Amenhotep III's mortuary temple

Welcome to Kom el Hettân – the site of one of the most magnificent temples of ancient times. Over 3,300 years ago, Pharaoh Amenhotep III commissioned the largest mortuary temple ever built in Thebes. Spanning more than 350,000 square meters, the temple was larger than even the Karnak complex at the time. It was here that the pharaoh would be honored as a god both in life and after his death, and the complex was filled with courtyards, pylons, statues, and sacred rooms that sparkled in the sunlight from the Nile. The architect behind the work was Amenhotep, son of Hapu – one of the most famous builders in Egyptian history. The temple faced east, so that the morning sun could fill the complex with light. At the entrance stood two colossal statues of the pharaoh – what we know today as the Pillars of Memnon. But the temple was short-lived. It was built on a site with high groundwater levels, and large parts collapsed in ancient times. Later, blocks of stone were reused in other monuments, and earthquakes did the rest. For centuries, almost all that remained were the two colossi at the entrance. Today, new parts of the temple are constantly being uncovered through archaeological excavations. Even in ruins, the site bears witness to the heyday of Amenhotep III – an era marked by wealth, peace, and monumental architecture.