Medinet Habu (Temple of Ramesses III)

Medinet Habu on Luxor's West Bank in Egypt's Luxor Governorate is the mortuary temple complex of Ramesses III, built between approximately 1186 and 1155 BC, and widely regarded as the best-preserved New Kingdom temple in Egypt in terms of retained painted colour. The entrance is through an unusual migdol gateway — a Syrian fort-style tower gate that Ramesses III adapted as his personal fortified residence, with windows carved with queens' busts in the openings. The interior walls of the first and second pylons display some of the most elaborate and dynamic battle reliefs in Egyptian art, including the famous naval battle scenes of the Sea Peoples — a confederation of maritime invaders whom Ramesses III defeated — depicted with an energy and compositional drama exceptional in ancient relief art. Vivid ochres, blues, and terracotta pigments survive in protected sections of the colonnaded court and inner halls to a degree that allows visitors to understand how brightly painted ancient Egyptian temples originally appeared. The complex also contains a small Amun temple predating Ramesses III, royal palace ruins to the south of the main temple, and a sacred lake. Medinet Habu sees a fraction of the visitors that nearby Valley of the Kings attracts, making leisurely photography and unhurried exploration of the inner chambers straightforward. The site is a 10-minute minibus or bicycle ride from the West Bank ferry landing.