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Abu Simbel Panorama
Abu Simbel is a temple complex, originally cut into a solid rock cliff in southern Egypt at the second cataract of the Nile River. The two temples that comprise the site (The Great Temple and The Small Temple) were created during the reign of Ramesses II (c. 1279 to c. 1213 BCE), either between 1264 and 1244 BCE or 1244-1224 BCE. The Great Temple was dedicated to the gods Ra-Horakty, Ptah, and the deified Ramesses II. The Small Temple was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Queen Nefertari, Ramesses' favourite wife.
Questions & Answers
When did ancient Egyptian architecture begin and end?
- Ancient Egyptian architecture developed during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) and continued through the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE) and then, sporadically, during the Roman Period of Egypt (30 BCE-646 CE).
What is the first pyramid built in Egypt?
- The first pyramid built in ancient Egypt is Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara c. 2670 BCE.
What inspired ancient Egyptian architecture?
- Ancient Egyptian architecture was inspired and informed by the concept of ma'at (balance, harmony) and stability. Buildings were designed to represent the order established by the gods.
What is the most famous architecture in Egypt?
- The Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are the most famous pieces of architecture from ancient Egypt.
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License & Copyright
This image was first published on Flickr.
Original image by Dennis Jarvis. Uploaded by Mark Cartwright, published on 06 January 2013. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon a work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
