Kalabsha Temple

Kalabsha Temple was moved to its present location in 1970, together with other monuments from Nubia. Reachable by taxi or by boat, depending on the water level, the sandstone edifice was built by the Roman Emperor Octavius Augustus and dedicated to the fertility god Mandulis. The Kiosk of Qertassi, with its two Hathor-headed columns, was moved at the same time and now stands near the water commanding fine views over Lake Nasser. Nearby, dug into the hillside, is another of Ramses II's Nubian monuments to military might; Beit al-Wali celebrates his victories over the Nubians, Ethiopians, Asiatics and Libyans and brightly-coloured scenes inside the temple show Ramses making offerings to the gods.