The Ramesseum

The Ramesseum is the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II (r. 1279-1213 BC), located in the Theban Necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor. Its fallen colossus, originally 16-19 metres tall and weighing roughly 1,000 tonnes, was carved from a single syenite block transported over 220 km from Aswan and inspired Shelley's poem "Ozymandias". The hypostyle hall features twelve central columns symbolizing the months. An Egyptian-French expedition working since 1991 uncovered a "House of Life" (ancient school), administrative buildings, workshops, and Third Intermediate Period shaft tombs.