More Impressions of Abu Simbel

Abu-Simbel

By: Bella Rees

After our busy day at Abu-Simbel, which consisted of learning about the two temple’s historical facts and appreciating the artistry and craftsmanship that it took to literally move mountains to relocate Abu-Simbel in the 1960s, I reflected on how we think about and appreciate Ancient Egyptian architecture through the lens of our modern world and technology. Early on in our visit to this site, I appreciated having a room dedicated to explaining how people back in the 1960s deconstructed the temples and later put everything back together once moved. Before seeing the temples in person, there was a miniature model of the temple complex with the back exposed so that we could look at the layout and understand how far back the rooms and walls go into the mountain. This, along with information to be read on the walls and a video that both explains and depicts footage from 1963-1968 of the relocation of Abu-Simbel, this room highlighted and celebrated the true architectural genius it took to move and preserve something so big and embedded so thoroughly in the side of a mountain. 

With my awe, I realised as I saw these remarkable sites in person that there wasn’t the same recognition for the original planning and building of the temples. I don’t say this to undermine how phenomenal it is that Abu-Simbel was moved and kept in as pristine a condition as possible. It was just then when I realized there wasn’t as much information, let alone praise, for how hard it must have been to build not only Abu-Simbel but also other great sites that still stand the test of time today, back when there was less technology. Of course, there is the factor that there might just be less known about the original construction. Still, I have a curious wish that whatever is known, even if very little, be highlighted and recognized as being just as mindblowing as the relocation. 

I believe there is also a bit of sympathetic distance between us here in 2025, looking back at the 1960s versus the mid-1200s BCE. It may be easier to imagine the day-to-day life of the 1960s, whether or not you were born before or after that decade, because of the many media we have from and about that time period. We can also more easily compare what type of building and everyday technology was ready at hand then versus now, and even in less than 70 years, the world looks so different that this comparison is jarring enough to feel substantial. 

When Abu-Simbel was first carved, constructed, and painted so many millennia ago, its day-to-day work spanned many years. There was much honor, skill, and dedication poured into the planning and erection of both the temples and their many statues. As I reflected on the long ride back after our grand morning visit to Abu-Simbel, I was left astonished and amazed by the architectural work. I was trying to imagine what the inside looked like before, when it remained at its original location. This had me consider how we value and praise work and how we might always compare what was accomplished in the past to how the same might have been accomplished within the past decade or even today. Overall, this visit was a perspective-shifting experiment, and for myself, this highlighted that I like the foundation of knowing the history of how a space came to be when I learn about its more recent grandeurs.

“Abu Simbel.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/place/Abu-Simbel.  Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.