Saving Abu Simbel in Egypt
GTM
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A portico crane lifting a statue's head. Photo: G. R. Reitz
In 1954, Nasser decided to build the Aswan dam that would flood the great Nubian temples. Under the aegis of UNESCO, an international initiative to save the temple of Abu Simbel, sanctuary of Ramses II, was launched. GTM took part in the project that consisted in dismantling the great rock temple and reconstructing it 65 metres above Lake Nasser, before it was submerged, once and for all.