The Temple of Abu Simbel was built by the great pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BC. While officially dedicated to three of the Egyptian gods, it was essentially a monument to his own greatness.

It is truly astonishing: the temple is built into the rock and four giant statues of Ramses II sit either side of the entrance - a truly impressive sight. Inside the temple the artistry is really beautiful. The temple was designed so that twice a year sun rays enter the inner sanctuary and light first on a statue of Ramses, then the gods Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty, leaving the god of darkness, Ptah, appropriately in the dark. Implication: Ramses is a god himself, and so important that he gets lit up first!

Nearby is a slightly less grand temple to Ramses beloved wife Nefertari. You get an idea of Ramses pretty high opinion of himself when you see that most of the temple decorations here are again in honour of him, while Nefertari herself is less prominent in her own temple! But that was probably par for the course with the pharaohs. And Ramses, known as 'The Great', was no ordinary pharaoh. He came to the throne as a teenager and ruled until his death aged over 90, having over 200 children!

What I haven't mentioned yet is the amazing setting and story of Abu Simbel. It is located on the edge of Lake Nasser, and is one of about 14 temples that was moved several metres higher to avoid its destruction by the rising waters following the building of the Aswan High Dam. Imagine, moving a structure that large, hook line and sinker!

Its serene desert/lake setting is perfect. However, this does mean that unless you're cruising on Lake Nasser it's a pig to get to - and pretty expensive. You can fly from Aswan for about £120, but we took the coach for £70, leaving at 4.30am and travelling about 3 hours through the Sahara (seeing the desert sunrise is something in itself!) - only later were we told we were only about 40 miles from Sudan. But the journey was definitely worth it.