Ramesseum

Ramesses II built his mortuary temple on the west bank in the thirteenth century BC and it has come down largely as ruin, undermined by flooding and quarried for stone, which is precisely what makes it affecting. A colossal seated statue of the king, originally around eighteen metres and reckoned at close to a thousand tonnes, lies broken across the second court, its face and torso on the ground. A partial report of that statue and its inscription reached Shelley and produced the sonnet Ozymandias, which is why the temple carries a literary weight the better preserved ones do not. Rows of Osiride pillars still stand, along with part of the hypostyle hall with its astronomical ceiling, and long mud-brick storage vaults run behind the temple.

History

Ramesses II began his memorial temple, the House of Millions of Years of Usermaatra-setepenra, soon after the start of his reign, and work went on for 20 years; it is the second largest temple in Egypt, covering about 10 hectares, with two stone pylons about 60 metres wide, two courts and a 48-column hypostyle hall, and its pylons show the Battle of Kadesh (around 1274 BC). Built on the very edge of the Nile floodplain, it was slowly undermined by the annual flood, and neglect and new faiths took their toll, so that in the early Christian era it served as a church; its plan was closely followed by Ramesses III's temple at Medinet Habu (Wikipedia, Ramesseum).

Highlights

• The fallen colossus - the broken seated statue behind Ozymandias.
• Osiride pillars - standing figures along the surviving courts.
• The astronomical ceiling - part of the hypostyle hall roof still in place.
• Mud-brick store vaults - the magazines behind the temple.

When to go

October to April. Two hours. It is far less visited than Hatshepsut or Medinet Habu, so mid-morning is still quiet. Afternoon light works well across the ruined courts.

Things to know

It is a ruin and visitors expecting a standing temple will be surprised. Ground conditions are uneven with fallen blocks everywhere. There is little shade. Interpretation is minimal, so the Ozymandias connection has to be brought with you.

Nearby

The Colossi of Memnon are east on the road; Deir el-Medina lies south-west.

Key facts