faces of three of four colossal statues at the entrance to the Great Temple of Ramses II

Epic engineering rescued colossal ancient Egyptian temples from floodwaters

In 1960, a new dam on the Nile threatened Ramses II’s temples at Abu Simbel and other ancient treasures. Here's how the world saved them.

Photographed in 1966, faces of three of four colossal statues at the entrance to the Great Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel await reunion with their bodies.
Photograph by JOHN KESHISHIAN/NGS
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