Abu Simbel in Egypt

Avid amateur Egyptologists will be familiar with the rush to save the original temple of Abu Simbel from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. Requiring the support of UNESCO, superhuman effort and painstaking care, teams of archaeologists, engineers and local labourers dismembered and reassembled the colossal site, effectively completing a massive 3D jigsaw from 1964-68. The temple itself had originally required over 20 years of construction from around 1,260BC. While ostensibly intended by Ramesses II to pay homage to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty and Ptah, it would have been hard even 2,200 years ago to reject the idea that self-deification was his true ambition. The mammoth façade is composed of four colossal statues of the pharaoh, dwarfing the altogether more humble reliefs of the gods themselves, a theme that continues throughout.

Whatever the politics and personal ambitions that envelop the temple’s creation, a visit here is one of the absolute highlights in a country that isn’t short of jaw-dropping sights. Visitors from Aswan usually set off early in the morning on a daily return flight, allowing for around 90 minutes at the temple site, with groups of other passengers and various guides. This is arguably something of a rushed visit given the extensive array of treasures, but one that allows visitors on a limited timescale to see one of the finest representations of Ancient Egypt without booking a full Lake Nasser cruise.