The Ramesseum

The Ramesseum temple is a funerary temple for Ramses II. It was constructed on the west bank of the Nile River in the ancient city of Thebes, now known as Luxor. The temple is dedicated to God Amon, and the departed Pharoah. The kings Mernptah and Ramses III superimposed monuments in the Ramesseum. The temple inspired Percy Bysshe Shelley to write a poem entitled Ozymandias as the Ramesseum is known as the Tomb of Ozymandias.

Inside the temple, you will find drawings of battle scenes depicting the tale of the pharaoh’s glorious reign. You will also find walls embellished and decorated with reliefs. Uncover more than 40  columns in the temple each with its own story and inscriptions as well as a 17-meter statue of Ramses II in a grand seated position.

Rameses II was commonly known as Ramses the Great. He ruled for 67 years during Egypt's golden age from 1279 to 1213 BC. He is considered one of the greatest conquistadores in the history of Ancient Egypt. He is also considered a man of peace, as he signed the earliest existing peace treaty in history known as the Eternal treaty putting an end to the famous Battle of Kadesh in 1258 BC. The Ramses era was also known for its extensive building program, which resulted in a number of outstanding monuments and buildings that are still standing until today such as the Abu Simbel temple in Aswan, Temples at Karnak, the city of Pi-Ramesses and temples at Abydos in honor of his father.

In 1274 BC, Pharaoh Ramses II marched from Pi-Ramesses towards Syria to secure the city of Kadesh. The Hittite king Muwatalli II was initiating an invasion into Egyptian territory and then secured Kadesh, making him an imminent threat to Ramesses II. The city of Kadesh was particularly valuable due to its prime location on the traders’ route.  Ramses rode on his chariot leading his army and captured two bedouins who gave them false information about the whereabouts of the Hittitian Army. The Egyptian Army then captured two spies who revealed the truth. Based on this new information, Ramses called for backup to increase his troop's numbers. Ramesses II won a great victory at Kadesh; Muwatalli II's account differed considerably, most notably in that he recorded Kadesh as a Hittite victory. While Ramesses II failed to achieve his objective of capturing the city, he did break the Hittite army on the field and Muwatalli II retained control of Kadesh. The war ended in a draw, but the most interesting outcome of the war was the first peace treaty in history. After the death of Muwatalli II, Hattusili III took the throne and the Hittians and Egyptians signed the Eternal Treaty.    You can see the temple yourself and other captivating temples from that era by booking your trip to Egypt.