The larger of the two temples, carved out of the cliff between 1264 and 1244 BC and dedicated to Ra-Horakhty, Amun and Ptah — and to the deified Ramses himself. The facade is dominated by four seated colossi of the pharaoh, each twenty metres tall; the second statue from the left lost its head and torso in an ancient earthquake, and they still lie at its feet. Inside, the hypostyle hall is flanked by eight Osiris pillars and the walls show Ramses' victories in Kadesh, Libya and Nubia. The inner sanctuary holds four seated gods against the back wall; twice a year the rising sun reaches down the length of the temple and illuminates them.
Great Temple of Ramses II
Colossal rock-cut temple with four 20-metre pharaoh statues