About 140 kilometers (85 miles) south of the Aswan High Dam, in Old Nubia on the west bank of the Nile, two temples were built during the 18^th and 19^th dynasties of the New Kingdom. When, in the 1960s, the High Dam was being constructed, one of these temples that was built by Ramses II, referred to as the Temple of Wadi al-Sabua but originally known as the "House-of-Amun", was rescued (in 1964) and moved to a new, elevated site several kilometers to the northwest. The earlier temple of Amenhotep III was, regrettably, left to be submerged under the waters of Lake Nasser. However, five stelae from this temple are on display in the Aswan Museum. Both of these temples were part free standing and part “speos”, meaning that a section of the temples was hewn into the surrounding rock.

The temple built by Amenhotep III was dedicated principally to the Nubian form of God Horus, and later, apparently during the time of Ramesses II, to Amun. It was damaged during the Amarna Period, but was later restored by Ramesses II.

The temple that was actually built on the orders of RamsesII, was dedicated to Amun –Re and Re-Horakhty. It was the third speos style temple that Ramesses II built in Nubia, the most famous of which is of course at Abu Simbel. The temple sphinx-lined approach in the two forecourts leading to the initial stairway provides the name of this area, which is known as the Valley of the Lions (Arabic Wadi al Sabua). The entire complex that proceeds the rock hewn chambers was enclosed within a huge brick wall over a meter thick on a rectangular plan measuring 35 by 80 meters, with buttresses on the north and south external sides.