Ramesseum
The 'Ozymandias' temple — the shattered mortuary complex of Ramesses II that inspired Shelley's most famous poem.
Fallen colossus of Ramesses II at the Ramesseum, West Bank Luxor
What to expect at Ramesseum
This is the mortuary temple of Ramesses II, and the fallen colossus that greets you in the second courtyard is the very statue Shelley described in Ozymandias: 'two vast and trunkless legs of stone… half sunk, a shattered visage lies.' The original monument stood 18 m tall and weighed 1,000 tonnes. Even in ruins the Ramesseum is haunting — a jumble of collapsed pylons, an intact hypostyle hall with astronomical ceiling, and vast mudbrick storerooms out back that housed the temple's grain and workshops.
It's one of the least-visited major sites on the West Bank, which is the whole reason to come. You’ll often have entire chambers to yourself. Pair it with Deir el-Medina, Medinet Habu and the Nobles' tombs for a full 'quiet West Bank' day that skips the coach crowds at Hatshepsut and the Valley of the Kings entirely.
Questions about Ramesseum
$5 for adults, half price for students. Covered by the Luxor Pass.
No free entry days.
60-90 minutes is comfortable; ruin-lovers can happily spend two hours.
Open daily year-round.
No — tickets at the gate, and there is almost never a queue.
West Bank, near Al-Qurna village, 3 km from the local ferry. Include as a stop on any West Bank taxi hire ($20-25 for a half day).
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