Abu Simbel
LocationEgypt
Year1264 BC
TypeTemple
About Abu Simbel
Two rock temples commissioned by Ramesses the Great. The great temple facade shows four 67-foot seated statues of the pharaoh. Twice a year the rising sun reached deep inside to light the inner sanctuary. In the 1960s the temples were sawn into blocks and moved uphill to save them from Lake Nasser. The rescue took 4 years and was funded by donations from over 50 countries. One of the greatest relocation projects in history.
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