Nefertari's Temple of Hathor, Egypt

Nefertari's Temple of Hathor, Egypt

Nefertari's Temple of Hathor is located in Abu Simbel a small place in Egypt located close to the border of Sudan. Nefertari's Temple of Hathor of Egypt is among one of the two temples built to honor female group in Egypt. The other temple is in Luxor that was build for honoring Queen Hatshepsut.

The king Ramesses II build Temple of Hathor for his most beloved Queen Nefertari. Located at a short distance from the temple dedicated to King Ramesses II, Temple of Hathor is carved in a limestone mountain. The temple of Ramesses II is called The Great Temple while the Temple of Hathor is known by the name of Small Temple.

The entrance of the temple is in form of a receding Pylon while on the either side of the temple there is a defied statue of Nefertari along with her husband Ramesses II. Nefertari's Temple of Hathor is much simpler in structure than the Temple of Re-Herakhte.

Nefertari's Temple of Hathor consists of only one hypostyle hall and a rock cut sanctuary. The hall of the temple had images of Ramesses with wife Nefertari in battlefield. Just behind the hall, is located a small chamber that had images of Hathor cow framed in reeds. Just beyond this chamber is the sanctuary of Hathor's Temple. The front wall of the sanctuary contain carved image of an emerging divine cow from the wall protecting Ramesses. The other images at the sanctuary show various scenes of Nefertari offering incense to Mut and Hathor.

Six statues of both Ramesses and Nefertari that stood at the entrance of the temple are the example of rock cut statues. However these statues are smaller in size as compared to the statues that guard the entrance of Ramesses's temple. The statues at Temple of Hathor are 10 meters in height while the latter one are 20 meters tall.

The interior of the temple is laid out in much of the traditional format. The first chamber of the temple that is generally open for the public include six massive pillars decorated with a female head in the center of the chamber. The interior chambers of the temple, which were open for the nobles and for the priests only, also had similar niches like the first chamber.

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