Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great Queen Nefertari Her Temple at Abu Simbel
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about Ramses the Great's monuments — Abu Simbel came up a few times, but we've never really stopped at the smaller temple there, the one he built for Nefertari. Luna: The one with the six colossal statues on the front, right? Four of him and two of her? Lucas: Exactly. It's an incredible sight — and really unusual. Normally, a queen might get a small chapel or a statue inside her husband's temple, but this is a full temple dedicated to Hathor and to Nefertari herself. And the scale is still massive: the facade is about 12 meters tall, with six rock-cut statues, each about 10 meters high. Luna: Wait, so she's depicted as the same size as the pharaoh? That's almost unheard of. Lucas: It is. In Egyptian art, scale usually indicates status — the pharaoh is the biggest figure, everyone else is smaller. Here, Nefertari's statues are the same height as Ramses'. That's a huge statement. And she's shown wearing the crown of Hathor — the sun disk between cow horns — and holding a sistrum, a sacred rattle associated with the goddess. So she's literally presented as a living embodiment of Hathor. Luna: So this temple isn't just about Ramses' power — it's elevating her to a divine level. Lucas: Exactly. And the inscriptions make it clear. On the facade, it says: 'Ramses, the one who made the temple of the Great Royal Wife Nefertari, beloved of Mut, in the domain of Hathor.' And inside, the scenes show Nefertari making offerings to the gods, something usually reserved for the pharaoh. In one scene, she's standing before Hathor as a cow emerging from the western mountain — that's a very powerful image. Luna: I've heard that the temple is aligned so that sunlight illuminates the inner sanctuary on certain dates — is that true? Lucas: It is — though it's a bit different from the great temple next door. The great temple is oriented so that twice a year, sunlight penetrates all the way to the back wall, lighting up statues of Ramses, Amun-Re, and Ra-Harakhty, but leaving Ptah in shadow. The small temple is aligned so that sunlight hits the back wall where Nefertari and the goddess Hathor are depicted. That's not an accident — it's a deliberate solar alignment to mark her divine status. Luna: Wow. So he really wanted the world to see her as a goddess. Lucas: He did, and it's not just propaganda. There's evidence that Nefertari was a real partner in his rule. She was highly educated — you can read her letters. She corresponded with the Hittite queen Puduhepa during the peace negotiations after the Battle of Kadesh. Those letters show she was a diplomat in her own right. She calls Puduhepa 'my sister' and discusses the marriage alliance between Ramses and a Hittite princess. Luna: So she was actively involved in foreign policy. That's remarkable for a queen in the ancient world. Lucas: Absolutely. And her tomb in the Valley of the Queens — QV66 — is one of the most beautiful in all of Egypt. The paintings are exquisite, and the text on the walls is drawn from the Book of the Dead. But it's a sad story too — she likely died around Ramses' 24th year, relatively early in his reign. She was probably only in her forties. After her death, her daughter Meritamen took on some of her roles, but Ramses never quite replaced her. Luna: Wait — so Nefertari died before the temple was even finished? Or was it completed while she was still alive? Lucas: It's a bit of a puzzle. The temple was started early in Ramses' reign, probably around Year 2 or 3, and it was mostly done by Year 24 or so. But Nefertari's name appears in the temple in ways that suggest she was alive when it was being built — there are cartouches with her name intact, which wasn't always the case if a person died before the work was finished. So she probably saw it completed, or nearly so. Her tomb was built later, after her death. Luna: So the temple was a gift to her while she was still living. That's a powerful gesture. Lucas: It is. And it's also a political statement — remember, Nefertari was not of royal blood. She was a commoner, probably the daughter of a high official. By building her a temple and making her a goddess, Ramses was legitimizing his children by her, especially his heir Merenptah. It's all part of consolidating his dynasty. Luna: Fascinating. So it's both a love story and a political maneuver. Lucas: Exactly. And the temple itself is a masterpiece. The interior has a vestibule, a hall with six pillars, and a sanctuary with a statue of Hathor as a cow — the same motif we see on the facade. The scenes include Nefertari offering wine to Hathor and being led by the goddess into the presence of the gods. It's intimate and grand at the same time. Luna: I'm always amazed that these temples survived for over 3,000 years. Especially after the Aswan Dam project. Lucas: Right, that's the UNESCO salvage operation in the 1960s. When the dam was built, Lake Nasser would have flooded Abu Simbel entirely. The entire complex — both temples — was cut into huge blocks, moved 65 meters higher and 200 meters back, and reassembled exactly as it was. It took four years and cost about $40 million in 1960s money. Without that, we'd have lost it forever. Luna: Amazing that it was saved. And the fact that the alignment still works after the move is incredible engineering. Lucas: They were very careful to preserve the orientation. The whole project is a testament to how much we value these monuments — they're not just Egyptian, they're world heritage. Luna: That's something that resonates with me. I think a lot of our listeners feel the same way — they care deeply about preserving history. Lucas: Yeah, and that's actually something I want to touch on. This show is possible because a small group of listeners chips in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No ads, no corporate sponsors — just people who love history keeping it going. It's a pretty amazing community. Luna: It really is. And it means we can keep diving into these stories without any outside pressure. So if you've been enjoying these deep dives, that's why. Lucas: Right. And speaking of deep dives — I want to go back to something about Nefertari's temple. There's a scene in the sanctuary that I've always found moving: it shows Nefertari standing before Hathor, and the goddess says to her, 'I give you millions of years.' It's a blessing that was usually reserved for the pharaoh alone. So in that moment, she's being elevated to the same eternal status as the king. Luna: So she really did achieve immortality, in a way. Her name is still spoken, her face is still seen. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what Ramses intended. The temple is a statement that Nefertari will be remembered as long as the stones stand. And here we are, thousands of years later, talking about her. It worked. Luna: It's a beautiful legacy. And it makes you wonder — what would she think if she knew we were still discussing her life and her temple? Lucas: I think she'd be pleased. The Egyptians believed that the spoken name gives life — so every time we say 'Nefertari,' we're keeping her memory alive. That's the power of history. Luna: Well said. Thanks for this journey through the temple. I'll never look at Abu Simbel the same way again.