Ancient Archaeology and World Heritage

The temple of Hathor and Nefertari , also known as the Small Temple at Abu Simbel, is one of the two massive rock-cut temples in the village of Abu Simbel in Upper Egypt. It was constructed approximately 100 meters northeast of the temple of Ramesses II and was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramesses II's chief consort, Nefertari. The temple of Hathor and Nefertari at Abu Simbel The rock-cut facade is decorated with two groups of colossi that are separated by the large gateway, representing the king and his queen. On either side of the entrance are two statues of the king, wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt (south colossus) and the double crown (north colossus); these are flanked by statues of the queen. This is one of very few instances where the statues of the king and his queen have been depicted in the same size. A colossal statue at the entrance to the temple, depicting the king Ramesses II   A colossal statue at the entrance to the temple, depicting the queen ...

The Great Temple at Abu Simbel is one of the two massive rock-cut temples in the village of Abu Simbel in Upper Egypt. It was constructed during the reign of the 19th dynasty Pharaoh, Ramesses II (also known as Ramesses the Great) who ruled Egypt for approximately 66 years from 1279 BCE to 1213 BCE . It is estimated that the construction of the great temple took approximately 20 years. The temple is dedicated to the Egyptian gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, Ptah and as well the pharaoh Ramesses II himself.  The Great Temple at Abu Simbel The complex which consists of the great temple and the smaller temple (dedicated to goddess Hathor and Queen Nefertari, the chief wife of Ramesses II) was relocated in its entirety in 1968 to higher ground to avoid it being submerged by Lake Nasser, the Aswan Dam reservoir. Between 1964 and 1968, the entire site was carefully cut into large blocks, dismantled, lifted, and reassembled in a new location 65 meters higher and 200 meters back from the river....

The catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa  (which translates to "Mound of Shards") is an archaeological site located in Alexandria, Egypt. Estimated to have been initially constructed during the 2nd Century CE , it is considered to be one of the “Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages” (the other six being: the Colosseum in Rome, Italy; the Great Wall of China; Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey; the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy; Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, China; and Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England). The catacombs consist of Alexandrian tombs, statues and artifacts related to the Pharaonic funerary cult. Due to the period of its’ construction, many features of the tomb are a combination of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian cultures. The facility was used as a burial chamber from the 2nd Century CE to the 4th Century CE . It is believed that the catacombs were initially intended for a single family, even though the facility was later expanded to house numerous other individuals. The catacombs ...

Discovered in 1952 CE within the eastern necropolis of Alexandria, the Tigrane Tomb was subsequently relocated to the archaeological site currently known as the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa. Even though the tomb had originally consisted of one room fitted with loculi and another in the form of a triclinium-shaped burial chamber, only the burial chamber has been removed from the ground and currently on display. Dating back to the 2 nd Century CE, many features of the tomb including the art within the walls depicts a combination of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian cultures, similar what is visible within the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa. Two Roman style statues are displayed on either side of the entrance to the relocated tomb. The two roman style statues displayed on either side of the entrance to the tomb The entrance walls on either side of the burial chamber are decorated with the image of a male figure placed in a panel under an "Apis" bull (Apis was the most important and hi...

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining Sphinx (a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion). It stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The Great Sphinx of Giza The Great Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt . Its’ original shape was cut from the bedrock and was subsequently restored with layers of limestone blocks. The nose of the monument was broken at some point during the 2nd Millennium CE. The most famous story is that Napoleon Bonaparte shot the nose of the Great Sphinx with a cannonball during the French invasion of Egypt. However, historical records suggest that the invasion took place between 1798 CE and 1801 CE, whereas there were paintings of the Great Sphinx with its broken nose from as far back as the 17th century CE. The other story is that in 1378 CE, a religious rebel by the name of Mohamed Sa'm al-Dahr was responsible for destroying the nose. Neither story has been...

The Colossi of Memnon  are two massive statues constructed using blocks of quartzite sandstone. The statues represent the 18th dynasty  Pharaoh Amenhotep III  who ruled Egypt between 1390 BCE and 1352 BCE. The two statues stand at the front of the  Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III  (built by the main architect  Amenhotep, son of Hapu around 1350 BCE ) which is believed to have been destroyed by an earthquake which occurred around 1200 BCE. At the time of its’ construction, the temple was the  largest in the Necropolis of Thebes .   The Colossi of Memnon Even though, certain inscriptions may differ, the two statues are believed to have been identical to each other when they were initially constructed. The twin statues depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III in a seated position, his hands resting on his knees and facing towards the Nile River. There are two shorter figures carved into the front throne alongside his legs representing his wife Tiye and mother ...

Estimated to have been constructed somewhere around the 13 th Century CE, Wat Si Chum is a Buddhist temple located in the northern zone of the Sukhothai Historical Park , outside the historic walled city of Sukhothai ( the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom of Thailand in the 13th and 14th Century CE). The temple is best known for its’ Mondop with the massive seated Buddha image which is partially visible from a distance.

Ta Prohm which was originally called Rajavihara (Royal Monastery) was a Mahayana Buddhist temple, monastery and a university. Its’ ruins are located approximately one kilometre  east of Angkor Thom in modern-day Siem Reap, Cambodia . Completed in 1186 CE during the reign of King Jayavarman VII (reigned from 1181 CE to 1218 CE), Ta Prohm is one of the most popular temples among the visitors to Angkor, due to the massive trees and roots growing out of its’ ruins.

Halin (also known as Hanlin ) located in the Sagaing Division of Myanmar was once an ancient city of the Pyu Kingdom : a group of city states founded by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu people  (the earliest inhabitants of Myanmar of whom records are still available). They were Buddhists of the "Sarvastivada" school. Estimated to have been established around the  1st or 2nd Century BCE , Halin was one of the earliest Pyu city states. It remained prominent until the 9th Century CE.

"Wat Mahathat" (“The Temple of the Great Relic”) was one of the most prominent Buddhist temples of Ayutthaya Kingdom : a Siamese Kingdom which existed from 1350 CE to 1767 CE in modern day Thailand. Located approximately 80 kilometres north of Thailand’s current capital Bangkok, it forms part of the Historic City of Ayutthaya (the capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom) which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 CE.