Immense mortuary temples served as a final tribute to ancient Egyptian pharaohs, ensuring their legacy would continue for generations. Elaborately sculpted walls tell stories of the pharaohs’ accomplishments while colossal statues demand your respect. The three main mortuary temples to visit in Luxor are: Ramesseum, Medinet Habu and Hatshepsut’s, and we’ll take you to those now.
In ancient Egypt, mortuary temples were places where priests performed daily funerary rites and presented offerings to the deceased’s ka (protective spirit). This practice was continued long after the pharaoh’s death, sometimes for centuries. Because of this, they are considered cult temples. During the age of the pyramids, these temples were built at the base of the tombs; in Luxor, however, mortuary temples were built far enough away so they wouldn’t give away the tomb’s location.
Ramesseum
Built to celebrate one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs, the Ramesseum is the mortuary temple of Ramses II. Even though it was to be used after their death, many pharaohs, Ramses II included, were very involved in building their final vanity project. As a result, the design of the Ramesseum is quite similar to another one of his projects, Luxor Temple.
One of the first things you’ll see near the open-air museum entrance is statues of the god Thoth as a baboon. Although he is the god of the underworld, these statues brought a smile to our faces.
The large temple has two tall pylons or gates, both guarded by Osiride statues of Ramses II. These statues show the pharaoh as a mummified version of the god Osiris. Broken pieces of a much larger statue of Ramses II lie at the side of Pylon 1.
Once inside the two gates, you enter the magical Hypostyle Hall. Similar to the hall in Karnak, this one is filled with engraved columns, with both open-bud and closed-bud papyrus capitals.
To give you a sense of their scale, you can see a man and a dog below the columns in the first picture below.
The temple walls are also adorned with many carvings. Some show Ramses II at his coronation by the gods. Most, though, tell stories of his many battles, such as the Battle of Kadesh and others against Palestinians. We found some of the battle scenes very disorganized and almost on top of one another, making it difficult to make them out.
How to get to Ramesseum
The temple is located on the west side of the Nile. From the Ferry Terminal, you’ll need to take a taxi to the temple; expect to pay 100 to 150 EGP. If you want to visit it after the Valley of the Kings, the temple is not far away, but there is no easy route between the two. You can easily find a taxi or tuk-tuk at the Valley of the Kings, and you should only pay 50-100 EGP. Once you’ve visited Ramesseum, you can walk across to the Tombs of Nobles, but you will need a taxi to reach other monuments on the west bank of the Nile. There aren’t likely to be taxis waiting at Ramesseum, so you should have yours wait.
Entry fee – 220 EGP ($4.35 USD), payment only accepted by credit/debit cards; Opening Hours – 6 am to 5 pm, in winter it closes at 4 pm; Time Needed – The temple can be visited in just under an hour.
The ticket office for both the Ramesseum and the Tombs of the Nobles is located a kilometre or so up the road, so either have your taxi stop at it, or buy your tickets online. Since the internet may be quite poor in this remote location, you should purchase your tickets online before arriving.
Medinet Habu
Built by Ramses III, this is the most extraordinary mortuary temple in Luxor. Medinet Habu was more than just a mortuary temple, though, which is partly why it is so impressive. Built atop older chapels, the fortified space included temples, a palace, residences for priests, administrative offices and granaries. It was even used as a refuge during unsettled times.
You know you’re in for something special when you first see the main entrance. High Gate, or Ramses III Gate, is adorned with massive carvings and guarded by two statues of the goddess of war, Sakhmet. It has a unique look in Egypt and was likely modelled after Syrian fortresses Ramses III saw during his battles.
High Gate allows entry to the first courtyard, and a view of the impressive 2nd Pylon. This gate was the main entrance to Ramses III’s mortuary temple. With images of Ramses III victorious in battles against the Sea Peoples and Libyans, as well as the pharaoh worshipping deities, it’s difficult to take your eyes off this wall. But you need to, or you would miss the other features, such as the decorated columnade and Osiride statues of Ramses III.
Many of the reliefs in this complex are cut deep into the sandstone, so the shadows make them appear more prominent. Some say this was done to ensure his memory couldn’t easily be erased.
The second court, though, is the most impressive part of the complex. Large carvings adorn the columns while finer details are found on the walls behind. Many of the images are religious motifs, but there are also scenes of Ramses III at war. Even with all of his successful battles, it was a conspiracy in his harem that led to his death. One of his wives wanted her son to be declared the next pharaoh, so she had someone murder Ramses III by slitting his throat. In the end, her son did not become the next pharaoh; instead, Ramses IV was crowned.
Unfortunately, these wonderful walls were damaged when Coptic Christians moved in and used this courtyard as a church.
Making it even more astonishing, many of the reliefs still have the original paint.
Near the back of the complex are the remains of the Hypostyle Hall. Some reports say it was destroyed during an earthquake in antiquity; others say it was done by Coptic Christians living in the hall. Whatever the cause, today, you can only imagine the grandeur this room once had.
On the edges are small chapels dedicated to Egyptian gods as well as a Treasury. All these rooms still display the wonderful, original artwork.
From its layout and decoration, it is easy to see that this temple was inspired by the Ramesseum, built around 100 years earlier.
Entry fee – 230 EGP ($4.50 USD); payment only accepted by credit/debit card; Opening Hours – 6 am to 5 pm, closes at 4 pm in the winter; Time Needed – Expect to spend at least an hour at this temple.
HOw To Get to Medinat Habu
The complex is located on the west side of the Nile, around 5 km from the ferry terminal. See Getting to Ramesseum above for taxi information. It is very close to Colossi of Memnon, so you could see those on the same trip. The sites on the west bank of the Nile are located close to each other, but far enough away that you require a taxi to get between them.
Colossi of Memnon
Not far from Medinet Habu is a free site that is worth stopping to see. Beside the road are two colossal and several large statues of Amenhotep III that once stood before his Mortuary Temple. If these monolithic statues are any indication, it must have been an amazing temple. It seems that no expense was spared, as the quartzite came from Cairo, 600 km away and was brought on barges on the Nile.
The complex was damaged in two earthquakes, one in the 1200s BCE and another during Roman times. The earthquakes left a crack in one of the statues, which emitted a high-pitched sound during sunrise. The cause was likely due to a rapid warming of dew, which resulted in microvibrations in the cracked quartzite. It was quite a spectacle for a time, until it fell silent after the cracks were repaired in the 200s AD.
Even though it was found in ruins, you can still see reliefs on the throne that depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. In front of this carving is a very damaged small statue of Amenhotep III’s wife, Tiye. These statues were only restored a few years ago.
Further down in the yard, you can see other remains from this massive temple. Originally, two colossal statues of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye stood at this end of the complex. They are now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Entry is free; you can not enter the site, but the viewing platform is open 24/7.
Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple
Pharaoh Hatshepsut had a difficult name to pronounce. Our driver told us it sounds like Hot Chicken Soup, and we still call her by that name today. At first we didn’t think the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut was original. From a distance, it looks more like a 20th century, cement building than an ancient temple. As we got closer, though, we realized that the square columns on three tiers were original, dating from the 1400s BCE.
The temple sustained damage on many occasions; some were due to natural weather events and others were caused by pharaohs in later generations. It was partially rebuilt during the reign of other pharaohs, such as Ramses II.
Osiride statues of Hatshepsut stand in front of columns on the top floor of the three-story temple. As with the other two mortuary temples, these statues are mummified incarnations of the god Osiris. Beyond these statues are the remains of courtyards and shrines.
Most of the decoration is found on the second terrace, where long porticoed hallways still display weathered reliefs. The most interesting pictures we found were of the Corpulent Wife and King Punt. Hatshepsut is remembered for expanding international trade, and she often travelled to Punt, which was located somewhere along the southern coast of the Red Sea.
Another section of this hallway has images intended to prove her birthright and rightful status as pharaoh, but most are very faint. The brightest paintings we found are at the end, in the Anubis Chapel.
The chapel dedicated to the Goddess Hathor is one of our favourite areas of this temple. Wonderful columns with Hathor heads as capitals are its main feature. We hadn’t seen these columns before, but after this temple, we would see more in Dendera Temple and Abu Simbel.
Honestly, compared to the other monuments in Luxor, this one was disappointing. We wouldn’t recommend putting this high on your list.
Getting to Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple
Although it’s not far from the Valley of the Kings, there is no easy way to get there. In fact, all the sites on the west bank of the Nile are located close to each other, but far enough away that you require a taxi to get between them. If you’re coming from the east bank, the temple is located around 6 km from the West Bank Ferry Dock. See Getting to Ramesseum above for taxi information. Parking is 50 EGP, and if the taxi enters the parking lot, the driver will ask you to pay for it, even if they don’t stay.
Entry fee – 440 EGP ($8.70 USD); payment only accepted by credit/debit card; Opening Hours – 6 am to 5 pm. Closes at 4 pm in winter. Payment only accepted by credit/debit card. While here, you can also visit the Tombs of Asasif and Pabasa for an extra fee.
Most of the ancient sites in Luxor have received UNESCO World Heritage Site status, including Karnak and Luxor Temples; the necropolises of the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Tombs of the Nobles, Deir el-Medina; and the mortuary temples of Hatshepset, Ramesseum, and Medinet Habu.
For information on where to stay and eat in Luxor, please visit our post Ancient Wonders – Karnak Temple and Mummification Museum.
To read more of our adventures in Egypt, click here.
Coming Next – Valley of the Queens, Tombs of Nobles and Deir el-Medina
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