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
Environmental issues in Egypt like Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel is a monument to Ramses II built of sandstone, and comprises two temples to gods of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon. Emergency archaeological digs and projects were conducted to retrieve as much as possible from these sites that have been so well preserved by the arid climate. Abu Simbel itself was cut into pieces and moved to a cliff face above the new water level of the Nile above the dam. It now stands 60 meters above where it originally stood, on a cliff overlooking Lake Nasser. Another well-known monument moved during the rescue mission was