Tourist admiring some of the statues at the foot of the Abu Simbel temple in Egypt

A view of a tourist at the base of the smaller statues and sculptures at the Abu Simbel temple in lower Egypt. The temple of Abu Simbel was built fairly distant from Aswan, around 280 km, along the river Nile. The temple was built by the pharaoh Ramesses II as a measure of the magnificence of his rule, and also meant to be a grand warning to visitors from Sudan to the south, so that they realize the grandeur of his rule.
In the 1960's, there was a huge effort to move the temple from its original location to the current location, in order that the rise in waters due to the construction of the dam on the Nile at Aswan does not drown the temple.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map

yellow posters yellow metal prints

View from below of one of the statues of the beautiful temples of Abu Simbel in Egypt

The Abu Simbel statues are one of the most important temples in Egypt, not as famous as the Pyramids or the Sphinx, but still pretty famous. These are a set of 2 statues built into rock-faces, located in Nubia, Egypt, around 280 km from the nearest major city of Aswan. They are a UNESCO World Heritage site, that are also famous for being rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser due to the construction of the Aswan dam. They were physically moved in an incredible feat, this process being completed in the year 1968.
These temples were built near the border with Sudan, built by the greatest Egyptian pharaoh, Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a way to demonstrate his status as a living god, and also to ensure that any visitors from the south would get awed by his might.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map

Small gap between the pillars of the Hypostyle Hall inside the Karnak temple

In some places inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple, there are large spaces, enough for people to easily gather. However, near the edge of the hall, the space between the pillars is much reduced, as in this photo, where it would seem difficult for people to congregate in the space between the pillars at the floor level.

View Larger Map