Monday: Fast Facts

Temples of Abu Simbel

Visiting these temples was a highlight of my last trip to Egypt. I was lucky enough to visit them after the hordes of tour buses had left and almost had the temples to myself!

The rock cut temples were built by one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs, Ramses the Great. Ramses gives me plenty of story inspiration and the empire he built is central to an action-adventure story I’ve written (still a draft at the moment).

Image: Public Domain

And the romantic in me loves that one of the temples was built for Ramses’ wife, Nefertari (not to be confused with Nefertiti). At her temple, the statues of Ramses and his wife are equal in size. The only time in Egyptian history that this occurred – usually statues of the pharaoh are much larger. For me, it is a truly romantic gesture.

Image: Wikimedia Commons - Ad Merkens

When the Aswan High Dam was constructed, the temples were going to be flooded. Luckily, in 1964, a team cut the temples into pieces and moved them bit by bit to higher ground where they now look across the waters of Lake Nasser.

The writer in me wonders what other wonderful temples and treasures were lost under the crocodile-infested waters…I’m sure there’s a good story in there somewhere!