Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is a pair of colossal rock temples carved into a Nubian cliff by Ramesses II in the 13th century BC. Four seated colossi of the king, twenty meters high, guard the great temple of Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty (Ra fused with Horus), Ptah and the deified Ramesses.

Twice a year, around 22 February and 22 October, sunlight penetrates the rock to illuminate the inner sanctuary, lighting three of its four statues while Ptah, a god linked to the underworld, stays in shadow. A smaller temple honors Hathor and Queen Nefertari. Between 1964 and 1968 both were cut into blocks and rebuilt higher up, safe from the Aswan High Dam's lake.