Abu Simbel temples The temple was forgotten until 1813, when Swiss orientalist Jean-Louis Burckhardt found the top frieze of the main temple. Burckhardt talked about his discovery with Italian explorer Giovanni Belzoni, who travelled to the site, but was unable to dig out an entry to the temple. Belzoni returned in 1817, this time succeeding in his attempt to enter the complex. A detailed early description of the temples, together with contemporaneous line drawings, can be found in Edward William Lane's "Description of Egypt" (1825–1828). In 1959, an international donations campaign to save the monuments of Nubia began: the southernmost relics of this
Lake Nasser ability to generate electricity. There are pumping stations that control the water going into Lake Nasser, and currently this project generates 10 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power each year to Egyptians. A fish enclosure was built in Lake Nasser. Fishing among tourists, especially for Nile perch, has become increasingly popular, both on the shore and from boats. Although the Abu Simbel and other temples were physically moved to a higher ground and to different sites to spare their destruction by the new lake, other ancient Egyptian sites like the massive fortress of Buhen were flooded and are now at the