Rare Photographs of Abu Simbel’s Relocation at GEM Gift Shop

The late legendary photojournalist Farouk Ibrahim’s rare documentation of Abu Simbel’s monumental relocation in the 1960s is now part of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s ever-growing archive of stories. The photographs, revealed for the first time, are available as postcards at the museum’s gift shop, a souvenir that captures Egypt’s monuments, but more importantly its people.

Between 1964 and 1968, the Abu Simbel temples were dismantled and moved piece by piece as part of a UNESCO-led campaign to save Nubia’s endangered heritage. And, as with most defining Egyptian moments, Farouk Ibrahim was there — camera in hand — capturing the grit, and the labour behind the colossal move. From the carving of Ramses II’s massive head to the engineers and workers who carried history on their backs, the relocation spanned four years and brought together efforts from over 50 nations, and now, through Ibrahim’s lens, it lives again in the palm of your hand.