The next day I headed 2 hours down the road to Abu Simbel - my MAIN reason behind my Aswan visit. The Abu Simbel monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has often been referred to as the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World. The monuments were built in honor of Ramses II and his wife Nefetari. Ramses II was one of the most powerful pharoahs of ancient Egypt. He had many wives and over 100 children. His favorite wife was Nefetari, a Nubian queen whose beauty was legendary. The temples were originally carved out of a mountainside in the region of Nubia in 13 B.C. The region was named for the African tribe (Nubians) that settled in southern Egypt. When the Aswan Dam was built, Abu Simbel was relocated block by block in 1968 to its current location - only 60 meters from its original site. The relocation was done to avoid Abu Simbel from being submerged by Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir that formed after the completion of the dam. It was wonderful to see these fantastic monuments, and it was the perfect end to a perfect staycation!
