Egyptian Ruins at Abu Simbel – Ancient Egypt Art Prints

Description

The ancient Egyptian ruins at Abu Simbel are notable for many reasons. In antiquity, the massive temple you see in this black and white print was carved from a solid mountain to honor the pharaoh, Ramses The Great. Ramses II reigned for over 60 years, a period in which he built temples and cities on a monumental scale. The ancient Temple at Abu Simbel faced ancient Nubia and was meant as a reminder of the incredible power of Egypt’s pharaoh. And here we are thousands of years later still admiring the monuments built under his rule.

Almost as impressive as their original construction is the modern day story of these Egyptian ruins. When the second dam at Aswan was built, the original site where Abu Simbel stood was going to be submerged by the massive lake. Thus began an amazing feat of engineering in the late 1960’s to rescue the most significant Nubian Monuments. These ancient ruins carved from the living rock In situ were cut into large blocks of rock, moved and re-assembled on higher ground. As you can tell, they were reassembled in their ruined state.

Each of the giant statues on these Egyptian ruins represent Ramses The Great. There were originally four of these colossi but only three survive today. An earthquake damaged one in ancient times. Even with those damages, it’s hard to gaze on these ruins and fathom how they could be over 3,000 years old! Boggles the mind doesn’t it? Few of us can hope to have the kind of immortality that Ramses found. He truly lives on through the amazing works accomplished under his legendary rule.

Have you stood at the Egyptian ruins at Abu Simbel and looked into the face of Ramses The Great? Or does this print call to you because you love Egyptian history? I hope you might take a moment to share what speaks to you most in this ancient Egypt print?

Note: Abu Simbel along with the other Nubian Monuments is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site