A 36-MILLION DOLLAR INTERNATIONAL RESCUE OPERATION WAS MARKED YESTERDAY (SUNDAY) WHEN THE NEW SITE OF THE IMPRESSIVE ABU SIMBEL TEMPLE WAS INAUGURATED, HIGH ABOVE THE WATERS OF THE ASWAN DAM.

THE TEMPLES, MORE THAN 3-THOUSAND YEARS OLD AND DOMINATED BY 65 FEET (20 METRES) FIGURES OF THEIR BUILDER, RAMESES THE SECOND, WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST BENEATH THE RISING WATERS OF THE LAKE, CREATED BY THE BUILDING OF THE ASWAN DAM.

MONEY FOR THE RESCUE OPERATION WAS RAISED WITH THE AID OF THE UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANISATION (UNESCO). MORE THAN 50 COUNTRIES CONTRIBUTED TO THE SCHEME.

THE TEMPLES WERE CUT INTO SMALL BLOCKS AND LIFTER 200 FEET (65 METRES) TO THEIR NEW SITE ON A CLIFF OVERLOOKING THE LAKE. APART FROM ABU SIMBEL, THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE NUBIAN TEMPLES, THE RESCUE OPERATION ALSO INVOLVES TEMPLES, CHAPELS AND TOMBS DATING FROM VARIOUS PERIODS IN EGYPTIAN HISTORY - PHARAONIC, GREEK, ROMAN AND CHRISTIAN TIMES.

GUESTS AT THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY, CONDUCTED BY THE EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF CULTURE, DOCTOR THARWAT OKASHA, INCLUDED MINISTERS, DIPLOMATS, ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND HISTORIANS, ALL OF WHOM HAVE WATCHED THE RESCUE WORK WITH CLOSE INTEREST.

THE TEMPLES AND OTHER ANTIQUARIES OF ABU SIMBEL WILL NOW BE DEVELOPED AS TOURIST ATTRACTIONS, BUT THEY WILL REMAIN ACCESSIBLE ONLY BY BOAT ALONG THE INCREASING LAKE NASSER.