The Ramesseum, as its name suggests, is a memorial temple dedicated to Pharaoh Ramses II or Ramses the Great. It is situated in the Theban district in Upper Egypt, across the River Nile, just a short distance away from Luxor. Its name was coined by Jean-Francois Champollion who visited the site in 1829 and noticed the hieroglyphic inscriptions that spell out Ramses’ names and titles. It was once known as the “House of millions of years of Usermaatra-setepenra that unites with Thebes-the-city in the domain of Amon” where Usermaatra-setepenra was an ancient royal title given to Ramses II. The temple comprises headless colossi of Ramses II which gives a rather robust and solid impression of the pharoah. Truth be told, it might even seem a little scary to just have dismembered stone bodies surrounding you, but it does lend to an atmosphere of mystery and excitement. It may not be as exquisite as other temples, especially since you won’t see much in the way of extravagant statues or impressive hieroglyphics. Instead, you will be shocked to see recounts of battles that Ramses II won, all proudly displayed on the walls, still as striking as they were back in those times. A visit here will definitely transport you back in time, especially since a lot of the relics here are still intact. While the façade of the temple may be mostly ruins, it is the interior here that will make you feel as if you were back in ancient Egypt.