Ramesses II had two temples carved into a mountainside at Abu Simbel around 1264 to 1244 BC. The facade of the Great Temple is guarded by four colossal seated statues of the king, each 66 feet (20 m) high. Twice a year, sunlight reaches the inner sanctuary and falls on the statues, except for that of the god Ptah.
The smaller temple honors the goddess Hathor and Queen Nefertari. Two groups of colossal figures flank its gateway, and the pillars of its hall carry capitals bearing the face of Hathor.
Between 1964 and 1968, to save the temples from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, engineers cut the complex into 1,036 blocks and moved it 682 feet (208 m) inland. The Great Temple was also raised 213 feet (65 m). The project cost $41.7 million. The temples belong to the UNESCO-listed Nubian Monuments and are open to the public.
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