Abu Simbel is an archaeological site that includes two huge temple rocks in southern Egypt on the west bank of Lake Nasser about 290 km southwest of Aswan  It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Nubian Monuments  which starts from the direction of the flow of the river from Abu Simbel to Phila (near Aswan)

The double temples were originally carved from the mountains during the reign of King Ramses II in the 13th century BC as a permanent residence for him and Queen Nefertari  to commemorate his victory in the battle of Kadesh  However in 1960 the compound was moved entirely to another location on an artificial hill made of the dome structure and above the Aswan High Dam reservoir

It was necessary to move the temples to avoid being drowned during the construction of Lake Nasser and form a huge artificial water reservoir after the construction of the High Dam in Aswan on the Nile Abu Simbel is still one of the best places to attract tourism in Egypt