When Egypt began building the Aswan High Dam in the 1950s, the reservoir threatened to bury a vast region of temples, tombs and rock art stretching from Aswan into Sudan. UNESCO launched an international rescue campaign in 1960 that moved monuments block by block, including the temple of Abu Simbel, which was cut apart and reassembled on higher ground. Sudan made its own appeal six months later, but its Nubia was less studied and had fewer resources, so most of its submerged land was lost. Around 54,000 Sudanese were resettled to a new town called New Halfa, and many lost their language and cultural rhythms. Some monuments were saved and now stand in the garden of Khartoum's National Museum, while the drowned communities are remembered mainly in songs and stories.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.