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 at Abu Simbel was also dedicated to Queen Nefertari, the principal wife of Ramesses II and a deified queen. At the Small Temple in Abu Simbel, six standing statues of Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari flank the entrance – there are four of Ramesses II and two of Queen Nefertari. The statues of Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari are the same size. This is, in fact, the first time that the King and the Queen are represented at the same scale. Since scale was so important for representing status in Egyptian art, it can be concluded that Ramesses II held