Abu Simbel has been building since 1250 BC.The entrance leads into a large hall with massive pillars fronted by figures of the pharaoh Ramses II - When the temple was threatened by submersion,during the construction of the Aswan Dam, the UNESCO,in 1963,launched a world wide appeal. During the salvage operation, the temple was dismantled and raised over 60 meters up the sandstone cliff where it had been built more than 3,000 years before. Here they were reassembled, in the exact same relationship to each other and the sun, and covered with an artificial mountain. The rays of the sun would light up the statues of the gods twice a year.