The Abu Simbel Temples are two enormous rock temples that were first chiseled out of the hillside in the 13th century BC during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II.
They are situated in southern Egypt, close to the Sudanese border.
The smaller temple commemorates Ramesses II’s queen, Nefertari, while the bigger temple is devoted to Ramesses II personally.
The elaborate sculptures that show the pharaoh’s conquests and heavenly position, as well as the enormous statues that guard the entry, are what make these temples so famous.
An amazing feat of engineering was used in moving the temples in the 1960s to protect them from the rising waters of the Nile as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam.
Abu Simbel is still a reminder of the Egyptian engineers’ and artists’ skill.