One of the world's biggest archaeological rescue operations was successfully concluded 50 years agone afterwards a massive ancient Egyptian temple complex was dismantled together with hoisted to higher Earth to forestall its flooding past times the damming of the Nile River.
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| Twenty-first century tourists throng the relocated Great Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel, which was rescued from submersion past times the damming of the Nile inward a huge international performance completed 50 years agone this calendar week [Credit: AFP] |
More than 2,500 years old
The 2 Abu Simbel temples -- named afterwards their hamlet place -- were carved out of cliffs overlooking the Nile inward the fourth dimension of Ramses II, the ruler of Arab Republic of Egypt from 1298 to 1235 BC.
The larger has 4 colossal statues of a seated Ramses II at the entrance, through which at that topographic point are succession of rooms together with galleries stretching dorsum 63 metres (207 feet).
The temples are amid the jewels of the ancient Nubia portion that extended downwardly the Nile from Aswan inward southern Arab Republic of Egypt into present-day Sudan.
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| When Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser determined to dam the Nile inward the 1960s, an enormous international operation was launched to rescue the twin groovy temples of Abu Simbel from the ascent waters of what |
is forthwith Lake Nasser [Credit: AFP] Threatened past times Nile dam
In the 1950s, Egypt's president Gamal Abdel Nasser launched a projection to dam the mighty Nile at Aswan inward companionship to generate electricity for the region, increase cultivable state together with cut flooding.
The structure would practise a huge artificial lake behind the dam wall, requiring the resettlement of tens of thousands of indigenous Nubians from villages inward the surface area together with also threatening monuments.
Pharaonic together with Graeco-Roman temples including those of Abu Simbel risked existence submerged.
Technical feat
In 1960, UNESCO, the United Nations organisation dedicated to preservation of culture, launched an appeal to relieve the temples. Several projects were pose on the tabular array but, besides costly, they were chop-chop pose aside.
Eventually a Swedish-Egyptian proposal was selected.
Work was launched on Apr 1, 1964 amongst the structure of a temporary dam to protect the site together with the digging of the cliff approximately the 2 temples.
The Abu Simbel temples were cutting into 1,035 blocks each weighing betwixt xx together with thirty tonnes. The 4 seated statues of Ramses II together with vi others of the manlike individual monarch standing upwards were sawn into pieces.
Jacks, cranes together with powerful winches hoisted the enormous rock weights to the overstep of the cliff, 64 metres (210 feet) from their master copy location.
There the blocks were reassembled to reconstitute the 2 temples just every bit they were.
Artificial hills were together with thence created approximately the site every bit a protective barrier against the river.
For 4 years virtually 800 labourers together with 100 technicians worked inward the desert nether a red-hot Sun to consummate the project, which terms 36 millions dollars.
An international effort
At a ceremony on September 22, 1968 to score the completion, UNESCO manager full general Rene Maheu said it was "the showtime fourth dimension that nosotros cause got seen international cooperation inward activity on such a scale inward the sphere of culture."
It was an "unparallelled undertaking, inward which over 50 countries... cause got combined their efforts to relieve the artistic together with historical treasures of the temples of Abu Simbel."
The master copy site is today completely submerged past times Lake Nasser.
Follow-up rescue
An performance -- also piece of occupation of UNESCO's Nubia Campaign -- to relieve the temple complex on Philae island, approximately dozen kilometres upstream from Aswan, started inward 1972.
Involving xl archaeological missions from approximately the world, it ran for viii years together with terms to a greater extent than than thirty i one one thousand thousand dollars.
About xx temples, statues together with monuments known every bit "the gem of the Nile" were dismantled together with transported, stone-by-stone, to the nearby Agilkia island, on higher ground.
UNESCO manager full general Amadou Mahtar M'Bow praised the "wealth of talent, energy, sense together with capital" mobilised to relieve the Nubia monuments.
"Nowhere, perhaps, has the sacred fine art of Arab Republic of Egypt defied fourth dimension thence majestically every bit inward Nubia, piece of occupation of which is vanishing earlier our eyes today," he said.
Author: Chalaby-Moualla | Source: AFP [September 22, 2018]
Sumber http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com
In the 1950s, Egypt's president Gamal Abdel Nasser launched a projection to dam the mighty Nile at Aswan inward companionship to generate electricity for the region, increase cultivable state together with cut flooding.
The structure would practise a huge artificial lake behind the dam wall, requiring the resettlement of tens of thousands of indigenous Nubians from villages inward the surface area together with also threatening monuments.
Pharaonic together with Graeco-Roman temples including those of Abu Simbel risked existence submerged.
Technical feat
In 1960, UNESCO, the United Nations organisation dedicated to preservation of culture, launched an appeal to relieve the temples. Several projects were pose on the tabular array but, besides costly, they were chop-chop pose aside.
 |
| Workers sawed the monumental statues of Ramses II that adorned the Abu Simbel temple complex into 20- to 30-tonne pieces earlier transporting them to a novel place out of accomplish of the dammed waters of the Nile [Credit: AFP] |
Work was launched on Apr 1, 1964 amongst the structure of a temporary dam to protect the site together with the digging of the cliff approximately the 2 temples.
The Abu Simbel temples were cutting into 1,035 blocks each weighing betwixt xx together with thirty tonnes. The 4 seated statues of Ramses II together with vi others of the manlike individual monarch standing upwards were sawn into pieces.
Jacks, cranes together with powerful winches hoisted the enormous rock weights to the overstep of the cliff, 64 metres (210 feet) from their master copy location.
There the blocks were reassembled to reconstitute the 2 temples just every bit they were.
Artificial hills were together with thence created approximately the site every bit a protective barrier against the river.
For 4 years virtually 800 labourers together with 100 technicians worked inward the desert nether a red-hot Sun to consummate the project, which terms 36 millions dollars.
 |
| In 1966, the showtime relocated blocks of the Abu Simbel temple complex are installed inward their new site 64 metres (210 feet) higher upwards their master copy place forthwith submerged past times the dammed river [Credit: AFP] |
At a ceremony on September 22, 1968 to score the completion, UNESCO manager full general Rene Maheu said it was "the showtime fourth dimension that nosotros cause got seen international cooperation inward activity on such a scale inward the sphere of culture."
It was an "unparallelled undertaking, inward which over 50 countries... cause got combined their efforts to relieve the artistic together with historical treasures of the temples of Abu Simbel."
The master copy site is today completely submerged past times Lake Nasser.
Follow-up rescue
An performance -- also piece of occupation of UNESCO's Nubia Campaign -- to relieve the temple complex on Philae island, approximately dozen kilometres upstream from Aswan, started inward 1972.
 |
| In this file photograph taken on Jan 26, 1966 Egyptian workers are seen moving Queen Nefertari's bust (R) to the novel site of the twin temples of Abu Simbel [Credit: AFP] |
About xx temples, statues together with monuments known every bit "the gem of the Nile" were dismantled together with transported, stone-by-stone, to the nearby Agilkia island, on higher ground.
UNESCO manager full general Amadou Mahtar M'Bow praised the "wealth of talent, energy, sense together with capital" mobilised to relieve the Nubia monuments.
"Nowhere, perhaps, has the sacred fine art of Arab Republic of Egypt defied fourth dimension thence majestically every bit inward Nubia, piece of occupation of which is vanishing earlier our eyes today," he said.
Author: Chalaby-Moualla | Source: AFP [September 22, 2018]
Sumber http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com
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