Egypt Heritage Sites Gallery

Abu Simbel, at the original location, wood engraving, published 1880

Ship traffic on the Nile during the great religious festivals in ancient Egypt. In the background the Abu Simbel temples, built by Ramses II in the 13th century BC, World Heritage Site by Unesco. The temple was demolished from 1963 to 1968 and rebuilt on the plateau of Abu Simbel construction of the Aswan High Dam. The relocation of the temples was necessary to avoid their being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River. Woodcut engraving, published in 1880

© ZU_09

The Great temple of Ramesses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt

The archaeological site of Abu Simbel is composed primarily of two massive rock temples in, these cave temples taken from the side of the mountain from the pharaoh Ramses II in the thirteenth century BC, built to intimidate the neighbors Nubians and to commemorate the victory at the Battle of Kadesh.The archaeological site was discovered March 22, 1813 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt but almost completely covered in sand, it was breached for the first time on 1 August 1817 by the Italian Giovanni Battista Belzoni.Nel 1979 he was recognized as a World Heritage Site by Unesco

© Giampaolo Cianella 2015

The statues of Rameses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt

Located just 40 km north of the border with Sudan is the temple of Abu Simbel which was constructed by Ramses II around 3000 years old.
The facade of this structure, is 35 meters (115 feet) long and 30 meters (98 feet) high.
Today Abu Simbel is the most visited ancient site in Egypt after the Pyramids of Giza and even has its own airport to support the thousands of tourists who arrive at the site each year

© Nick Brundle - Photography