Bits and Pieces

How Jacqueline Kennedy saved the Abu Simbel Temples

Americans alive during the 1960s remember President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Most Americans from that time also remember Abu Simbel, the dramatic, ancient pharaonic temple threatened by the rising waters blocked by the new Aswan High Dam.

It’s worth remembering that it was Jackie Kennedy who provided crucial support for the mammoth rescue project. Without her help, Abu Simbel might have been lost.First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, already famous for her grace, refinement, and sensitivity to the arts, saw the need to work for the salvation of Abu Simbel. It was she who urged Congress to allocate $10 million for the rescue effort (a sum roughly equivalent to $100 million today). It was an enormous amount of money, but she saw that America must step up to the challenge of saving this treasure of worldwide importance for all time.The rescue funds were approved by Congress and the temple was saved.

In appreciation for her efforts, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser presented Mrs Kennedy with the gift of the Temple of Dendur which was dismantled and shipped to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City where it is enjoyed by millions today.