Great and Small Temples of Abu Simbel flanking the central aisle. The sanctuary contains four statues representing the four gods the temple is dedicated to; Ptah, Amun-Re, Ramesses II and Re-Horakhty. Each god is the patron god of a different powerful city of Ancient Egypt: Ptah was worshipped in Memphis, Amun-Re is associated with Thebes, Ramesses II would represent his own capital of Pi Ramesses in the delta and Re-Horakhty was the patron god of Heliopolis. The Great Temple of Abu Simbel was built so that at certain times of the year, the sun shines directly through the temple into the sanctuary. Like most Egyptian temples, it
Great and Small Temples of Abu Simbel his chief wife, Nefertari, in very high esteem, and she probably wielded quite a lot of power. Around their legs, smaller statues of their children are shown. Unlike the colossi at the Great Temple, each statue is recessed in its own niche, making it look as if Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari are coming out of the rock. Unlike the Great Temple, the Small Temple has one pillared hall called the square hall that contains six columns supporting the ceiling. Each column is topped with a depiction of Hathor. The dedication of the temple to Queen Nefertari by Ramesses II