Abu Simbel: The Temples That Were Cut Apart and Moved

Abu Simbel's temples in Egypt were dismantled and rebuilt on higher ground to escape the reservoir of the Aswan High Dam.

Workers began cutting the stone into blocks in 1963, and the temples were reassembled inside a specially built artificial hill. The dam's reservoir also flooded much of Nubia, and many of its people were displaced.

Watch the short story: Abu Simbel: The Temples That Were Cut Apart and Moved on Aha Lantern.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Abu Simbel; Britannica, Abu Simbel; Britannica, Aswan High Dam; ICOMOS Monumentum vol. 17.

More stories: Gobekli Tepe: Hunter-Gatherers Built These Giant Pillars · The Eiffel Tower Leans From the Sun · How Roman-Inspired Concrete Can Heal Small Cracks

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