Abu Simbel is famous for its two magnificent temples. These world renowned monuments were in danger of being destroyed by Lake Nasser after the building of the High Dam, a massive undertaking that was begun in 1964 and completed four years later. The temples, built more than 3 000 years earlier, were dismantled and lifted over 60m up a sandstone cliff, where they were reassembled in the exact same way on an artificial hill.