Abu Simbel is probably the most stunning monument in all of Egypt. It is here that Ramses II, the most powerful and longest-ruling Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, ordered two temples to be carved from the limestone mountains at Abu Simbel. In modern times, the two temples of Abu Simbel were threatened by the waters that would rise with the completion of the High Dam. A campaign to save them was organised by UNESCO. The plan was to cut the temples into blocks, raise them piece-by-piece, and reassemble them in their new position on the banks of Lake Nasser.