Temple of Gerf Hussain
About Nubia and its Historical Importance
The land of Nubia is situated extends from the North of Aswan till the South of the Sudanese borders with Egypt. Aswan, being the Southern gate into Egypt, has always been of strategic and commercial importance for the ancient Egyptians and many military campaigns were carried out by the Pharaohs to take control of this area that was rich with ivory and the finest types of wood.
The ancient Egyptian took full control of Nubia during the reign of the New Kingdom especially after the successful military campaigns held in the middle of the 16th century BC Ahmose, the founder of the 18 dynasty and the king who was able to expel the Hyksos out of Egypt.
About the Nubians Temples
The Kings and Pharaohs of Egypt, during the period beginning from the era of the New Kingdom till the Roman period, have constructed many temples to the South of Aswan, in the lands of Nubia between the first Cataract to the North and the second Cataract to the South.
Many of these temples were rescued because of the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the UNESCO project that relocated many of these structures like Qaser Ibrim, the Temple of Dekka, the Temple of Derr, the Temple Kalabsha, and the magnificent masterpieces of Philae and Abu Simble.
One of the less fortunate temples that were damaged by the water of the Lake Nasser but was successfully relocated is the Temple of Gerf Hussein that lost many of its magnificent sections and some parts survived until today.
An overview of the temple of Gerf Hussain
The Temple of Gerf Hussein was constructed in the reign of Ramses II, the most famous builder in ancient Egypt, during the 13th century and the historical records assert that it was a magnificent structure.
The original location of the Temple of Gerf Hussein was 87 kilometers to the South of the First Cataract. The Temple was recorded in many journeys of travelers and historians during the 19th and the 20th century.
The Temple of Gerf Hussein was said to be a masterpiece of the ancient Egyptian art and crafts of the laborers who used to work in the gold mines that flourished in the period of Seti I and his son, Ramses II.
After the construction of the High Dam in the 1970 s, the remains of the Temple of Gerf Hussein was transferred from its original location to the Kalabsha Island, together with three more temples; Kalabsha, Beit El Wail, and Dekka.
The Construction of the temple of Gerf Hussain
The ancient Egyptian name for the Temple of Gerf Hussein was the House of the Worship of the God Ptah and it was one of the most remarkable constructions erected in Nubia during the ruling period of Ramses II like the Temple of Beit El Wali and the astonishing Temple of Abu Simble.
Ramses II, the same as many other kings and Pharaohs of the New Kingdom gave special attention to Nubia knowing that governing this area of land meant controlling the important trading routs between ancient Egypt and Nubia, situated to the South of the city of Aswan today.
The one that would be credited with the construction of the Temple of Gerf Hussein, and many other architectural achievements during the reign of Ramses II, is Setau, the Deputy of the King in the lands of Nubia.
Unfortunately many of the achievements of Setau were endangered after the construction of the High Dam and the water of Lake Nasser covering a huge piece of land where many Nubian monuments were located.
Dedicated to a number of gods, the same as many temples constructed at the time, the Temple of Gerf Hussein was constructed for the worship of the gods Ptah, Hathour, some other local gods, to the worship of Ramses II who became divine to his people at the end of his ruling period.
The Design and the Description of Temple Gerf Hussain
Despite the fact that the Temple of Gerf Hussein had a plain design being constructed from the East to the, the temple is considered to be an attractive piece of ancient Egyptian architectural art
With many pillars and columns constructed all over the complex and the wonderful statues of Ramses II, who probably the king that had the largest number of statues being constructed for him during his reign. Some of these statues are extremely huge like the one being displayed in the Memphis open air Museum today that is more than 20 meters long.
The Temple of Gerf Hussein is situated at top of a hill and the only remaining sections of this magnificent temple today is a hall with some pillars and large sandstone statues with bears that most probably belonged to Ramses II.
Stepping into the main hall of the Temple of Gerf Hussein that survived until today, the guests find wonderful colossi of Ramses II being more than 20 feet tall. However most of these statues are in a bad shaped in comparison to other structures that were constructed in the lands of Nubia and relocated after the construction of the High Dam.
Opposite to these wonderful large statues of Ramses II and the lotus shaped columns, there are four niches hosting a number of statues of Ramses II and the gods Hathour and Ptah, in a scene that was commonly painted on many walls around the complex.
The Temple of Gerf Hussein had an open courtyard with one wall that was constructed to look like a pylon, which was a common feature of temples in Nubia like the Temple of Karnak, Luxor, and Philae.
After passing through the open courtyard there a square shaped hall with six huge columns and a number of large statues of Ramses II being positioned between the gods.
A small chamber is located behind the square shaped hall with large pillars in the section of the Temple of Gerf Hussein that was cut out of rocks.
This small chamber takes the guest towards three larger chambers, one of them is the wonderfully decorated sanctuary with Ramses II being displayed presenting the offerings to the gods worshiped in the temple.
Although only a few portions of the Temple of Gerf Hussein survived until today, many tourists who visit the complex admit that it holds a magic of its own and it is still charming the same way it was during its glorious past.
However, they are never certain this was because of the former greatness of the complex or because of the wonderful views of the Nile that can be viewed from the top of the hill where the remains of the temple are located today.
The relocation of the temple of Gerf Hussain
Although some of the sections of the Temple of Gerf Hussein were successfully relocated in its current location near the Temple of Kalabsha, nothing of the interior parts of the Temple actually survived.
The only exception is a large statue of Ramses II but it is not located in the temple nowadays, but put in a special position in the Nubian Museum in Aswan, one of the most interesting places to visit for any fan of the Egyptian history or the Nubian culture and arts.
Only successfully relocated in 2002, the ruins of the Temple of Gerf Hussein were among the last Nubian temples to be transferred from its original location to the North of the Lake Nasser to its current location near the Temple of Kalabsha to the South West of the High Dam.
Due to the fact that only a few number of people and historians have viewed the Temple of Gerf Hussein in its original location near the Nubian village that held the same name, dismantling the different sections of the temple, transferring the different parts of the temple, and reconstructing it was considered a miracle.
The ruins that survived from the Temple of Gerf Hussein seem rather lonely and isolated in the new position of the Temple that was once a great complex and a magnificent ancient Egyptian temple.
Many historians and Pharaonic arts fans from all over the world were extremely happy that the UNESCO project that was established to relocated many Nubian temples that were put into danger after the construction of High Dam. However, no scholar can ever be certain how many monuments were ruined or even lost forever.
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