Wadi es-Sebua
The 'Valley of the Lions' on Lake Nasser — a temple of Ramesses II with an avenue of sphinxes, later turned into a church.
The Valley of the Lions
Wadi es-Sebua, "the valley of the lions", lies on the western shore of Lake Nasser in Lower Nubia, about 140 kilometres south of Aswan. Its name comes from the avenue of sphinxes that leads up to the temple built here by Ramesses II in the thirteenth century BC, dedicated to Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty and the deified king himself. The temple is partly free-standing and partly cut into the rock: an avenue of sphinxes with the heads of the king and of falcons leads to a stone pylon, a forecourt with statues of Ramesses, and a rock-cut hall and sanctuary.
A temple turned church
In the Christian period, the temple was converted into a church. Its pharaonic reliefs were covered with plaster and painted with Christian images, parts of which survive. In the sanctuary, where the plaster has partly fallen away, a famous juxtaposition can be seen: Ramesses II, carved on the wall, appears to be making an offering to St Peter, painted over the original image of the god.
Rescued
During the UNESCO campaign to save the monuments of Nubia, the temple was dismantled in the 1960s and moved about four kilometres west to its present site, above the level of the lake. It now forms a group, known as New Wadi es-Sebua, with the temples of Dakka and Maharraqa, also moved here. The site can be reached only by boat, usually on Lake Nasser cruises.
Exhibo editorial
You arrive by boat, step onto the sand of the lakeshore, and walk up an avenue of sphinxes towards a pylon of golden sandstone, with nothing around but desert and water. It is one of the most romantic arrivals in Egypt.
Inside, look for the moment when two religions meet on a single wall: Ramesses II, carved in stone, offering flowers to a painted St Peter where an Egyptian god once stood. It's a strange and moving image, and a reminder of how many lives these temples have had.
Gallery
How to find it
Wadi es-Sebua is visited on Lake Nasser cruises between Aswan and Abu Simbel, which moor at the lakeshore below the site. From the landing, walk up the avenue of sphinxes to the temple; the temples of Dakka and Maharraqa stand a short walk away.
