The 10 Most Imposing Temples of Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians were very religious people and they build these temples to worship primarily to honor their gods and goddesses. Even Pharaohs during their reign were associated with these deities! These temples symbolize Egypt great religious, political and cultural influence on the modern world. Read on to learn some interesting facts about these imposing Ancient Egyptian temples.

Medinet Habu

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Medinet Habu or the “City of Habu” in Arabic, refers to a huge temple complex located at Luxor, across the River Nile. The centerpiece of the temple is the well preserved Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III, a massive 150 meter long structure enclosed by a huge mud-brick wall. The temple precinct is about 210 m by 300 m, housing more than 7,000 square meter of decorated inscriptions across its walls. A migdol (a fortified gate-house) serves as the main entrance to the temple.

Temple of Kom Ombo

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The Temple of Kom Ombo sits on a high dune along the River Nile in the town of Kom-Ombo, between Edfu and Aswan. It was built under the reign of Ptolemy VI about 180 BC. The double Kom Ombo temple was built to serve two Egyptian gods at the same time; on the left side is a temple dedicated for Haroeris and on the right side is the temple for Sobek. The temple shows symmetrical or identical architectural design including two entrances, two courts, two colonades, two hypostyle halls and two parallel sanctuaries.

Colossi of Memnon

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The Colossi of Memnon are twin statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in a seated position, stood imposingly across the River Nile at Luxor since 1350 BC. The Colossi, about 23 meter high and weigh about 700 tons each, were fashioned out from blocks of quartzite sandstone. In its day, these two gigantic statues guard the outer gates of Amenhotep III mortuary temple in Thebes. Unfortunately, nature has continually stir damages on the statues, nevertheless, the Colossi of Memnon are still impressive.

Temples at Philae

The beautiful island of Philae is home to the Temple of Isis. The first temple was built around 370 BC and construction continued up to the Roman Empire. In 100 AD, Roman Emperor Krajan constructed the Trajan Kiosk, a river passageway into the Temple of Isis. By 535 AD, Emperor Justinian ordered the total closure of the temples of Philae. When the Aswan Dam was built in the 1960s, the waters of Lake Nasser, started engulfing the island. Between 1972 and 1980, UNESCO spearheaded a campaign to save the island. The temple was literally broken down to pieces, each stone numbered and was e-erected on Egilica Island. It was reopened to the public in 1980!

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