Where is Abu Simbel?

The two rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel lie on the west bank of Lake Nasser, around 230 km south-west of Aswan. Pharaoh Ramesses II had them carved into a sandstone cliff in the 13th century BC, with four seated statues of himself, each about 20 metres tall, guarding the Great Temple. A smaller temple honours his wife Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. In the 1960s, the Aswan High Dam threatened to flood the site, so an international UNESCO campaign cut the temples into more than 1,000 blocks and rebuilt them about 65 metres higher. Twice a year, around 22 February and 22 October, sunlight reaches deep into the Great Temple to light statues in the inner sanctuary.