Get to know the most 10 famous Ancient Egyptian Temples to see while you’re visiting Egypt.
Gods and kings were revered by the ancient Egyptians, and they built many temples in honour of them. The ancient Egyptians were such masters of their craft, that many of the monuments they constructed can still be appreciated today.
Here’s a quick introduction to each of the 10 famous Ancient Egyptian Temples.
Table Of Contents
1. Karnak Temple
2. Luxor Temple
3. Temple of Hatshepsut
4. Abu Simbel Temples
5. Temple of Edfu
6. Medinet Habu
7. Temple of Kom-Ombo
8. Temples of Philae
9. Temple of Seti I
10. Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III
1. Karnak Temple
The Temple of Karnak is probably one of the most famous of Ancient Egyptian Temples. Built by King Ramesses III in 2055 B.C. is the largest temple ever built. Located in Luxor, Egypt, it is also the most famous. More than 30 different pharaohs had a hand in its construction, each one adding to its magnificence. Built in honour of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, it comprises of three main temples and several smaller ones.
2. Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple is situated about a mile and a half south of Karnak. Pharaoh Amenhotep III started building it in 1390 B.C. and it was improved by Tutankhamun and Ramses II.
It was dedicated to Amun, Mut and Khonsu. Every year, during the Opet festival, the statue of Amun would be paraded from the temple of Karnak to this temple.
Large statues of Ramses II, is a 24 metres tall red granite obelisk, and the Avenue of the Sphinx can be found here.
3. Temple of Hatshepsut
The powerful female pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut, built her mortuary temple around 1470 B.C. and dedicated it to the sun god Amun-Ra. Its unique architecture, with multi-terraced courtyards, made it one of the most incredible in Egypt.
The Temple of Hatshepsut is located near the Valley of the Kings, northeast of the city of Luxor, Egypt.
4. Abu Simbel Temples
The two famous Abu Simbel temples were carved out of the mountainside by Ramses II between 1264 and 1244 B.C. as a memorial to himself and his wife, Queen Nefertari. The main temple features four colossal statues of Ramses II guarding the entrance.
When the Aswan High Dam was constructed during the 1960s, the temples were moved piece-by-piece to a higher point on the mountain to avoid being flooded.
5. Temple of Edfu
The Temple of Edfu was constructed during the Ptolemaic Dynasty between 237 and 57 B.C. to honour the falcon god Horus. It is the second-largest temple after Karnak, and one of the best-preserved.
Surrounded by colossal columns, the temple also boasts of granite shrines, sculptures, and statues of Horus. On its walls are hieroglyphic inscriptions of tales of Horus.
6. Medinet Habu
Medinet Habu, on the west bank of Luxor, is one of the most beautiful Ancient Egyptian temples in the world. Built by two pharaohs Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III, it was dedicated to Amun.
A granite statue of goddess Sekhmet is at the entrance tower. Ramses III’s mortuary temple, next to Medinet Habu is its main landmark.
7. Temple of Kom-Ombo
The temple is located in the town of Kom Ombo, in southern Egypt. Built by Ptolemy VI Philometor between 180 and 47 B.C. on a ridge facing the Nile, it is unique because it is a double temple. The temple is divided into two halves, one honouring the god Horus and the other, Sobek, the crocodile god.
Every structure here was built in twos. There are two doors, two courts, two colonnades, two hypostyle corridors, and two asylums.
8. Temples of Philae
The Temples of Philae are a group of temples built on an island in the Nile River. The main temple is dedicated to the Ancient Egyptian goddess Isis.
When the development of the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge the island, the temples were moved to Agilika in the 1960s.
9. Temple of Seti I
The Temple of Seti I is the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Seti I. It was built around 1280 B.C. in the city of Abydos, Egypt. Constructed in the shape of an “L”. it has shrines dedicated to the gods Osiris, Isis, Horus, Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah. There is also a shrine to the deified Seti I.
10. Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III
The Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III (Kom el-Hettan) was the largest mortuary temple of ancient Egypt, built to worship the pharaoh before and after his death.
Today, the temple has disappeared. Only the Colossi of Memnon, ruins of two massive statues of seated Amenhotep III, standing guard at the entrance to the temple, remain.
Peace Ancestors and The Present Kings and Queens!