Great and Small Temples of Abu Simbel Great and Small Temples of Abu Simbel The Great and Small Temples in Abu Simbel are massive rock-cut temples built by Pharaoh Ramesses II during Dynasty 19 of the New Kingdom. They were originally built in Nubia next to the Second Cataract, but since the construction of the Aswan High Dam, they have been moved to their present location in the Aswan Governorate. They were built both to show Egypt’s influence over rich Nubia and to show Ramesses II as a god. Today they are preserved as a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site's "Nubian monuments". Ramesses II was
Architectural sculpture is based mainly on the religious monuments that have survived since antiquity, which are carved stone with post-and-lintel construction. These religious monuments dedicated to the gods or pharaohs were designed with a great deal of architectural sculpture inside and out: engaged statues, carved columns and pillars, and wall surfaces carved with bas-reliefs. The classic examples of Egyptian colossal monuments (the Great Sphinx of Giza, the Abu Simbel temples, the Karnak Temple Complex, etc.) represent thoroughly integrated combinations of architecture and sculpture. Obelisks, elaborately carved from a single block of stone, were usually placed in pairs to flank the entrances to