Egypt
The saving and reconstruction of both Rameses the greats temples at Abu Simbel required five years and $40 million.
Begun on November 16 1963 the first of the 1,041 blocks was moved on may 21, 1965 while the first block to be laid at the new site was set on January 4 of the following year.
Three weeks later engineers installed the four gods in the inner sanctuary of the temple placing beneath them a foundation deposit including among other things copies of the Koran, newspapers and some coins.
On September 14 1966 a highlight the reunification of the face with the rest of the body of the first of the three 67 foot statues of the great king, this one being the farthest to the left.
By the following fall the baboons on the cornice of the great temple were once again in place after an absence of two years.
The Aswan dam of the 1960's created a new lake and drowned the original sites of more than two dozen ancient monuments while completely drowning the Nile's less impressive architectural monuments such as a number of mud brick middle kingdom forts.
The dam with its twelve generators have created massive amounts of needed electricity as well as mitigating floods and droughts since its completion in 1970. As expected however going on forty years the dam is silting up, these silts used to go down river to stabilize the coast of the Nile delta. Along with the silt came the nutrients which used to attract a now dying fishery on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.
It may now be time to undue damages before they get worse but I know that's just crazy talk.
Perhaps moving the Abu Simbel temples again to raise the dam still further higher is only as crazy as erecting the dam in the first place.
No simple solutions !
- Travel: Temples And Hot Air Balloons
The Mirror (David Walker) MEN have always been intoxicated by the heady trappings of power and ego. The proof? Pretend youre Doctor Who and take a trip back in time to Egypt. There you can view some of the worlds most incredible temples and statues dating...
- Egypt's Other Wonders
http://www.dailypilot.com/news/story/43665p-65699c.htmlA brief travel piece about Abu Simbel: "Mankind spread beyond Africa some 30,000 years ago, the anthropologists tell us, but a significant number stayed along the banks of the Nile River. What they...
- A Little Help From Friends
Begun on November 16 1963 the first of the 1,041 blocks was moved on may 21, 1965 while the first block to be laid at the new site was set on January 4 of the following year. Three weeks later engineers installed the four gods in the inner sanctuary...
- Revisiting The Saving Of Abu Simbel: 40 Years Later
The saving and reconstruction of both Ramesses the greats temples at Abu Simbel required five years and $40 million. Begun on November 16 1963 the first of the 1,041 blocks was moved on may 21, 1965 while the first block to be laid at the new site was...
- With The Rise Of Lake Nasser: 40 Years Later
The Aswan damn of the 1960's created a new lake and drowned the original sites of more than two dozen ancient monuments while completely drowning the Nile's less impressive architectural monuments such as a number of mud brick middle kingdom forts....
Egypt
Rebuilding Abu Simbel
The saving and reconstruction of both Rameses the greats temples at Abu Simbel required five years and $40 million.
Begun on November 16 1963 the first of the 1,041 blocks was moved on may 21, 1965 while the first block to be laid at the new site was set on January 4 of the following year.
Three weeks later engineers installed the four gods in the inner sanctuary of the temple placing beneath them a foundation deposit including among other things copies of the Koran, newspapers and some coins.
On September 14 1966 a highlight the reunification of the face with the rest of the body of the first of the three 67 foot statues of the great king, this one being the farthest to the left.
By the following fall the baboons on the cornice of the great temple were once again in place after an absence of two years.
The Aswan dam of the 1960's created a new lake and drowned the original sites of more than two dozen ancient monuments while completely drowning the Nile's less impressive architectural monuments such as a number of mud brick middle kingdom forts.
The dam with its twelve generators have created massive amounts of needed electricity as well as mitigating floods and droughts since its completion in 1970. As expected however going on forty years the dam is silting up, these silts used to go down river to stabilize the coast of the Nile delta. Along with the silt came the nutrients which used to attract a now dying fishery on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.
It may now be time to undue damages before they get worse but I know that's just crazy talk.
Perhaps moving the Abu Simbel temples again to raise the dam still further higher is only as crazy as erecting the dam in the first place.
No simple solutions !
- Travel: Temples And Hot Air Balloons
The Mirror (David Walker) MEN have always been intoxicated by the heady trappings of power and ego. The proof? Pretend youre Doctor Who and take a trip back in time to Egypt. There you can view some of the worlds most incredible temples and statues dating...
- Egypt's Other Wonders
http://www.dailypilot.com/news/story/43665p-65699c.htmlA brief travel piece about Abu Simbel: "Mankind spread beyond Africa some 30,000 years ago, the anthropologists tell us, but a significant number stayed along the banks of the Nile River. What they...
- A Little Help From Friends
Begun on November 16 1963 the first of the 1,041 blocks was moved on may 21, 1965 while the first block to be laid at the new site was set on January 4 of the following year. Three weeks later engineers installed the four gods in the inner sanctuary...
- Revisiting The Saving Of Abu Simbel: 40 Years Later
The saving and reconstruction of both Ramesses the greats temples at Abu Simbel required five years and $40 million. Begun on November 16 1963 the first of the 1,041 blocks was moved on may 21, 1965 while the first block to be laid at the new site was...
- With The Rise Of Lake Nasser: 40 Years Later
The Aswan damn of the 1960's created a new lake and drowned the original sites of more than two dozen ancient monuments while completely drowning the Nile's less impressive architectural monuments such as a number of mud brick middle kingdom forts....