Lake Nasser

The Temple of Kalabsha (also known as "Mandulis Temple") is an ancient Egyptian temple that was originally located at Bab al-Kalabsha (Kalabsha Gate), about 50 kilometers south of Aswan.​ The temple was Located on the west bank of the Nile River in Nubia, it was originally built around 30 BC. C. during the first period of the Roman rulers. The temple was erected in homage to Mandulis (Merul), sun god of Lower Nubia. It was built on a previous sanctuary of Amenhotep II.4 The temple has dimensions of 76 meters long by 22 meters wide.While the structure dates back to Roman times, it features many reliefs in the traditional Egyptian style such as "an engraving of Horus emerging from the reeds on the inside of the curtain wall" of the temple. Kalabsha has a shrine chamber and a staircase leading to the roof of the temple, where one can see a splendid view of the temple itself and the sacred lake. Various historical records were inscribed on the walls of the temple as a long inscription carved by the Roman governor Aurelius Visarion in the year 250, prohibiting pigs in the temple, as well as an inscription of the Nubian king Silko, carved in the 5th century and recording his victory over the Blemios, and an image of him dressed as a Roman soldier on horseback. Silko was the Christian king of the Nubian kingdom of Nobatia.With the help of Germany, the Kalabsha temple was relocated after the Aswan Dam was built, to protect it from rising waters in the Lake Nasser. The temple was moved to the south of the Aswan Dam. The process of moving the temple took more than two years. The Kalabsha temple was the largest free-standing temple in Egyptian Nubia to be moved and erected in a new location. Although the building was never completed, it is considered one of the best examples of Egyptian architecture in Nubia.

The one known as Kertassi Kiosk, is a small Nubian temple dedicated to Isis, which is located next to Lake Nasser, very close to the Kalabsha temple. Its main entrance is flanked by two columns that show the head of the goddess Hathor.Despite its small size, we have to recognize that the delicate ornamentation of this monument and its splendid location next to Lake Nasser . They make it a magical place, which could actually take us to travel kilometers with the only excuse of contemplating it with the blue waters in the background.The origins of this small sanctuary dedicated to Isis date back to Greco-Roman times. . During the 1960s, as happened with so many Nubian temples, it had to be moved to a safe distance from the lake due to its constant flooding, which threatened to destroy these ancient monuments.Kertassi is made up of two columns displaying the head of the goddess Hathor, the deity of love, joy, dance and music. These are the ones that flank the main entrance. The rest of the columns are in architrave, that is, they were built to fulfill the function of lintel and support the weight of the upper part of the building. The capitals of the Kiosk are ornamented with carved grapes and lotus flowers, joined together as if they were part of the same plant.Located today just 1 kilometer from the Aswan Dam, on a hill of lines Conical, this temple stands out for its elegance and light structure, in a region where most of the monuments are of cyclopean characteristics: colossal, strong and imposing.Although Kertassi was dedicated to Isis, the presence of the capitals of the goddess Hathor is explained by the fact that both deities were venerated together. Both are considered the mother goddesses of Egyptian mythology.

This area, located 220 km north of Aswan, is known as Wadi El Seboua, which means the Valley of the Lions. This site includes two important temples of the New Kingdom, one from the 18th Dynasty and the other from the 19th Dynasty. It is known as Wadi el Seboua because of the avenue of sphinxes that leads to the entrance to the Temple of Ramses II.The place had great strategic importance because a caravan route passed through here.During the 18th Dynasty, Amenhotep III built his small temple in the area, which was later partially destroyed during the period in which Akhenaten reigned. Later, during the 19th Dynasty, Ramesses II ordered the construction of new temples in Nubia and restored the temple of Amehotep III.After the construction of the High Dam, the temples of Wadi El Seboua were moved to a few kilometers north of their original location to save them from the lake waters.

This important Greco-Roman Egyptian temple dedicated to Thoth, the god of wisdom, was originally located about forty kilometers north of its current location. During the dismantling of the temple, it was discovered that some of the blocks had been reused from Middle Kingdom structures, as Dakka was originally situated in front of a 12th Dynasty fortress at Quban (Baki) that protected access to the gold mines of the Wadi Allaqi. In addition to the blocks from the 12th Dynasty, others from the 18th Dynasty have been found corresponding to the times of Hatshepsut, Thutmose II, Thutmose III and Seti I. Some Greek inscriptions may also date the temple to the time of Ptolemy II and Ptolemy III.

One of the temples built in southern Egypt, in Lower Nubia, during the time of Roman occupation. Dating back to Greco-Roman times, it is believed that it was dedicated to the God Serapis, representing the sacred bull for the Egyptians. A peculiarity of this construction is that, apparently, it was not finished. Its small proportions and simple decoration (in some places, even sparse) mean that it is often underestimated or avoided on the most hurried trips. It is the only building of its kind to contain a spiral staircase inside. It is located in one of the corners of the main courtyard, one of the few parts that was finished and that leads to the terrace.It is another of the Nubian temples saved from the waters of the Nile, changing its location later of the construction of the Aswan Dam in the 1960s.

The oldest Egyptian temple in Nubia, initially built by Pharaoh Thutmose III of the 18th Dynasty and dedicated to Amun and Re-Horakhty. His son and successor, Amenhotep II, continued the project of decorating this structure. The following successors made changes and transformed the original construction.The original construction plan included a pylon, an entrance and a porch leading to a sanctuary.​ However, when Thutmose IV roofed the The entrance, pillars and walls were decorated with offering scenes, including Thutmose IV, on the left, and Thutmose III and Amenophis II, on the right. Although the temple had a dull and crumbling exterior, its internal features enjoy some of the most finely carved bas-reliefs, with bright and vibrant colors.After the construction of the Aswan Dam, it had to be moved to the same location as the Temple of Derr and the Tomb of Penut. It has been part of the World Heritage Site since 1979 under the name Monuments of Nubia, from Abu Simbel to File.

The Temple of Derr or el-Derr is a “speos” or temple carved into the rock in Lower Nubia. It was built during the 19th Dynasty by Pharaoh Ramses II. It is the only temple carved in the rock of Nubia, of those built by this pharaoh, on the right (or east) side of the bank of the Nile. The unique position of the temple was probably due to the fact that the river in its approach to the bend of Korosko flows in an unnatural direction towards the southeast.The temple of Derr was known in ancient times as The Temple of Ri'amsese-meryamun Ramses II in the Domain of Re and was dedicated to the god Ra- Horajtis. Archaeologists disagree over its precise construction date: French Egyptologist Nicolas Grimal considers it to have been built in the thirtieth year of Ramses II, presumably to coincide with his first royal jubilee. In contrast, John Baines and Jaromír Málek consider that the temple of Derr was built in the second half of the reign of Ramesses II, probably because its plan and decoration resembles those of the Great Temple of Abu Simbel (except for the colossal seated statues against the facade). Abu Simbel was built between the 24th and 31st years of Ramses' reign. According to Joyce Tyldesley, the Temple of Derr was built by Setau, known for serving as Viceroy of Kush or Nubia between the years 38 to 63 of this pharaoh's reign.The temple consists of a sequence of two rooms hypostyles (probably originally preceded by a forecourt and pylon) leading to a triple sanctuary where cult statues of Ramses II, Amun-Ra, Ra-Horajtis and Ptah were venerated. When it was cleaned and restored, Derr turned out to contain unusually bright and vivid polychrome reliefs that contrasted with the softer color tones of other Egyptian temples.

It is a small tomb excavated in the rock and was moved from its original position in Aniba to the island of New Amada (forty kilometers further south in Lake Nasser) after the construction of the Aswan Dam. Unfortunately, the reliefs and polychrome inside have suffered great deterioration in recent years, and all of their original beauty cannot be appreciated.The tomb has two chapels of offerings, according to the New Kingdom model. The left side has religious representations of the final judgment and life after death. The right sector displays characters and events from Pennut's life. A niche at the end of the chapel houses statues carved into the rock, which were not completed but which presumably represented Pennut and his wife, located to the left and right of the cow goddess Hathor, whose head can be seen. Pennut was a high official in the reign of Ramses VI. In Aniba he was buried along with most of his family, who also had notable titles in the administration of Lower Nubia.According to the inscriptions in the tomb, Pennut dedicated a statue of Ramesses VI to the temple of Miam and an endowment of land intended for its maintenance. For this, he was rewarded by the pharaoh, who gave him two silver vessels.

The Nile is the longest river in Africa and flows north through ten countries: Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt, until it empties into the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean, forming the great Nile Delta, on which the Egyptian cities of Cairo and Alexandria are located.It is 6,650 km long, making it the second longest river in the world. For centuries it was considered the longest river; however, in 2008 measurements, it was estimated that this title corresponds to the Amazon River.It rises in Burundi and flows into the Mediterranean Sea, crossing mountains, jungles, and deserts. It has two branches or main sources: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The former flows through the African Great Lakes, having its most distant source in Rwanda and flowing north through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda, South Sudan, and Sudan, while the Blue Nile rises in Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows through southeastern Sudan. Both meet near the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.