Location:
Beit El Wali Temple is near Kalabsha temple in Aswan’s New Kalabsha district, south of the Aswan High Dam.
Who created it?
It is considered a Nubian monument by Ramesses II.
Why was it constructed?
It was constructed to honor God Amon and other gods.
Explanation:
A Polish archaeological team salvaged Beit El Wali Temple from Lake Nasser with the help of a combined Oriental Institute of Chicago/Swiss Institute of Cairo project.
Beit El Wali Temple was designed in a symmetrical cruciform pattern; A deep hall, a transversal antechamber with two columns, and a sanctuary make up the structure. Except for the front wall of the large hall with its central gateway; the temple, defined as a speos; was mostly hewn from the surrounding rock.
The reliefs in the deep hall; are historically significant since they show the Syrian; Libyan, and Ramesses II victories over the Nubians. So many of Ramesses II’s sons are; depicted in war scenes during the Nubian campaigns.
There is a main doorway that connects to a transverse antechamber; which was later built. Two architrave aligned north-south; supported by two robust fluted columns; support the rock ceiling. These columns are of the “proto-Doric” form; with four vertical plane sides that are engraved; have entices; a blank horizontal fillet at the apex; and a square abacus.
A niche in the rear wall of this transverse hall contains a statuary group comprised of Ramesses II between two divinities; a single leading past from the rear wall of the antechamber to the single sanctuary; and a niche in the rear wall of this chamber contains three statues chosen to represent Ramesses II between two deities.
There are numerous viewpoints on the temple art. According to archaeologists; there were as many as four main stages of construction that resulted in this modest temple; with as many as three artists sculpting the walls. The temple was converted into a church during the early Coptic period.
