Gerf Hussein
Encyclopedia
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
, which was built by the Viceroy of Nubia, Setau
Setau
Setau was the Viceroy of Kush in the second half of Ramesses II's reign. Contemporary records show that Setau served in this position from Year 38 until at least Year 63 of Ramesses II's reign. Setau was "a graduate of the royal school" and already enjoyed an impressive record of royal service...
, at a site some 90 km south of Aswan. It was dedicated to "Ptah
Ptah
In Ancient Egyptian Religion, Ptah was the deification of the primordial mound in the Ennead cosmogony, which was more literally referred to as Ta-tenen , meaning risen land, or as Tanen, meaning submerged land, though Tatenen was a god in his...
, Ptah-Tatenen and Hathor
Hathor
Hathor , is an Ancient Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy. She was one of the most important and popular deities throughout the history of Ancient Egypt...
, and associated with Ramesses, 'the Great God.'" Gerf Hussein was known as Per Ptah or the "House of Ptah." An avenue of ram headed sphinxes led from the Nile to the first pylon, which like the courtyard beyond is also free standing. The courtyard is surrounded by six columns and eight statue pillars. The entrance to a peristyle court "is decorated with colossal Osiris statues." The rear portion of the building which is 43 m in depth was carved out of rock and follows the structure of Abu Simbel with a pillared hall featuring two rows of three statue pillars and, curiously, four statue recesses, each with divine triads along the sides.
Beyond the hall lay the hall of the offering table and the barque chamber with four cult statues of Ptah, Ramesses, Ptah-Tatenen and Hathor carved out of the rock. During the building of the Aswan dam project in the 1960s, sections of the free-standing portion of this temple were dismantled and they have now been reconstructed at the site of New Kalabsha
New Kalabsha
New Kalabsha is a promontory located near Aswan in Egypt. It houses several important temples, structures, and other remains that have been relocated here from the site of Old Kalabsha to avoid the rising waters of Lake Nasser caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam...
. Most of the rock cut temple was left in place and is now submerged beneath the waters of the Nile due to their poor condition.