"… A witness turned to stone as evidence to posterity of the power of the divine Pharaoh".
The Great Temple of Ramses II
Not only are the two temples at Abu Simbel among the most magnificent monuments in the world but their removal and reconstruction were historic events also. When the temples (280 km from Aswan) were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser, due to the construction of the High Dam, the Egyptian Government secured the support of UNESCO and launched a world-wide appeal. During the salvage operation, which began in 1964 and continued until 1968, the two temples were dismantled and raised over 60m.
Up the sandstone cliff where they had been built more than 3000 years ago. Here they were reassembled, in the same proportions, and covered with an artificial mountain. Most of the joins in the stone have now been filled by antiquity experts, but inside the temples, it is still possible to see where the blocks were cut. You can also go inside the man-made dome and see an exhibition of photographs showing the different stages of the massive removal project.