By the end of 1956 and the beginning of planning the building of the new
Aswan
Dam , an international campaign led by the UNESCO was launched to save the monuments of Nubia . The relocation works the Temples of
Abu Simbel
began in 1964 and was finished in 1968 with a cost of 40 million $ .
To avoid damaging the sculptures , both temples were covered by sand . Then , the entire site - not only the temples - was cut into large blocks which were classified and numbered . They were relocated 200 meters to the back and 60 meters higher than their original place . The whole original site was reassembled in its new location , reserving the original orientation and the original landscape .
