Editing Abu Simbel (section)

===Construction===
During his reign, [[Ramesses II]] embarked on an extensive building program throughout Egypt and [[Nubia]], which Egypt controlled. Nubia was very important to the Egyptians because it was a source of gold and many other precious trade goods. He, therefore, built several grand temples there in order to impress upon the Nubians Egypt's might and Egyptianize the people of Nubia.<ref name="Verner">Verner, Miroslav. Temple of the Word: Sanctuaries, Cults and Mysteries of Ancient Egypt. (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2013).</ref><ref name="Hawass">Hawass, Zahi. The Mysteries of Abu Simbel. (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2000).</ref> The most prominent temples are the rock-cut temples near the modern village of [[Abu Simbel (village)|Abu Simbel]], at the Second Nile Cataract, the border between Lower Nubia and Upper Nubia.<ref name="Hawass" /> There are two temples, the Great Temple, dedicated to Ramesses II himself, and the Small Temple, dedicated to his chief wife Queen [[Nefertari]].

Construction of the temple complex started in {{circa|1264&nbsp;BC}} and lasted for about 20 years, until 1244 BC.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} It was known as the Temple of Ramesses, Beloved by [[Amun]].