by Ramses II for himself and his wife Nefetari.
The first temple is the Great Temple of Ra-Harakhte and has four imposing colossi of Ramses II guarding the entrance. Each colossi is 65 feet high and though not in perfect condition, are still very impressive. Inside is a hall lined with statues of Ramses II leading to a sanctuary in which 4 statues reside. They are statues of the 4 gods Ra-Harakhte, Ramses II, Amun and Ptah.
The second temple is the Temple of Hathor and has 6 statues fronting it, each about 10m high. Four of the statues represent Ramses II and two Queen Nefertari, his beloved wife. Inside is a hall with various scenes on the walls. In adjoining chambers are more colourful scenes of the goddess.
They were moved from their original sites overlooking the bend of the Nile when the Aswan Dam was built so that they would not be covered with water. They were handsawed into over a 1000 blocks and reconstructed on a manmade hill almost 700 feet away.
Quite impressive to see, they were carved between 1290 and 1224 BC.
Admission cost E£36 but it can be part of a package tour including your transportation.
There are two ways to get to Abu Simbel, by plane which takes approximately half an hour or by bus which is about 3 hours. I went by bus and you travel by bus convoy for safety and are escorted by armed guards. We left Aswan at 4:30am and were at the site by 7:30, leaving again for Aswan at just after 9am.