In the early 1960's, when Egypt built the High Dam at Aswan,
Egyptologists and archaeologists the world over heeded UNESCO's
appeal to salvage the monuments of Egyptian Nubia before the
rising waters of Lake Nasser submerged them forever. More than
sixty expeditions ultimately joined the "Nubian Rescue
Campaign", which resulted in the excavation and recording of
hundreds of sites, the recovery of thousands of objects, and the
salvage and translocation of a number of important temples to
higher ground. Due to the quantities of material recovered from
tombs, temples and settlements, UNESCO was encouraged in the
1980's to plan a new Nubian museum in Aswan where the objects
could be stored and exhibited. It was universally felt at the
time that they should be kept as close as possible to their
principal places of origin. twelve years later, the Museum
became a reality and opened its doors in November 1997. It was
designed by the late Egyptian architect Mahmoud al-Hakim, and
Mexican architect Pedro Vasquez Ramirez