Medinet Habu (location)


Medinet Habu is an archaeological locality situated near the foot of the Theban Hills on the West Bank of the River Nile opposite the modern city of Luxor, Egypt. Although other structures are located within the area, the location is today associated almost exclusively with the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III.

Temple of Amun

Just left of the entrance to the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III is the Temple of Amun, dating to the 18th Dynasty, built by Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. It has undergone many alterations and modifications over the years, partially in the 20th, 25th, 26th, 29th and 30th Dynasties and the Greco-Roman period.

Temple of Ramesses III

The temple, some long, is of orthodox design, and resembles closely the mortuary temple of Ramesses II. It is quite well preserved and surrounded by a massive mudbrick enclosure, which may have been fortified. The original entrance is through a fortified gate-house, known as a migdol.
Just inside the enclosure, to the south, are chapels of Amenirdis I, Shepenupet II and Nitiqret, all of whom had the title of Divine Adoratrice of Amun.
The first pylon leads into an open courtyard, lined with colossal statues of Ramesses III as Osiris on one side, and uncarved columns on the other. The second pylon leads into a peristyle hall, again featuring columns of Ramses III. This leads up a ramp that leads to the third pylon and then into the large hypostyle hall.
In Coptic times, there was a church inside the temple structure, but it has since been removed. Some of the carvings in the main wall of the temple have been altered by Coptic carvings.

Temple of Ay and Horemheb

Located just north of the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III, right up to the mud-brick wall that surrounds it, lies the badly preserved Temple of Ay & Horemheb.

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