The Ramesseum
The 19th dynasty Pharaoh Ramses II ruled Egypt for 67 years. During that time, he had the chance to build the grand tomb temple called the Ramesseum to show how great he was and to leave a lasting impression on his people. It took over 20 years to build the complex, and now many of it is in ruins—pieces of a 60-foot-tall, 1,000-ton colossus of Ramses that was once on display.
This shrine to Amun can be found in several places. Oriented Osiride Crystals: Statues that face the second court show Ramses II as the underworld god Osiris. With their arms crossed and holding the crook and flail, these statues show that a temple is a place of death. The complex also had a royal home, warehouses, and a small temple for Ramses’s mother, Tuya, and his wife, Nefertari.
Of the many buildings that Ramses II built or expanded throughout the Egyptian territory, the Ramesseum is considered the most beautiful and flashy. It is located in the necropolis of Thebes, on the west bank of the Nile, facing the city of Luxor.
It was built to the north of the temple of Amenhotep II, and next to it stands a small temple dedicated to his mother, Tuya. Just one kilometer away is the Colossi of Memnon, the only survivors of the temple of Amenhotep III.
Description of The Ramesseum
The Ramesseum is the funerary and commemorative temple of Ramses II, who began its construction shortly after the beginning of his reign. It was ready in the year 22 and had some innovations in terms of architecture. For example, sandstone was used for the first tower instead of adobe. However, limestone was used for a large part of the temple, which prevented its conservation to a large extent due to the effect of the humidity typical of the region in which it is located, on the banks of the river. The first tower records the conquest in the eighth year of his reign over a city named Shalem, which many consider the one we know today as Jerusalem.
This first tower gives way to a first courtyard where one of the best-known statues of the pharaoh is found. It is a giant monolithic statue sculpted in granite and measuring about 17.5 meters, although only the base and part of the torso remain today. Initially, it was part of a set of two seated colossi. To the left of this courtyard is the royal palace, a feature also observable in the temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu, which mimics the Ramesseum intentionally.
The second tower shows scenes of battles worthy of admiration, both for their dimensions and for the impeccable technique and the effect they cause. Through it, you access the second patio. To the right, a part of the porch of Osiris is still preserved. The Poem of Pentaur, describing the Battle of Qadesh, and a festival dedicated to Min, were engraved on the courtyard’s walls. There the temple door is reached, flanked by two statues of the king, one carved in pink granite and the other in black granite.
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