Mortuary Temples in Luxor

---

The idea of building mortuary temples dates back in time to the Old Kingdom , to the era of the construction of the Pyramids . The first temple of this kind was not precisely mortuary , but festive , as we can see in the Step Pyramid in Saqqara . Almost all huge and known pyramids had funerary complex , which were formed by a valley temple , a funerary temple , the causeway and the tomb .
By time the model of the mortuary temples changed . In Luxor , Monuhotep-Neb-Hetep-Ra (a king from the 11th Dynasty) built his innovative complex (which was half excavated and half built) with a mixture of a terrace and step construction and the pyramid structure .
During the New Kingdom , when these complexes failed to preserve the pharaohs' bodies and treasures , the kings of the Empire chose to separate the tomb from the complex . Both the valley and mortuary temples were combined into only one temple , which was given the name 'Temples of Million Years' or 'Temples of the Eternity' .
Over thirty temples were built on the West Bank at Thebes , but today most of them are in ruins and only wit few blocks and parts of statues had survived . Nowadays , seven outstanding temples complexes are open to tourists .
In Madinet Habu (in the West Bank , on the outskirts of Luxor) , there are several monuments here , the most famous of which is the well- preserved Mortuary Temple of Ramses III . The temple is of a considerable historical importance expressed through its paintings and reliefs .
The memorial temple of Ramses II , known as the Ramesseum , is famous for containing the enormous head of the statue of Ramses II , which once weighted 1000 tons .
The earliest temple open is that of Queen Hatshepsut , at Dair al-Bahari , which is one of the most beautifully impressive temples in Egypt . Once considered the greatest temple ever known of the wealthiest pharaoh of Egypt , the Temple of Amenhotep III together with the Colossi of Memnon are now a brief stop for tourists .
The son of Ramses II , Meri-En-Ptah , had his temple (which is newly-opened) behind that of Amen-Hotep III . The temple had been in complete destruction until it was restored as an open air museum .