Great and Small Temples of Abu Simbel one of the greatest pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. He ruled for 67 years during the 19th dynasty and spent much of the time trying to secure the borders of the kingdom. During his reign, Ramesses II embarked on an extensive building program throughout the country. Although his capital was in the Nile Delta, he did not neglect the southern border at Nubia, a land very important to the Egyptians because it was a source of gold and many other precious trade goods. He therefore built several grand temples there in order to impress upon the Nubians Egypt’s might and Egyptianize
Great and Small Temples of Abu Simbel Abu Simbel Great Temple, Ra-Horakhty is depicted striding forward out of the sandstone mound. This statue represents the king’s name “User-Ma’at-Re” because the Ra-Horakhty is shown carrying a user staff and a feather of Ma’at and with sun disk of Re on his head. As you go through the entrance, you enter a corridor decorated with Ramesses II presenting offerings to the god Re-Horakhty and the goddess Weret-Hekau. At the end of the corridor is the Great Pillared Hall. This hall contains eight pillars holding up the ceiling. Statues depicting the Ramesses II as Osiris are carved into the columns