Egypt: Nubie Abou Simbel temple (Philae) under threat of deterioration.

Égypte : le temple d’Abou Simbel, un trésor menacé

Monuments de Nubie d’Abou Simbel à Philae

Cette zone archéologique est jalonnée de monuments admirables, comme les temples de Ramsès II à Abou Simbel et le sanctuaire d’Isis à Philae, qui purent être sauvés lors de la construction du haut barrage d’Assouan grâce à une campagne internationale lancée par l’UNESCO en 1960 qui se poursivit jusqu’en 1980.

This archeological zone is the landmark of amazing monuments, like the temples of Ramses II at Abou Simbel the sanctuary of Isis at Philae. This was saved from the river Nile by the construction of the Assouan dam, thanks to UNESCO in 1960 and progressed until 1980. The dam allowed control of the river during flood waters.

Temple de Ramsès II © Emmanuel Pivard

Le temple d’Abou Simbel fascine le monde du haut de ses 30 siècles. Situé dans la haute vallée du Nil en Égypte, ce trésor historique est actuellement en danger par la baisse des eaux.

La légende dit que le soleil n’a été créé que pour ça : illuminer chaque matin les quatre colosses du temple d’Abou Simbel (Egypte), réveiller les statues ancestrales qui gardent l’entrée depuis trois millénaires. C’est le chef d’œuvre de Ramsès II, le plus mégalomane des pharaons égyptiens. Chérif Adel y guide des touristes français depuis 25 ans. “C’est ici que le mot ‘pharaonique’ prend toute sa valeur, l’oreille de Ramsès mesure 1,05 mètre“, déclare le guide.

The legend has it that the Sun only rises each morning to illuminate and awaken the ancestral four colosses of the Abou Simbel temple, who guard the entrance for the last three millennia. It is the master piece of Ramses II, the most powerful megalomaniac of the Egyptian pharoes. The French tourist guide Chérif Adel claims, “This is where the word ‘pharaonique’ takes it’s meaning, Ramsés ear measures 1.05 metre”,

La menace de la baisse du Nil. The threat from the Nile.

À l’intérieur du temple, les statues et les frises sont dans un état presque parfait. Pourtant, le temple porte des cicatrices, les séquelles de l’opération du sauvetage la plus incroyable de tous les temps. En 1960, l’Égypte veut réguler les caprices du Nil et dresse un mur de béton. En amont, certains des trésors de Nubie commencent à disparaître sous la montée des eaux. Pour éviter qu’il ne soit définitivement englouti, le temple d’Abou Simbel va alors être sauvé par une jeune institution : l’UNESCO. Le monument est découpé en plusieurs morceaux de plusieurs tonnes, déplacés, puis remontés minutieusement quelques centaines de mètres plus haut. Aujourd’hui après en avoir craint la montée, Abou Simbel pourrait redouter la baisse du niveau des eaux. La faute à un autre barrage construit en Éthiopie et qui assèche le cours du Nil.
The interior of the temple, the statues and the frises are in a near perfect condition. Yet the temple carries scars from the 1960 incredible operation to save it. The vagaries of the Nile were tackled and a wall/barrier built. Some treasures of Nubie had started to disappear under the rising water. To prevent the temple being submerged UNESCO stepped in. The monument was sectioned and moved. The multiple sections were rebuilt piece by piece several hundred metres higher. Again however, due to a damn being built in Ethiopia, the water level is again causing problems. A new plan will have to developed. UNESCO again?  

About bill

Worked in the technical / engineering area as a Science Laboratory Technician and as an Aeronautics Engineer. The artistic side involves writing under the nom de plume of Billy Olsenn, his recently written play 'A Case of Wine' was staged by the players group Straight Make-Up at the 2012 Birr one act drama festival. It's next staging was in the one act circuit is in Cavan, at Maudebawn on Sat 10 Nov 2012. Then it was performed in the Bray, Co.Wicklow at the very popular one act festival in January 2013. Next play is FEAR. A dark tale about revenge on the cruel death of two pensioners by young thugs. Neighbours hatch a devious and dangerous plan to exact old-style revenge. Bill is a member of the Drama League of Ireland and his plays have been critically vetted and certified as original pieces of work by the DLI. Another literary project is that of commemoration of an aircraft crash on Djouce mountain in Wicklow in 1946. Bill wrote articles for the 50th, 60th and most recently the 70th anniversary, (12 Aug 2016) all were published in the Wicklow Times and ensured the survivors of the crash, all French Girl Guides, were not forgotten. Articles reproduced on this website. But mostly this site gives a more general European and specific French slant on popular and not so popular articles of French news, translated to English by the author. Each article is translated on a paragraph by paragraph basis so easy to read in either language and even possible to improve either language by comparison of the short English and French paragraphs. Amusez vous bien. The author is currently writing an easy to read technical aviation book centered around the Fokker 50. Another interest is that dealt with in another of Bill's websites www.realnamara.net, a Statue of the mother of God, Mary. It was erected in 1972 in Dublin, at the end of the Bull Wall near Clontarf, and my grandfather William Nelson, was the main instigator of that project. I give talks on the history of the statue and my grandfather's adventurous and dangerous life at sea. Technical assistance with each website is by J O'N.
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