Our crew loved this optional excursion to Egypt's most visited monument after the Giza Pyramids. At Abu Simbel are massive rock-cut temples built by Ramses II, that were moved to this spot to be protected from the rising Nile waters caused by the erection of the Aswan Dam. An informational and fund-raising campaign was initiated by UNESCO in 1959. Between 1963 and 1968 a workforce and an international team of engineers and scientists, supported by funds from more than 50 countries, dug away the top of the cliff and completely disassembled both temples, reconstructing them on high ground more than 200 feet (60 metres) above their previous site. In all, some 16,000 blocks were moved.
Alex inside one of the two Abu Simbel Temples.