19/07/2025
The Temple of Soleb is a pharaonic temple located 50 km between the second and the third cataracts on the west bank of the Nile. The area of Soleb had a long history of use; near the temple are prehistoric graves, a Nubian A-Group, Kerma Culture, New Kingdom Necropolis, and a Meroitic cemetery.
The temple of Soleb, constructed during the reign of Amenhotep III (1378-1348 BC), was dedicated to Amun, but after Akhenaten assumed power, it was rededicated to Aten. An inscription of the official Ramessu dating to the reign of Ramesses III was found there, indicating that the temple continued in use over the next several generations.
For more about the temple: https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6596/
to Breasted's expedition to Nubia! Here we see a picture of the Amun Temple at Soleb built by Amenhotep III, photographed in February 1907. During Amenhotep III's long reign he had numerous monuments built, including this large temple in Nubia. One can see in the center of the picture the expedition epigrapher, Norman de Garis Davies (husband of Nina de Garis Davies) on a ladder examining inscriptions. The team spent a total of 10 days at the site and found it a challenging experience thanks to the high winds at the site and the fact that one of the walls was not in the sun and also could not be illuminated by artificial means. It was necessary for Breasted to hold a piece of tin to form a mirror to illuminate a small part of the wall at the time so that it could be photographed. But the strong winds made it challenging to hold the tin but they were able to persist and make the photographers. It is therefore not surprising that Breasted noted: "We had a hard ten days at Soleb."
