The local Arabs, inspired by the stone sculptures of sphinxes, which lined the entrance to the first temple, named the place as 'Wadi es-Sebua' or the Valley of the lions. The very first temple at the site was built by Amenhotep III which was later on (probably) restored by Ramesses II.

When the Wadi es-Sebua temples were threatened by flooding from the construction of the Aswan Dam project, the temple was dismantled in 1964 CE with US support by the Egyptian Antiquities Service. They were moved to a new site only 4 kilometers west from their original location, today known as the New Wadi es-Sabu'a temple complex.

circa 1960 CE

Today, the archaeological site is known as “New Wadi es-Sebua”, a modified toponym adopted after the site’s relocation during the 1960s Nubian Salvage Campaign. The addition of the qualifier “New” distinguishes the reestablished complex from its original location, which now lies beneath the waters of Lake Nasser. The present site, situated approximately 4 kilometers west of the original Wadi es-Sebua, encompasses three ancient Egyptian temples from Lower Nubia — those of Wadi es-Sebua, Maharraqa, and Dakka.

circa 1350 BCE

Temple of Amenhotep III
Situated about 200 meters south of the well-known temple of Amun and Ramesses II, this structure was similarly oriented towards the Nile. The original temple was built during the 18th Dynasty by Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who is recorded on its walls as the king responsible for its construction. It consisted of a small rock-cut sanctuary, approximately 3 by 2 meters, in the western part, fronted by mudbrick structures including a pylon, a court, and a hall that were partly decorated with wall paintings. The sanctuary was likely dedicated to a local Nubian form of Horus, though the deity’s representations were later altered to Amun. During the Amarna Period, the images of Amun were defaced, and the decorations suffered damage. However, Ramesses II later restored and expanded Amenhotep III’s original temple by adding further constructions in front of the pylon, continuing its orientation and stylistic relationship with the nearby temple of Amun and Ramesses II.

circa 1250 BCE

Temple of Amun-Ra and Ramesses II
The second and larger temple at el-Sebua, known as “The Temple of Ri‘amesse-meryamun [Ramesses II] in the Domain of Amun”, was constructed about 150 meters northeast of the earlier Amenhotep III temple, between circa Years 35 and 50 of Ramesses II’s reign, under the supervision of Setau, the Viceroy of Kush. Located roughly 150 kilometers south of Aswan on the Nile’s west bank, the site held strategic importance during the Ramesside period as the residence of the viceroy and a key station along difficult Nile passages and caravan routes.

This temple was the third Nubian sanctuary built by Ramesses II, combining a rock-cut chapel with a forecourt of stone and brick. Despite its grandeur, the temple exhibits signs of hasty workmanship and the use of inferior materials, likely due to an unskilled local labor force from Libyan oases. The complex known as the "Ramesses beloved of Amon in the field of Amun" during antiquity served both as a religious monument and as a quay for boats descending the Nile. Its Arabic name, “Wadi es-Sebua” or “Valley of the Lions”, derives from the stone sphinxes that once flanked its entrance. Architecturally, the temple featured three pylons (two of mudbrick, now lost), two open courts adorned with sphinxes—first with human-headed and later falcon-headed forms representing various Horus cults—and four colossal statues of Ramesses II, of which only one remains standing.

The surviving stone gate passages, pylons and decorated walls bear inscriptions celebrating Ramesses as “Lord of Sed-festivals, like Ptah”, symbolizing his aspiration for divine longevity. Beyond the pylons, the temple transitions into a rock-cut section with a hypostyle hall supported by twelve pillars, six of which originally bore Osiride statues of the king that were later defaced by Christians. The inner sanctuary, approached through antechambers and side chapels, once housed statues of Amun-Re, Re-Harakhty, and Ramesses II himself. Built in the rougher Nubian style typical of Ramesses’ later monuments.

During the 6th century CE, the Ramesside temple at Wadi es-Sebua was converted into a Christian church, leading to the partial concealment and unexpected preservation of its ancient reliefs. Christian occupants covered many of the original carvings with a layer of plaster upon which they painted religious imagery, including depictions of God. This protective layer inadvertently safeguarded several of the temple’s original Ramesside scenes, particularly those in the sanctuary and adjoining chapels that vividly portray Ramesses II venerating the sacred boats of Amun-Re and Re-Horakhty. In the central niche, where statues of Amun and Re-Horakhty once flanked the pharaoh, Christian worshippers replaced them with an image of St. Peter. When the plaster was later removed, it revealed a striking and historically layered tableau—Ramesses II appearing to offer flowers to St. Peter—symbolizing the temple’s transformation from a New Kingdom cult center into a Christian place of worship while unintentionally preserving traces of both faiths.

circa 100 BCE

Temple of Dakka
The Greco-Roman Temple of Dakka (معبد الدكة), dedicated to Thoth, is today located at the New Wadi es-Sebua area. Dedicated to Thoth, the god of wisdom in the ancient Egyptian pantheon, it initially consisted on just a small one-room shrine or chapel, first begun in the third century BCE and subsequently enlarged. During the Roman period, the emperors Augustus and Tiberius further enlarged the structure with "the addition, at the rear, of a second sanctuary as well as inner and outer enclosure walls with a large pylon.

circa 10 BCE

Temple of Maharraqa
It is an unfinished ancient Egyptian temple from the Roman Empire period. Intended to be dedicated to Isis and Serapis, it has not been securely attributed to any Roman emperor's reign. The only part of the structure that was finished "was a court measuring 13.56 X 15.69 meters, which was surrounded on three sides by columns". The Temple of Maharraqa features an architectural curiosity with a winding spiral staircase at a corner of the court, which led to its roof.