Abu Simbel lies south of Aswan on the western bank of the Nile and 180
miles south of the First Cataract in what was Nubia. This is rock-cut
temple of Ramses II on the west bank of the Nile at Abu Simbel. Abu
Simbel is a set of two temples near the border of Egypt with Sudan.
Constructed for the pharaoh Ramses II who reigned for 67 years during
the 13th century BC (19th Dynasty). The temple is dominated by four
giant statues of the Pharaoh (each 67 feet high). Placed there to remind
those approaching Egypt of Ramses’ Greatness. The Small Temple is
dedicated to Ramses' favorite wife, Nefertari. Moving the Temples was a
major feat. The temples were cut from the rock and shifted to higher
ground in the 1960s as the waters of Lake Nasser began to rise following
completion of the Aswan High Dam
