Entrance to the back side of the hill housing the temple of Abu Simbel in Egypt

A number of visitors to Egypt who have come to see the wonders from Ancient Egypt also make it to see the temple of Abu Simbel. Even though the temple is not as famous as the Pyramids or the Sphinx, the temple is still relatively famous. Getting there is not as simple as visiting the pyramids though (which are located on the outskirts of Cairo). The Temple of Abu Simbel is located in an isolated area, 260 km by road from the nearest big town of Aswan (you can also get there by flight or by ship across Lake Nasser). It is Lake Nasser which made it famous. Lake Nasser is a man made lake which was created due to the construction of the dam at Aswan, and as a result, the rise in water levels threatened the temple; in an engineering feat, the temple was moved up from the lower level and moved to the current location. The hill housing the temple was created to house the temple, and in this photo, you can see the backside of the hill with a entrance meant for service purposes.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map