| Abu Simbel is one of the most famous monuments
that was saved from the waters of Lake Nasser, the reservoir behind
the Aswan High Dam. When the water started rising, it threatened
numerous archaeological sites. Members of the United Nations
Education, Science, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) started an
ambitious project to save Abu Simbel (and several other sites).
Piece by piece, craftsmen cut the temple out of the rock, marked
every piece, recording its location, and moved everything back 210 m
and up by 60m. There everything was re-assembled in exactly the same
locations. Two artificial hills were erected into which the two
temples were placed. The interiors of these hills are steel tube
frames, but the outside looks just like a natural hill. |
