Sound & Light at Abu Simbel

See the temple of Ramesses II ablaze in colour, as it was in the day of Egypt’s longest-reigning Pharaoh. See the temple six centuries later, hidden in the sands of Nubia, as it was when discovered by explorers in the early 19th century. Then see this same temple, along with the temple of Ramesses’ Chief Wife Nefertari, dismantled and reborn on the banks of the newly-formed Lake Nasser.

It is all part of a nightly show that has been staged at Abu Simbel’s temple complex since April 2000. For the first time since the salvage of Nubia’s monuments, the temple is again in the limelight with a newly-fashioned “Sound & Light” show.

Sound & Light shows have long been offered at historical monuments like the Giza pyramids, Karnak and Philae, but the new programme at Abu Simbel is a more modern and high-tech version of the popular tourist attraction. The new programme uses computer simulation to depict the history of the monuments, as well as the period in which this greatest and best-know of kings, Ramesses II, lived.

The programme features his coronation, the battle of Kadesh, his marriage ceremony, the construction of the temple and its official opening in his reign. Views of other temples in Nubia, built by Ramesses II are also shown, including Wadi el Seboua and Dakka. The programme includes interaction between Ramesses and the sun god Ra, and also with Nefertari.

The two temple facades and the surrounding rock formation comprise the huge ‘screen’ surfaces for this highly impressive projection system. The projections, therefore, are more than 30 metres high and 60 metres wide.

Using computer simulation, both temples are shown with their statues intact (some are partly damaged today) and in their original colours. The four rock-cut colossi of Ramesses take on hues of blue, red and yellow, long worn away by centuries of sandstorms. The same goes for the nearby temple of Nefertari, said to be the only temple in ancient Egypt built by a pharaoh for his wife.

Preparatory work for the performance took one year and cost LE18.5 million. The project is a collaborative effort between the Egyptian Sound & Light Company, the Supreme Council of Antiquities and a Dutch company specializing in lighting. The music was commissioned from a Spanish composer.

Apart from people viewing from their cruise ships moored at Abu Simbel, spectators are seated in a small, unobtrusive amphitheatre erected in front of Nefertari’s temple. Audience members will be provided with headphones that provide translations in eight languages – English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and, of course, Arabic.