A hundred metres north of the Great Temple, Ramses built a smaller one for his chief wife Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. Six standing colossi — four of Ramses, two of Nefertari — front the temple, and unusually for Egyptian art they are all exactly the same height, a striking public gesture of Nefertari's importance. Inside, Hathoric columns and reliefs of the queen making offerings replace the martial scenes of her husband's temple next door.
Small Temple of Hathor and Nefertari
Ramses II's temple to Nefertari, where queen and pharaoh stand as equals