TEMPLE OF HATHOR AND NEFERTARI

The façade of the temple dedicated to Hathor and Ramses II's wife, Nefertari, once again expresses the desire to show the closeness of Pharaoh and the gods, but this time by elevating the royal wife to an unusual level. While Pharaoh is represented four times on the façade by monumental Osirid statues wearing the double crown, Nefertari is given two statues of the same height, whereas she was usually depicted smaller, in accordance with the canons of Egyptian statuary. In the large temple next door, Pharaoh's mother, sons and daughters are represented by statues no taller than their parents' hips.

The interior of the temple consists of a hypostyle hall supported by six pillars with hathoric capitals. On the walls, the royal wife offers gifts to the goddess, who takes on the features of either a woman or a cow, notably on a boat when Nefertari offers her papyrus. The ceiling is adorned with two different sets of royal epithets. On the left, the queen is described as follows: "The King of Upper and Lower Egypt Usermastra Setepenra, his beloved, the royal wife Nefertari Meremut, beloved of Hathor, endowed with life". The vestibule is accessed via three doors, and leads to two side chambers and the sanctuary, where a statue of Hathor in the guise of a cow emerging from the mountain is enthroned in its niche.