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Abu Simbel, Interior of the Temple of Ramesses II
The hypostyle hall of the Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel is 18 m (59 ft) long and 16.7 m (55 ft) wide and is supported by eight massive pillars depicting the deified Ramesses linked to the god Osiris. The temple's interior is decorated with engravings showing Ramesses and Nefertari paying homage to the gods and bas-reliefs depicting the Battle of Kadesh in which the Egyptian king fought against the Hittites.
Questions & Answers
What was the purpose of the temple in ancient Egypt?
- The temple in ancient Egypt was the literal home of the god it was built for. The high priest cared for and communed with the statue of the god there, and festivals were often begun in the reception area. There were no "worship services" conducted at ancient Egyptian temples as those would be recognized today.
What is the most famous ancient Egyptian temple?
- Karnak is the most famous Egyptian temple.
What were ancient Egyptian temples supposed to represent?
- Ancient Egyptian temples were understood to have been designed by the gods and represented the first moment a deity entered the mortal plane. They also were associated with the beginning of the creation of the world by the god Amun or, sometimes, the goddess Neith.
Could the general public have access to an ancient Egyptian temple?
- The general public was allowed in the courtyard and outer reception area of an ancient Egyptian temple but not in the interior and certainly not anywhere near the Holy of Holies where the deity's statue resided.
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License & Copyright
This image was first published on Flickr.
Original image by Carole Raddato. Uploaded by Carole Raddato, published on 15 March 2022. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
