The four colossal statues of Ramses II flank the entrance of the Great Temple in Abu Simbel, Egypt. The extraordinary structure was built during the New Kingdom at the height of the ancient Egyptian empire’s power.
In the 1960s, the Great Temple and the nearby Small Temple were deconstructed and then rebuilt at a higher location to save them from being submerged under Lake Nasser, which rose due to the construction of Aswan’s High Dam. Click the above image to enlarge, click to read my travel guide “How to Take a Self-Guided Tour of Abu Simbel,” or click to view my high-resolution photo gallery.