Ramsesium, the funerary temple of Ramses II (1279-13 BC), built on the west bank of the Nile River in Thebes, Upper Egypt. The temple, famous for its 57-foot (17 m) high seated statue of Ramses II (of which only fragments survive), was dedicated to the god Amun and the deceased king. The walls of the temple of Rameses, of which only about half survive, are decorated with carvings, which include scenes depicting the Battle of Kadesh, the Syrian Wars and the Feast of Minas. Rameses II called his great monument the "Temple of Maat-Ra, the User of Millions of Years", classical visitors called it the Tomb of Ozymandias, and Jean-François Champollion, who deciphered the hieroglyphs, called it the Ramesseum. Like other memorial temples, it was part of the funerary complex of Ramesses II. His tomb was built deep in the hills, but the memorial temple was on the edge of a cultivated area by a canal that connected to the Nile and other memorial temples.

Unlike the well-preserved structures built by Ramses II at Karnak and Abu Simbel, his memorial temple has not survived very well. It has been restored, but is most famous for the scattered remains of fallen statues, which inspired the English poet Shelley to write the poem Ozymandias, in which, using the indisputable fact of Ramsay's mortality, he satirizes his quest for immortality.

Although the layout of the Temple of Ramses is more complex than that of many other temples, it is relatively orthodox: two courtyards, hypostyle halls, a temple, additional rooms and storehouses. Unusually, the rectangular plan was modified to accommodate an older, smaller temple on one side, that of Thuja, mother of Ramses II.

The entrance is through a door in the north-east corner of the enclosure wall, which leads to the second courtyard, where you have to turn left at the first pillar. The first and second pylons are more than 60 m in diameter and are carved with images of Rameses' military exploits, especially the battles against the Hittites. Through the first pylon you can see the ruins of the huge first court, including the double colonnade that stood in front of the royal palace.

On the ground near the west staircase is a ruined part of the Colossus of Rameses II, the image of Shelley's poem Ozymandias, which was once 17.5 m high. Other granite statues of Ramses II, like the head, lie in the second courtyard. Of the 48 original columns of the great hypostyle hall, twenty-nine are still standing. In the smaller hall behind it, a roof with astronomical hieroglyphs is still standing. Some of the wall carvings, including one depicting the pharaoh's name inscribed on a leaf, are incredibly well done.