Sculpture of the head of the Pharaoh at the Abu Simbel temple near Aswan

The temple of Abu Simbel was built by the Ramesses II (acknowledged as one of the most powerful Egyptian pharaohs of all time, who ruled for many decades over a vast empire) as a projection of his power. It provided visitors from the South with a grand view that would seek to intimidate them, and also showcased his image as that of a living god; this was a power that was used to reinforce the power of the pharaoh in his people.
In this statue at Abu Simbel, you can see the head of the majestic statues at the entrance to the temple being portrayed in the form of the pharaoh.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map

bird framed prints bird greeting cards

Tourists coming in and out of the Abu Simbel temple in Egypt

The Abu Simbel temple in the region of Nubia in lower Egypt. This was a magnificent temple, that along with a smaller temple, was built by the Pharaoh Ramesses II as a means of showcasing his power and magnificence.
Now, Abu Simbel is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Egypt, even though it is located far way from any other place, being almost 280 km from the city of Aswan, around 3 hours of driving on a straight road.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map

bird posters bird metal prints

Workers on some restoration process near the Abu Simbel statues in South Egypt

When you go to any site in Egypt that boasts of some ancient monument, you will find some restoration process. Egypt only really started caring for its historic monuments and realizing their tourist potential a few decades back, and ever since then, there is a regular process of stabilization and restoration of these monuments that is ongoing. In addition, there are a number of such monuments all over the country that need to have prioritization in terms of restoration process, and working on such ancient structures needs a lot of time to be spent in the restoration process.
In this case, there were these workers on some restoration project around a hundred meters or so from the statues and the temple, enough distance that tourists would not be distracted by this restoration process.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map

Photo of the front facade of the Great Temple of Abu Simbel in Egypt

As you come to the site of Abu Simbel after a long drive from Aswan (because of previous security concerns, vehicles move in a convoy from Aswan to Abu Simbel twice in a day), or you can go there by flight or by ship; you pass through security gates and then you can see a large hillock close to Lake Nasser. And then you start turning around the edge of the hillock, and you start seeing these magnificent statues carved onto the front surface of the hillock. These are huge statues, towering over you, and you can just imagine the effect these must be having on travelers who came across these statues in the 13th century BC when they were constructed.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map