CONSERVATION OF ABU

SIMBEL TEMPLE

NAME RAM RAVI HIRAMAN

ROLL NO:BARCH/10025/15
SEM:6
 LOCATION
ASWAN GOVERNORATE,EGYPT

BUILDER:RAMESSES II
 WHY NEED TO CONSERVE ABU SIMBEL TEMPLE
Due to construction of ASWAN HIGH DAM the level of water began to rise resulting the flooding
of abu simbel within 2-3 year

Flooding nile river result was that it could flood site of 20 ancient monument and the most important
was – ABU SIMBEL TEMPLE

In 1959, an international donations campaign to save the monuments of Nubia began: the southernmost
relics of this ancient human civilization were under threat from the rising waters of the Nile that were
about to result from the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

Government of Egypt send urgent plea to UNITED NATION to save the temple

Expert from 50 nation were given the task to save the temple from flooding

EXPERTS HAD GIVEN MANY IDEAS REGARDING THE CONSERVATION OF TEMPLE

THE MOST DIFFICULT CHALLENGE WAS BECAUSE OF THE MOUNTAIN SETTING OF ABU SIMBEL TEMPLE
 SOME IDEAS OF CONSERVATION WERE
IDEA-1 TO CONSTRUCT COLLOSAL AQUARIUM

ALLOWING FLOOD & COLLOSAL VISITOR AT THE THE TOP OF VISITOR LOOKING THE
AQUARIUM-OPERATING GALLERY TRANSPARENT GALLERY
GALLERIES PROBLEM

TEMPLE IS CARVED
OF SANDSTONE
PROLONGED WATER
EFFECT CAN CAUSE
SANDSTONE POROS
AND CAN ERODE
ELEVATOR SHUTTLE TO VISIT THEM
UNDERGROUND
IDEA 2 IS TO MOVE THE TEMPLE TO HIGHER GROUND
ENGG CALCULATED TIME AND HOW MUCH WATER WILL RISE SO THEY GIVE IDEA TO RAISED 60 M HIGH.
EFFECTIVE TECH WAS TO MOVE 60 M HIGH AND 200 M DEEP IN THE MOUNTAIN WHICH IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.
OPTION 1: RAISE TEMPLE UPTO NEW SITE IN ONE PIECE

200M
MOVING 60 M
HIGH

CUTTING ENTIRE MONUMENT FREE LIFTING AND RAISING MILLION

FROM MOUNTAIM AND PUTTING 650 TONE WEIGHT AND RAISING
HAUDRAULIC JACK MILLIMETER OF MOUNTAIN
NEED TO REPEAT 200TIME
MORE THAN 2500 TONES WEIGHT

HYDARULIC
JACK
AFTER EXTENDING REPLACING
JACK WITH CONCRETE PILLIOR
FORMSING PLATFORM TO REPEAT
SAME PROCEDURE
PROBLEM
NO ANY ERROR
HAS TO BE DONE.

IF ONE JACK FAIL

EVERYTHING
WILL FAIL.

RESULT COULD
LEADS TO
CATESTROPHIC
DISASTER.
 OPTION 2: USING RISING WATER LEVEL AS ADVANTAGE

CONSTRUCTING
CONCRETE
RAFT AS LEVEL
RISES IT WILL
FLOATS
TEMPLE.

BY CUTTING & FLOATING THE

FOUNDATION OF TEMPLE.

CONSTRUCTING
BARRIER ON
EVERY SIDE TO
COUNTER
WATER
PROBLEM

BECAUSE THE TEMPLE WAS TOO MUCH HEAVY

IF LOAD NOT SUSTAINED IT WILL LEADS TO IN WEIGHT TO MOVE UP.
FAILURE.
IF EVERYTHING WILL
BE FINE IT WILL
REQUIRE MORE
THAN 6 YEARS TO
COMPLETE THE
PROCESS IF
NOTHING HAPPENED
IT WAS VERY VERY
RISKY OPTION.
 OPTION 3:CUT IN SMALL PIECES AND MOVE

ARCHEOLOGIST DOESN’T SUGGEST THE IDEA OF

CUTTING.
BECAUSE NOTHING MUST BE LOST
IN CUTTING AND MOVING.

ALSO PROBLEM
WAS FAÇADE
COULD LOOK
LIKE CHESS
BOARD.
CUTS ON EYES AND NOSE OF STATUES CAN
CAUSE UNREPAREABLE SERIOUS DAMAGE.
EFFECTS OF CUTTING STUDIED BY EXPERTS
CUT SHOULD BE IN SUCH A
WAY THAT IT MINIMISES
DAMAGE.
INTERIOR WALL SHOULD
BE CAREFULLY CUT
HAVING
TEMPLE,HIEROGLYPIC
SCRIPT WALL PAINTING.

TASK WAS
TO NOT
ONLY MOVE
TEMPLE BUT
THE WHOLE
MOUNTAIN.

TO MOVE
INTERIOR TEMPLE
NEED TO CUT
UPPER PART OF
NEEDED MORE THAN 500 CUTS INTO MORE THAN 1500 PIECES OF THE MOUNTAIN.
MOVABLE STONE TO RELOCATE TEMPLE TO NEW PLACE.
EASIEST WAY TO CUT IS THROUGHT
EXPLOSIVE BUT ITS SHOCKWAVES CAN
CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE.
SLICING
STONE
USING
CHAIN
SAW.

#IDEA OF CUTTING AND RELOCATING TEMPLE WAS EXECUTED

TAKES 7
MONTHS AND
500 MEN TO
REMOVE TOP
OF MOUNTAIN
BY CUTTING.

PROTECTING MEASURE WERE TAKEN BY COVERING CUTS

USING PROTECTIVE BANDAGE TO STOP SANDSTONE EDGES
TO CRUMBLE FROM SLICING.
 LOCAL ADHESIVE WERE USE TO FIX BANDAGE ON
CUT LINE.

CEILING
OF
TEMPLE
WERE
ALSO CUT
THROUGH CHAIN SAW/HAND SAW WERE USE FOR CUTTING
HAND. SANDSTONE.
CLEAN CUTS WERE DONE AND INSTRUMENT WERE
CONSTANTLY SHARPED.
NEXT CHALLENGE MOVE AND REASSEMBLE TEMPLE

REQUIRES VERY LOW SPEED HIGH

ROUTE MAP OF NEW SITE.
SPEED & VIBRATION COULD
DAMAGE THE PIECES.
VERY DIFFICULT DUE TO ROUGH
TERRAIN.

FACE IS BEING MOVED.

STORAGE
CAREFULLY MARKED.
NO ANY CHANCES OF ERROR
WAS DONE.

LATER NILE RIVER

FLOODED
ORIGINAL SITE.

MORE THAN 15000 PIECES BEING

CAREFULLY STORED.
NEXT BIGGEST TASK REBUILTING THE MOUNTAIN

IF PIECES OF OLD MOUNTAIN PUT ON TOP OF TEMPLE RESULT NEW TEMPLE

COULD FALL DOWNTO HEAVY WEIGHT OF STONES.

CONSTRUCTING MASSIVE ARCH CONCRETE

DOME.

50 LARGE 300
GIANT ROCKS PUT BLOCK BY BLOCK NEAR FRONT
INTERLOCKING GATE.
DOME RAISED FULL WEIGHT OF ROCK CONCETE SECTION LOOKS TEMPLE NEVER BEEN MOVED.
WERE USED.
 NEXT TASK FIXING ABU SIMBEL FACE
1.USING CAMENT AS BINDING MATERIAL

USING CEMENT MORTAR.

PROBLEM WAS
BOND BETWEEN
CEMENT AND
STANDSTONE
COULD BE TOO
WEAK.
RESULTING FACE
COULD FALL AND
COULD GET DAMAGED
FIXING THE FACE USING STEEL STRAPS.

TOO HEAVY ITS NOT EASY AND

RESULT COULD CUT THE FACE.

2 METAL ROD ACTING LIKE

COCKTAIL PEAKING UP THE
CHIN.

IF FAIL CAN LEAD TO

FALLING OF FACE AND
DAMAGING IT.
 TECHNIQUE OF
GROUTING WAS USE.

DROUTING TECHNIQUE BEING

DONE ON REPLICA TO STUDY
THE EFFECT

CRANE MOVES THE HEAD HIGH OF COULD FACES PROBLEM AT HIGH DUE
REPLICA FOR STUDY. TO WIND SPEED RESULT HEAD CAN
FALL.
FIXING BY MAKING L SHAPED TECHNIUE OF
COUNTERATE. FIXING BEING
DEMONSTRATED
ON REPLICA.

CAREFULLY
BEING PLACED
ON TOP.

HEAD OF ABU
SIMBEL AT
HIGH
ARCHIEOLOGIST CONCERN WAS FIX
GROUND.
ANYTHING BETWEEN THE FACE COULD
DESTROY ARCHEOLOGY.
POST FIXING FROCEDURE

MORTAR BEING USED TO FIX THE CRACK (WHICH ARE

LESS THAN A 10 MM IN LENGTH) BY LOCAL WORKER.

CONSERVATION OF TEMPLE WAS NOT

POSSIBLE WITHOUT LOCAL WORKERS SKILL
AND KNOWLEDGE.
 RESULT OF RELOCATION
PERFECTLY ALIGNED

UTIMATE MOMENT OF TRUTH

THREE OF FOUR STATUE ELIMINATED WITH SUNLIGHT 4 STATUE GOD OF DARKNESS REMAIN IN DARK
THANKYOU