219: Abu Simbel, Ramesses' Great Temple

The History of Egypt

Dominic Perry

Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Around 1286 BCE, builders started work at Abu Simbel. Sacred to a local form of Horus, this sandstone mountain would become one of the most famous monuments in the Nile Valley. It was called the “House of Ramesses, Beloved of Amun,” and provided a home for dozens of deities. Within, sunlight illuminated its sanctuary on certain days, and the King could honour himself in a “Temple of Millions of Years.” Thanks to some lesser-known records, we explore the function and creation of this renowned shrine, and try to answer some nagging questions... I’ll do a Livestream about Abu Simbel soon. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to learn more https://www.youtube.com/@dominicperryae Music by Luke Chaos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	This is an an anoncio of radio of His Cox Business Insurance,
0:03.0	that pretends to show us
0:05.0	of those that His Cox Business Insurance
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0:10.0	If your business gets blamed by a client for a mistake,
0:13.0	like accidentally recording the radio ad in the wrong language,
0:17.0	Hiscox could help protect you.
0:19.0	The story of your business, underwritten
0:22.0	by Hiscox Business Insurance, subject to already holding a relevant Hiscox policy and subject
0:27.4	to policy eligibility terms and conditions. Howdy folks? Dominic here. Today we introduce a most
0:35.0	famous monument, the temple of Abu Simbel, constructed for Ramesses II
0:40.6	and his primary wife, Nefertari. It's quite a large monument with multiple parts, so to keep things
0:48.1	orderly, today I'm just focusing on the great temple, the one dedicated to the king, and I'm going to focus on the
0:55.5	historical components, the temple's function, conception, construction, and the famous solar alignment
1:02.5	that happens twice a year. In a futi episode, I'll talk about the temple of Nefertari, which is right
1:09.6	next to the king'sument. And for those interested
1:12.9	in the visual side of things, like the colossal statues, the art, and the overall vibes of the temple,
1:20.1	I'll be doing a live stream about that later in 2025, using a 3D model that is available online
1:26.8	so we can explore the temple in person, so to speak.
1:30.7	If you want to see that, simply subscribe to my YouTube channel.
1:34.4	There will be a link in the episode description.
1:37.3	Otherwise, enjoy the episode.
	...

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