They Cut Abu Simbel Into Blocks and Moved It Up a Hill #Shorts
Pack: 61 - They Cut Abu Simbel Into Blocks and Moved It Up a Hill
To save Ramesses II's cliff temples at Abu Simbel from a rising lake, engineers cut them into more than a thousand blocks and rebuilt them about 65 metres higher. ▶ Full documentary on our channel: https://youtu.be/WYrRb3q1h50
- Ramesses II had the temples carved into a sandstone cliff above the Nile, fronted by four seated colossi of himself, each about 20 m high (UNESCO).
- Lake Nasser, rising behind the new Aswan High Dam, would have put Abu Simbel underwater (JSTOR Daily).
- In a UNESCO-led international campaign, 1964–68, the temples were cut apart into blocks of 20 to 30 tons and rebuilt about 65 m higher; they were inaugurated at the new site on September 22, 1968 (UNESCO; JSTOR Daily; Britannica).
- Even the cliff is new: the temples sit under an artificial hill supported by concrete domes (JSTOR Daily).
Was moving it the right call, or should it have stayed where Ramesses carved it? Tell us in the comments. Full story in our documentary, The Full History of Egypt. 🔔 Subscribe for a new forgotten story every day: https://www.youtube.com/@Shadowfetchtube?sub_confirmation=1
Quick answers
What is “They Cut Abu Simbel Into Blocks and Moved It Up a Hill” about?
To save Ramesses II's cliff temples at Abu Simbel from a rising lake, engineers cut them into more than a thousand blocks and rebuilt them about 65 metres higher. ▶ Full documentary on our channel: https://youtu.be/WYrRb3q1h50
What are the key facts?
Ramesses II had the temples carved into a sandstone cliff above the Nile, fronted by four seated colossi of himself, each about 20 m high (UNESCO). Lake Nasser, rising behind the new Aswan High Dam, would have put Abu Simbel underwater (JSTOR Daily).
What sources is this Short based on?
It cites UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae; UNESCO, The Abu Simbel story; JSTOR Daily, An Epic Face-Lift: Moving Abu Simbel Out of the Nile (M. Wills, 2025); Britannica, Abu Simbel. Links are in the Sources list below.
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae
- UNESCO, The Abu Simbel story
- JSTOR Daily, An Epic Face-Lift: Moving Abu Simbel Out of the Nile (M. Wills, 2025)
- Britannica, Abu Simbel
Images
- Nubia, Temples of Abu Simbel, 1870–1888, original site — Antonio Beato, Museo Egizio — CC0 —
- The Temples of Abu Simbel from the Nile, 1846–49 — David Roberts, Cleveland Museum of Art — CC0 —
- Lake Nasser behind the Aswan High Dam — Warren LeMay — CC0 —
- The first block laid at the new site of Abu Simbel — Anefo, Nationaal Archief — CC0 —
- Colossus of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel — Warren LeMay — CC0 —
- The Abu Simbel temples at their new site — Warren LeMay — CC0 —
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