Abu Simbel

ABU SIMBEL A place in lower Nubia on the left bank of the Nile, 45 kilometers (28 miles) southwest of Derr, remarkable for its two Egyptian temples carved in rock. Both have a front wall made of sandstone and interior walls are dug into solid rock. The smaller temple, built about 7 meters (23 ft) above the Nile level, has a façade 30 meters (100 ft) wide, it is decorated with six huge statues in a state of almost perfect preservation. The greater temple, 33 meters (108 ft) above water level, has a facade 40 meters (131 ft) wide and 30 meters high, with four huge 23 meter (75 ft) figures, the most colossal of Nubia and Egypt.
 
Extract from the Trousset encyclopedia, 1886 – 1891.