This temple is built by Ramesses
II. It was rival to his temple in Abu Simbel.
Sadly enough, this once-a-great mortuary temple is in ruins.
The debris though is still interesting, so romantic and inspiring.
The site of the temple is almost rectangular in shape. Smaller
part of the area is allocated to the main temple of Ramesses
II, his palace and a small temple of Seti
I.
The rest of the space is filled by magazines (storerooms) to
maintain the rectangular shape.
The Ramesseum's first and second pylons are in ruins. Between
them there is a depression representing the first court. Double
colonnades
to the southwest face the king's royal palace. Before the
second pylon near the staircase is the fallen huge colossus
of Ramesses II. The feet and the pedestal of the colossus
are still in place while the head and torso are fallen on
ground. The statue could have measured 17 meters (56 ft) if
standing. Other pieces of the colossus were taken in museums
all over the world.
The second court features the Osiride pillars of the king.
Wall reliefs here illustrate Ramesses II's victories and offerings
to Min ,
the ithyphallic
god of fertility.
Near the entrance of the first hypostyle
hall, a head of one of two granite statues of the king lies
on ground. The hypostyle hall had once 48 columns of which
only 29 stand today. They have calyx and bud capitals. Once
again reliefs here depict Ramesses II's battles and the figures
of his sons.
The vestibule that follows has an astronomical ceiling that
features the twelve months of the year, one of the oldest
illustrations of its kind in history. The temple had also
several rooms including other vestibules, a barque
hall and a sanctuary. The smaller shrine of Seti I is to northeast
of Ramesses II's temple.
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