Abu Simbel is one of the most recognisable ancient sites in Egypt, if not the world but many people don’t know that this enigmatic structure built by Pharaoh Ramesses II in 1244 BC, was dismantled, cut into blocks and moved stone by stone to a new location in the 1960s. For around 3,000 years it sat on the west bank of the River Nile, between the first and second cataracts of the Nile. Abu Simbel contains two temples, carved into the mountainside. Interestingly, its original location was considered to be in Nubia, a land that was at times independent from ancient Egypt.
Abu Simbel may have survived relatively intact until the 20th century but it was modern man that put the site at risk and forced it to be moved.
In the 1960s, a decision was made to build a new High Dam at Aswan, forcing the temples to be relocated onto the desert plateau, around 200 feet above and 180 feet west of their original location. Today, the original site is now flooded.
Moving the temples of Abu Simbel was a colossal job and involved cutting it into pieces that each weighed between 3 and 20 tons and then reassembling them precisely as they once were. The whole project took 5 years to complete and involved 3,000 workers. Back in the 1960s it also cost a whopping $42 million.
Watch this video to learn more about the events of Abu Simbel in the 1960s, including some extremely rare footage you may never have seen before.
All images and video are taken from Google Images are Archive.org for educational purposes only.
Videos included:
The Treasures of Abu Simbel, Hearst Metrotone News, Inc.
Lost film treasures: 1965. HOCHTIEF moves the Abu Simbel temple, ARTE F
0 Comments