The Philae or Isis Temple stood on Philae Island south of Aswan, and after the construction of the high dam, the temple was under water for several months of the year. Therefore, the temple was transferred to the neighboring island of Agilika from 1977 to 1980. In 553 AD, the temple served as a church, so much of the relief in the temple was destroyed.

The construction of the high dam was initiated by President Nasser and lasted from 1960 to 1971, creating one of the largest reservoirs in the world, 500 km long and 32 km wide, at the widest point. The dam is more than 3800 meters long and 111 meters high, at the sole 980 meters and at the crown about 40 meters wide.

The two temples of Abu Simbel were built by Ramses II in 1260 BC. built and were under the sand until 1817, then the Italian Belzoni has freed the two temples from the sand. The Ramses temple extends 60 meters directly into the rock and has a height of 30 m. The temple of Nefertari is 21 m deep and 12 m high. After the construction of the dam, both temples were moved 62 m higher in the years 1964-1968 to protect them from flooding by the reservoir.