Medinet Habu, otherwise known as The Mortuary Temple of Rameses III, is a culturally significant New Kingdom period monument situated in the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt. Apart from its extensive compound area and architectural significance, the temple is most well-known as the source of inscriptions showing the advent and defeat of the Sea Peoples under the reign of Rameses III. The first time the temple was described in modern literature was by Vivant Denon who came across it in 1799-1801. Excavation works then commenced in the late 1800s and subsequently, proper recording, conservation and further uncovering of artefacts continued under the Architectural and Epigraphic Surveys of the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute till the early 1900s. You’ll be surprised to learn that the temple spans 210m by 300m and contains over 7,000 square meters of decorated walls, which could take you a few hours to pore through and explore. Further in, you will notice a number of chapels and gigantic statues of Rameses III as well, which really serve to highlight the vastness of this temple. A visit here will mean that you have plenty to see!