Africa, Nubia, Temple of Gerf Hussein, 1850s

The temple of Gerf Hussein (Per Ptah, or House of Ptah) was dedicated to pharaoh Ramesses II and built by the Setau, Viceroy of Nubia. Situated on a bank of the Nile south of Aswan, it was partly free-standing and partly cut from the rock. The rear portion of the building was carved out of rock and follows the structure of Abu Simbel with a pillared hall featuring two rows of three statue pillars and four statue recesses, each with divine triads along the sides. Beyond the hall lay the hall of the offering table and the barque chamber with four cult statues of Ptah, Ramesses, Ptah-Tatenen and Hathor carved out of the rock. During the building of the Aswan dam project in the 1960s, sections of the free-standing portion of this temple were dismantled and they have now been reconstructed at the site of New Kalabsha. Most of the rock cut temple was left in place and is now submerged beneath the waters of the Nile

Picture No

12697866

Media ID

47676183

Size

4500px x 3401px (6.3MB)

Credit

LOC/Science Source/Mary Evans