. . . . .Ramesses II built seven temples in Nubia. The huge, rock cut temple of Abu Simbel is the most impressive. Construction began around the fifteenth year of his reign and continued for about twenty years. Somewhere during this time, Ramesses ordered his workmen to re-carve the scenes on the walls to portray him as an equal of the gods. When it was finished Ramesses called it "The House of Ramesses, Beloved of Amun." Pictured here are three of the four giant statues of Ramesses II that make up the facade of the temple. They tower 66 feet above the ground. The head and torso of the fourth statue lies on the ground, victim of an earthquake in 27 BC. Standing on the cornice is a row of baboons also known as the greeters of dawn. Standing with hands raised in the Egyptian symbol of praise, they are the first part of the temple to recieve the rays of the sun at dawn. They stand ready to give praise to Ra as he is once again born into the land of the living. In the center stands Re-Harakhte, one of the gods for whom this temple is dedicated.