A set of two temples near the border of Egypt with Sudan, Abu Simbel was constructed for the pharaoh Ramesses II who reigned for 67 years during the 13th century BC (19th Dynasty). The temples were cut from the rock and shifted to higher ground in the 1960s as the waters of Lake Nasser began to rise following completion of the Aswan High Dam.
The Great Temple is dedicated to Ramesses II and a
statue of him is seated with three other gods within the innermost part of the
rock-cut temple (the sanctuary). The temple's facade is dominated by four
enormous seated statues of the Pharaoh (each over 20 metres or 67 feet high),
although one has been damaged since ancient times. The Small Temple was
probably completed ahead of the Great Temple and is dedicated to Ramesses'
favorite wife, Nefertari. At the entrance stand six 10-metre-high (33 feet)
rock-cut statues - two of Ramesses and one of Nefertari on either side of the
doorway.
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