Sands of Egypt
Sands of Egypt, Abu Simbel
"For the first time… when many of them are involved in a secret or declared war all nations are called upon to save the works of a civilization that belongs to none of them"
Andre Malraux, French Minister of culture
Hidden beneath the sands of Egypt for over 3,000 years one of the greatest treasures of the ancient world nearly lost to the passage of time.
An extraordinary heritage set in stone threatened by the rising waters of the Nile that will take scientific innovation and an unprecedented effort of over 50 countries to protect this historic site.
Its preservation would impact the way we see the past as a reflection of the entire human story and change the way we preserve and safeguard.
Our cultural heritage the great Abu Simbel built with the engineering of the past budget by the necessities of modern would become a temple built on innovation located near the border of Sudan. Abu Simbel served to immortalize Ramses of the second the greatest Pharaoh of Egypt.
The temple prominently featured for colossi of the Pharaoh documented Ramses version of the Battle of Kadesh a victory that never happened, it served as propaganda to consolidate his power to intimidate his neighbors and to secure his immortality.
Ramses wished to create a monument that rivaled the pyramids but Egypt could no longer sustain such colossal construction projects he innovation of carving the Great Temple into a mountain rather than constructing it from stone blocks helped him overcome this obstacle.
His engineers developed architectural innovations to allow the construction of a multi chamber complex aligned so the Sun illuminated the interior on Ramses day of birth and coronation taking 20 years to complete Abu Simbel embodied the might of Egypt but the Pharaohs death in 1213 BC left a power vacuum, the priests usurped power and the kingdom priests usurped power and the kingdom declined outside influences impose themselves on Egypt and symbols of the past such as Abu Simbel were abandoned the great monuments that under the sands of Egypt for centuries.
In 1813 in 1813 Swiss Explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt uncovered the top frieze of the main temple.
Burkhardt shared his discovery with Italian Explorer Giovanni belzoni by 1817 Bo's Oni had entered Abu Simbel and removed everything he could carry.
He later excavated the entire monument which became an important landmark for Egyptologist in 1959 the modern world of machines and technicians invaded the machines and technicians invaded the realm of Ramses II.
The construction of the Aswan High Dam was needed to control the flood waters of the Nile and generate crucial hydroelectric power but it also threatened to flood the Nubian region submerging Abu Simbel and neighboring historic monuments.
The Egyptian and Sudanese government's each independently requested assistance from the United Nations to preserve this cultural heritage amid increasing hostility of the Cold War and continuing conflict in the Middle East. In 1960 the UN launched an innovative mission to rescue the monument.
The project would be overseen by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. The effort to save Abu Simbel became a defining example of international innovation and solidarity
It changed the way countries viewed the universal nature of heritage and impacted the global importance of conservation public and private fundraising campaigns raised over 40 million dollars from 50 different countries in International Cooperation.
The most important thing in the Egyptian life is their civilization they are so proud of their civilization so to know that the universe who will come to help survey of assembly equals and excitement for all Egyptian in January of 1960 work on the Aswan High Dam began the clock was ticking the ambitious project Christy Abu Simbel began the next year. it was complicated by the enormity of the salvage operation.