Abu Simbel

In 1960, several companies were gathered by UNESCO to save Abu Simbel temple, threatened by the risk of flooding caused by the construction of the Aswan Dam.
The feat to shift a whole temple to a 65 meters higher plateau seemed almost impossible.

Three years later, in 1963, it was decided that the temples would have been cut into more than a thousand blocks, and then reassembled exactly in their original position but in a different location.
Pellegrini’s invaluable know-how was chosen to participate in this epic mission.
We provided the helicoidal wire technology that made it possible to section the statues into several blocks. Two Derrick DK 20 cranes were used to move all 1,000+blocks by 22 meters in height, 38 meters in width and 62 meters in depth.
This historic success demonstrates Pellegrini’s wit and technological skills.