Abu Simbel, Egypt

A close-up of one of the colossal statues of Ramesses II
 wearing the double crown of Lower and Upper Egypt.

Abu Simbel is an archaeological site comprising two massive temples in southern Egypt on the  western bank of Lake Nasser. The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses The Great in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari. Archaeologists have concluded that the immense size of the statues was intended to scare potential enemies approaching Egypt's southern region, as they travelled down the Nile from out of Africa. With the passage of time, the temples fell into disuse and eventually became covered by sand until they were rediscovered in 1813 by Swiss explorer Jean Louis Burkhart. The complex was relocated in its entirety in the 1960s to avoid their being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River. Source: Touropia

Abu Simbel - Great Temple of Ramesses II (left) and Small Temple of Nefertari (right)

Nefertari's Temple at Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel Temple of Ramesses II

Inside the temple

A scale model showing the original and current location of the temple
(with respect to the water level) at the Nubian Museum, in Aswan