Abu Simbel is a small village in southern Egypt, near the Sudanese border on the western shore of Lake Nasser, around 280 kilometres south of Aswan. It is best known for the extraordinary Abu Simbel temples, among Egypt's most spectacular ancient monuments and part of the UNESCO-listed Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae. Carved into the rock during the reign of Ramesses II, the Great Temple is fronted by four colossal statues of the pharaoh, while the smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. Visitors can explore the richly decorated interiors and discover how the temples were moved to higher ground in the 1960s to save them from flooding. Twice a year, the site's famous solar alignment provides another compelling reason to visit.