Thebes - Ramesseum

On the inside of the doorway are the usual scenes showing Ramesses making offerings to various gods. On the jambs, above, he is seen pacing out the precincts of the temple (part of the foundation ceremony); below are various deities.

The temple is entered at the east end by a large Pylon 220ft/67m wide, the exterior of which is badly ruined. The reliefs on the inner side are in a fair state of preservation; they are best seen by afternoon light, preferably with the aid of field glasses. They relate to Ramesses's Syrian campaigns, in particular his war with the Hittites in the fifth year of his reign.

On the South Tower the whole of the left hand half of the wall is taken up by the Battle of Qadesh: Ramesses in his chariot dashing against the Hittites, who are killed by his arrows or flee in wild confusion and fall into the River Orontes; behind the King are other chariots; on the right, the Hittite Prince; above (barely distinguishable), the enemy fleeing into their fortress. The right hand half of the wall has the familiar representation of the King grasping his enemies by the hair and smiting them; farther right he is depicted with a long staff, accompanied by a fan bearer.

To the northwest, beyond the main temple, are extensive remains of brick buildings, some of them (as the stamps on the bricks show) built in the reign of Ramesses II. They have well built vaults, originally covered by a platform, which, to judge from the fragments of jars and stoppers found here, were presumably store rooms. Here, too, is an altar similar to the one at Deir el-Bahri. To the west, adjoining the vaulted brick buildings, are the ruins of a large rectangular hall with 32 columns supporting the roof; 12 stumps of columns remain.