Abu Simbel, the site of two temples built by the Egyptian king Ramesses II (reigned 1279–13 BC), is now located in Aswan Governorate, southern Egypt. In ancient times, the area was on the southern border of Pharaonic Egypt, facing Nubia. The four colossal statues of Ramesses in front of the main temple are stunning examples of ancient Egyptian art. Through a complex engineering feat in the 1960s, the temples were saved from the rising waters of the Nile caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam.
