The Temple of Abu Simbel exhibition in Marbella

by Morris Bishop

This is a must for anyone who wants to delve into a piece of history dating back to circa 1300BC. Egyptian engineer & artist Hany Mostafa has created a one third size, true replica, of the Temple of Abu Simbel. Rameses II. commissioned the temple’s construction, to celebrate his victory over the Hittites at the battle of Kadesh,

But this in essence, was massaging the truth, because the battle ended in a truce, with both sides claiming victory.

Emilio is an artist from Seville specializing in Egyptological artifacts, and he has created over 50 beautifully detailed exhibits that are appropriate to the Rameses II. period giving one a small insight into this ruler’s complex life.

The building of the replica presented major logistical problems for Hany, as it had to be transportable around the various venues in Europe where it will be exhibited, and yet have the appearance of solidity, if not the massive proportions of the original.
Just think about the challenge if you had to break down a building that took 20 years to complete, into its component parts. But this is exactly what happened in 1964 when the Aswan high dam was constructed. The temple would have ended up tens of metres under the waters of the lake that the dam would create. In the event, they de-constructed this 2390 cubic metre edifice, and rebuilt it on a site 65 metres higher. All this was achieved without the help from those pyramid building slaves!

Five years in the making, it is constructed from Fibre glass, on which the artist has captured in relief and colour, every detail from the original. Photography within the temple was not allowed, so Hany had to make over a hundred site visits to notate the enormous amount of information required before embarking on the build.
The four chambers of the replica cover an area of over 280 square metres with an impressive entrance fascia over 6 metres high

The exhibition tour started in Portugal where it attracted over 25,000 people, followed by Sevilla, and now in Marbella. Unfortunately all the display plaques are written in Spanish only, so we were reliant to a great extent on Esparanza, the muiti-linguistic tour guide to tell us about the history of the temple, but I am led to believe that the organizers will be correcting this.

The exhibition is at the Palacio de Congresos Marbella and runs from 23rd May until 21st. September, It is open daily from 10:00, Admission 7€ There is an Egyptian tea bar as well as the opportunity to purchase memorabilia To see some photo’s, follow the link
http://www.facebook.com/pages/temple-abu-simbel/138595053013736
for more information call 609977657 or 697411051
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More details from the Marbella Town Hall:
Abu Simbel, Museum, a replica of the great Egyptian Temple of Abu Simbel, which has been created by the Egyptian craftsman Hany Mostafa.
Abu Simbel was the majestic Temple Ramsés II was erected in the distant region of Nubia, South of Egypt, to show his greatness. The construction began around the year 1284 BC and lasted for about 20 years. Pharaoh is represented himself as a deity to ensure the obedience of the Nubians, since he thought that they not dare to confront a God. Also shown as a warrior who defeated the enemies of the country of the Nile. The North wall of the temple chronicles the battle of Kadesh, the most famous of the reign of Ramsés II, against the Hittites Asians.

Hany Mostafa has been professionally engaged in metallurgical industry, but has always felt a special veneration for the temples of their ancestors and all the heritage of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Your attachment manual art and the search for architectural beauty, sculptural and pictorial has led him to create a replica of the Temple of Abu Simbel, after visiting the original on numerous occasions.
His work was completed in 2011, after five years of intense work together with eight craftsmen, and traveled through various European capitals in order to meet their work and plan a road show, which also includes traditional dances, a craft market of Egypt products and tasting of the typical gastronomy of this country.
The facade of this replica accurately reproduces the famous façade of the original temple, with its four monumental statues representing Ramsés II, one of which, the one on the left, broke during an earthquake and only the lower part remained intact.
The Abu Simbel Museum consists of four rooms: the façade, which is A room; the great Hypostyle Hall or room B; the second Hall or Hypostyle Hall C, and the shrine or room D. The most important paintings have taken nearly six months to complete. Design, sculptures, images and sizes are very similar to the original temple of Abu Simbel.
The replica of the temple, has recently been exhibited in Portugal, Jerez de la Frontera and Seville, having planned move to France after passing by Marbella.
Price tickets:
Children under 3 years: free entry children 3 to 8 years old: €5
Adults: €6
Students: €5
Group of students from 50 persons: €3