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The Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III, the last warrior king of the 20th dynasty (New Kingdom) ,. He chose Medinet Habu for his funeral temple. This is the southernmost funerary temple that occupies the dividing line between the vegetation and the desert on the west bank of Luxor. An earlier and smaller temple, from the time of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, acquired local fame back then, so Ramses Ill assigned him space in the plans of the new enclosure, which included it. In fact, long after the monument of Ramses III ceased to fulfill its functions, the previous temple continued to operate and in the Greco-Roman period it was enlarged and embellished.
The temple of Ramses 111 offers a well-preserved example of the royal funerary monuments of the New Kingdom. It is particularly famous for its unusual gate, which mimics the fortified gate of a Canaanite city. A system of brick walls, one of which has a crenellated parapet, surrounds the enclosure and generates the impression of a fortified site of a Canaanite city. A system of brick walls one of which has a crenellated parapet, surrounds the enclosure and generates the impression of a fortified site.
In antiquity, a water channel that came from the Nile allowed access to the temple by boat, as tradition required. The current pier was discovered by archaeologists in front of the east gate.
The temple itself is a well-defined unit within the enclosure, and has been thoroughly examined by the epigrphic study of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. His ancient name was "Amon united with eternity," and was dedicated to Ramses III and the god Amon.
Among the reliefs on the walls are the scenes of the war against the peoples of the sea, including the only monumental example of ancient Egypt from a naval battle. Behind the southern wing of the portal there is a vivid hunting scene of a wild boar. Other scenes show cult processions with the participation of porch net boats and the gods, a playful duel between young warriors in the presence of princes, dignitaries and representatives of other countries, preparations for a military expedition and the triumphant return with prisoners engrillados, among which are examples of biblical Philistines with feathered headdresses.
The row of columns north of the first courtyard shows the osiriform king, with his arms crossed over his chest. The bases of these statues-pillars are decorated with symbols of royal supremacy over the enemies of Egypt.
On a wall of the second courtyard there is a double series of princes and princesses in procession. Three of them later ascended the throne as Ramses IV, V and VIII, and did not forget to amend their figures in the procession, changing their clothes, adding the royal uraeus-serpent on their foreheads and surrounding their names with the royal holsters.