Temples made of sand that last

Sandcastles made by children are quickly washed away by the sea later. For Abanob Ghaly, this is not the case.

Ghaly is the first Egyptian to make statues from sand and water.

“With water, sand and sculpting tools, I can make anything from small statues to large temples,” Ghaly told the Egyptian Mail.

“The idea of sculpting with sand started by chance when someone in Hurghada asked me to make sculptures of sand and water without any fixing materials. This was the beginning,” he added.

Among his sand temples and statues are Abu Simbel, Queen Hatshepsut’s (Deir el-Bahari), Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of mummification.

He has also made cartoon characters – Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Masha and the Bear and many others.

He uses a machine to compact the sand, rulers and other tools to etch small details. The sand he uses is free of salt.

Ghaly, who graduated from Faculty of Fine Arts, Sculpting department, compacts the sand before sculpting.

“Sculpting begins with drawing on a block and the excess sand is removed from each part,” Ghaly said.

Sand sculptures take one week to one month depending on size. His Abu Simbel temple took four weeks.

He usually puts his signature and finger print on every piece he makes.

“What happens to the work afterwards is according to the circumstances, if it is outdoors of indoors,” he said.

If the work is outside, it can last for six months or more.

“After that, I can do a restoration of the statue, and it may last for years. If the statue is in a closed place, it can stay for a year, and restoration follows”.

Ghaly also made some sculptures on the new Suez Canal.

“I was one of a team of engineers there and we made statues with different materials,” Ghaly said.

“I hope that this art can spread. It can also be used as a unique kind of marketing to the companies, it will be an attractive idea,” he said. “My dream is to have my own museum where I can put my sculptures.”