Ramesseum

Where it is & how to get there

• West Bank: On the main road between the Colossi of Memnon and the Valley of the Kings.
• Taxi: Hire a taxi for the West Bank sites for half a day.
• Tours: Some West Bank tours include it; ask in advance.

The story of the Ramesseum

Ramses II built the Ramesseum as his mortuary temple, where he would be worshipped after death. Its walls show the Battle of Kadesh, and its library was one of the most important of its time.

In the second courtyard lie the shattered pieces of a colossal seated statue of Ramses, once among the largest in Egypt. Travellers' descriptions of it inspired Percy Shelley's 1818 poem "Ozymandias".

Best time to visit

Tips before you go

• Combine with the Colossi of Memnon.
• Combine with the Colossi of Memnon and Medinet Habu.
• Look for the head of the fallen colossus among the ruins.

What's around the Ramesseum

• Colossi of MemnonGiant statues of Amenhotep III.
• Medinet HabuTemple of Ramses III.
• Valley of the Kings15 minutes away.
• Deir el-MedinaThe workers' village and tombs.

Questions travellers ask