The
façade of the Great Temple is dominated
by four rock-cut seated statues of the king,
approximately 21 m high (69 ft), two each
on either side of the temple’s entrance.
Smaller statues of the king’s wife
and mother stand on either side of Ramesses
II’s legs, with images of some of his
children between his feet. A statue of the
god Re-Horakhty is located in a niche above
the entrance. At the top of the façade
is a row of baboons raising their arms in
adoration of the rising sun.
The
entrance hall into the temple contains eight
square pillars adorned with standing statues
of the king as Osiris. The north wall of
the hall is decorated with scenes from the
famous Battle of Kadesh, fought by Ramesses
II in modern-day Syria during the early part
of his reign, while the south wall has scenes
of Syrian, Libyan, and Nubian battles. The
east wall depicts Ramesses II with various
gods and goddesses; one particularly interesting
scene shows the king, accompanied by his
ka and nine princesses, smiting Libyan captives
before Re-Horakhty. A similar scene on the
same wall shows him with his ka and eight
princes, smiting Nubian captives before Amun-Re.
On the west wall, the king presents Nubian
captives to the god Amun-Re and Hittite captives
to the god Re-Horakhty. Two undecorated rooms,
which were probably used for storage, open
off the northern wall of the hall. A second
pillared hall, decorated with images of Ramesses
II and Nefertari making offerings to the
gods, lies west of the first. Beyond this
is the sanctuary, into whose back wall have
been carved rock-cut images in very high
relief, of Ptah, Amun-Re, Ramesses II, and
Re-Horakhty. All of the statues in the sanctuary
except Ptah (who has netherworld associations)
are illuminated by the rising sun twice a
year.
South
of the temple of Ramesses II is a rock-cut
chamber, which was probably a mammisi, or
symbolic “birth house.”
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The
Great Temple, façade (SCA
Archives) |
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The
Interior of the Great Temple
(SCA Archives)
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