Quick answer
Wadi el-Sebua, the Valley of the Lions, is a temple of Ramesses II approached by an avenue of sphinxes, rebuilt on the shore of Lake Nasser in the 1960s. It shares its site with the temples of Dakka and Maharraqa, and is usually visited as a shore excursion from a Lake Nasser cruise.
What is Wadi el-Sebua?
It is a half freestanding, half rock-cut temple of Ramesses II, named for the sphinxes that line its approach, and one of three rescued temples grouped together on a sandy shore of Lake Nasser. Ramesses had it built in the later part of his reign, through Setau, his viceroy of Kush, and dedicated it to Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty and himself as a god. It is one of a string of temples he planted through Nubia, culminating at Abu Simbel.
When the lake rose, the temple was moved about 4 km west to higher ground. Today the setting, golden sand, scrub, the blue lake and almost no other people, is half the pleasure. Our Lake Nasser and Nubia page explains the wider rescue.
What do you see at the temple of Ramesses II?
Walk the sphinx avenue to the pylon, cross a court lined with statues of the king as Osiris, and end in a rock-cut hall and sanctuary where Ramesses appears to make an offering to St Peter.
- The sphinxes: those in the outer courts have human heads wearing royal headdresses; further in, they have falcon heads, representing the god Horus.
- The pylon: its stone outer face shows Ramesses smiting his enemies before the gods.
- The Osiride court: pillars fronted by standing figures of Ramesses in the pose of a god-king, worn but imposing.
- The sanctuary: early Christians converted the temple into a church, plastering over the pagan reliefs and painting saints. Where the plaster has fallen away, a painted St Peter holding his key now stands in the niche, so an original relief of Ramesses offering flowers seems to be presenting them to the apostle.
What are Dakka and Maharraqa?
They are two later temples moved to the same site: Dakka, a tall Ptolemaic and Meroitic temple of Thoth, and Maharraqa, a small unfinished Roman temple with a unique spiral staircase. Both are a short walk across the sand from Wadi el-Sebua.
Dakka
Begun by the Meroitic king Arkamani and the Ptolemies in the 3rd century BC, and extended under Augustus, Dakka was dedicated to Thoth of Pnubs, a Nubian form of the ibis-headed god of writing (see our guide to Thoth). Its pylon is one of the best preserved in Nubia, and when access is allowed you can climb inside it for the view over the lake.
Maharraqa
A small Roman-period temple to Isis and Serapis, never completed. Its corner spiral staircase is unknown in any other Egyptian temple, and a relief of Isis seated under a sacred tree shows a blend of Egyptian and Graeco-Roman styles.
Why did Ramesses II build so many temples in Nubia?
Because Nubia supplied Egypt's gold and its trade with Africa, and temples were the most visible way to stamp royal authority on the region. Ramesses built at least six temples between the First and Second Cataracts, among them Beit el-Wali, Gerf Hussein, Wadi el-Sebua, Derr and the two at Abu Simbel. Each presented the king as a god in his own right, worshipped alongside Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty or Ptah.
Wadi el-Sebua belongs to the later, more mass-produced phase of this programme. Its carving is rougher than at Abu Simbel, and the viceroy Setau left inscriptions boasting of his work for the king. Seeing it in sequence with Beit el-Wali and Derr on a cruise shows how one reign reshaped a whole landscape, and how much was lost when Gerf Hussein, whose rock-cut halls could not be saved, went under the lake.
How do you get to Wadi el-Sebua?
Almost everyone arrives by Lake Nasser cruise ship, which moors nearby and takes passengers ashore on foot or by tender. The site lies roughly 140 km south of the High Dam by water. There is no regular road excursion from Aswan or Abu Simbel, and independent overland visits are impractical.
Southbound cruises usually visit on the second day, often in the late afternoon when the light turns the sandstone gold, then continue to Amada. Northbound itineraries reverse the order. Our Lake Nasser cruise guide compares routes and ships, and Lake Nasser cruise vs Nile cruise helps decide whether it suits you.
Tips for visiting
Wear closed shoes, carry water and take your time; the walk between the three temples is over soft sand.
- Allow about 2 hours for all three temples. Ship schedules set the timing, so ask the night before.
- Entry is usually included in a cruise fare; check what your booking covers. Monument rules and prices are listed on egymonuments.gov.eg.
- Bring a torch for the dim sanctuary, where the St Peter painting is easy to miss.
- Mosquitoes and sandflies can be about at dusk near the water; repellent helps.
Wadi el-Sebua: FAQs
Why is Wadi el-Sebua called the Valley of the Lions?
The name, Wadi el-Sebua in Arabic, refers to the avenue of sphinxes with lions' bodies leading to the temple of Ramesses II.
Can you visit Wadi el-Sebua without a cruise?
Not realistically. There is no regular road excursion, so visits are almost always shore stops on Lake Nasser cruises.
Why is there a painting of St Peter in the temple?
Early Christians reused the temple as a church and painted saints over the plastered walls. One survives in the sanctuary above an original relief of Ramesses II.
What is special about Maharraqa temple?
It has a spiral staircase, a feature not found in any other ancient Egyptian temple.
