These statues and temples would be underwater if workmen had not moved
them to higher ground.
GIANT STATUES ON SHORE
In Egypt, there is a statue so big that eight men can sit on one of its
feet. It is one of the giant statues of King Ramses II that stands
outside two temples. The temples are called Abu Simbel, built by King
Ramses II of Egypt hundreds of years ago. The temples were carved into a
cliff along the shore of the Nile River.
When the Egyptians decided to build a new high dam across the Nile, it
meant that the river waters rising behind the dam would flood the
temples. What could they do to save Abu Simbel and the giant statues?
Egypt, the United States, and many other countries gave money to move
Abu Simbel to higher ground. The temples and the statues had to be cut
into many huge blocks. Each block was numbered and lifted to the top of
the cliff. The numbers helped the workers know how to put the blocks
together again. The cliff where the temples were first built is now
covered with water.
Before workers moved the stone blocks of Abu Simbel, they put numbers on
them. Then they knew how to put them together again in the same order.
