Lisez cet article à voix haute
Activez le micro et lisez à votre rythme. Les mots s’allument au fil de la lecture, et rien ne vous arrête quand l’un d’eux est mal prononcé.
Votre audio n’est jamais envoyé à MovaReader : c’est votre navigateur qui le reconnaît. Politique de confidentialité
Connectez-vous pour garder cette séance dans votre historique de lecture.
The Relocation of Abu Simbel: Engineering the Salvage of Nubian Heritage
The commencement of construction on the Aswan High Dam in 1960 promised industrial modernisation for Egypt, yet it threatened the permanent submergence of invaluable historical monuments beneath Lake Nasser. Most prominent among these endangered sites were the rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel, commissioned in the thirteenth century BCE by Pharaoh Ramesses II. Carved directly into sandstone cliffs overlooking the Nile, the Great Temple and the temple dedicated to Queen Nefertari confronted imminent destruction. In response, UNESCO coordinated an unprecedented international rescue operation, securing financial commitments and technical expertise from dozens of nations.
The execution of the salvage operation required the physical dismantling and relocation of both monolithic structures sixty-five metres above the original riverbank. Following the construction of a temporary coffer dam to hold back the encroaching reservoir, engineers initiated the precise sectioning of the cliff face and temple chambers.