Moon Egypt by Sarah Smierciak

Author:Sarah Smierciak
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Publishing
Published: 2022-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

The Great Temple

Towering nearly 30 meters (100 ft) high, Ramses II’s rock-cut temple carved into a sandstone mountain with no fewer than four colossal statues of himself is one of Egypt’s most commanding monuments.

the Great Temple at Abu Simbel

EXTERIOR

At the entrance to the temple, each colossus of the larger-than-life pharaoh reaches a height of nearly 20 meters (70 ft) (sitting) with his most beloved relatives at his feet. His first and favorite bride, Nefertari, occupies the most prominent position, reaching all the way up to his knee and flanking the entrance to the temple. The rest of the small figures are mostly the other daughters and sons from this favored partnership (of the over 160 children he fathered), and his mother.

The four statues of Ramses II, with his characteristic Mona Lisa smile, were once nearly identical. Can you spot the differences? Aside from the second statue that lost its head, likely in an earthquake during the reign of Ramses II, the only major variations are in the crowns. Those on the right side (when facing the entrance) don the crown of Lower Egypt (North Egypt), and those on the left wear the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Look up to see Re-Horakhty (a form of Horus, lord of the sky, affiliated with the sun god, Re) over the doorway, and above that, a row of baboons who welcome the rising sun each morning.

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