Cancellazione gratuita con condizioni
Get a taste of Ancient Egypt as you tour the temples dedicated to Pharaoh Ramses II and Queen Nefertari!
After an early morning transfer from your accommodation in Aswan, you'll be driven in an air-conditioned vehicle to the temples of Abu Simbel, located 300 km to the south.
You'll start by visiting the temple of the most famous pharaoh, Ramses II, also called Ramses the Great. Before he came to power, the temples were designed for idolising Egyptian deities, but that had changed by 1260 BC. In the 3rd century BC, Ramses II demanded the construction of a building to honour his glory, placing him on the same level as the Egyptian gods Amun-Ra, Re-Horakhty and Ptah.
From the moment you arrive, you'll be able to admire this imposing construction, which is 33 metres high and 38 metres wide and home to four 20-metre-high sculptures of a seated Ramses II wearing the pharaoh's 'nesmes', a traditional headdress. At the foot of these sculptures are smaller statues of his mother Muttuya, some of his children and Nerertari, one of his wives.
You'll enter the temple through a small dark corridor before arriving in a gallery held up by Osiride statues of Ramses II. The walls' hieroglyphs depict the Pharaohs' victories. You'll continue the visit by entering a gallery with statues representing the Egyptian gods where offerings were laid. The layout of this gallery was designed to be illuminated by the sun on only two days of the year.
Ramses II also had a smaller temple built for Nefertari, one of his wives, which is where the second part of the tour takes place. It's the first temple dedicated to a woman. There are six sculptures around the entrance, including four of Ramses II and they frame the sculptures of Nefertari. Inside the temple you'll find a gallery supported by columns with pillars representing Egyptian goddesses.
At the end of the tour, you'll be driven back to your departure point in Aswan.
