Temple of Merneptah

Almost directly behind Amenhotep's temple, lie the remains of the Temple of Merneptah, who succeeded his father Ramses II in 1213 BC and ruled for 10 years. In the 19th century, the 'Israel Stele', now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, was found here, which was the only Egyptian text to mention 'Israel' (which Merneptah claimed to have defeated). The Swiss Institute in Egypt has done considerable work here, uncovering the temple's original plan and a large number of statues and reliefs.

At the small museum near the entrance, the history of the temple is illustrated with text, plans and finds from excavations, a great help to understand the little that remains of the building. In a covered storage area east of the sacred lake are the statues found on the site, including 12 jackal-headed sphinxes, some of which retain their original colours. Merneptah pilfered these, and many other statues and large stone blocks, from Amenhotep III's Temple nearby, often scratching out the latter's cartouche and replacing it with his own. Two display rooms in the centre of the temple house the reliefs of Merneptah with various gods that once stood atop the temple pylons (ask the caretaker to unlock them).