Editing Abu Simbel (section)

==Small Temple==
[[File:Templo de Nefertari, Abu Simbel, Egipto, 2022-04-02, DD 153.jpg|thumb|The Small Temple after relocation]]
[[File:Kleiner Tempel (Abu Simbel) Pfeilerhalle 01.jpg|thumb|Interior of the Small Temple]]

The [[temple]] of [[Hathor]] and [[Nefertari]], also known as the Small Temple, was built about {{convert|100|m|abbr=on}} northeast of the temple of Ramesses&nbsp;II and was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramesses&nbsp;II's chief consort, Nefertari. This was in fact the second time in ancient [[Egyptian history]] that a temple was dedicated to a queen. The first time, Akhenaten dedicated a temple to his great royal wife, Nefertiti.<ref name="siliotti" /><!-- what about Tiye's temple in Sedeinga?--> The rock-cut facade is decorated with two groups of colossi that are separated by the large gateway. The statues, slightly more than {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}} high, are of the king and his queen. On either side of the portal are two statues of the king, wearing the [[white crown]] of [[Upper Egypt]] (south colossus) and the [[Pschent|double crown]] (north colossus); these are flanked by statues of the queen.

Remarkably, this is one of very few instances in [[Art of Ancient Egypt|Egyptian art]] where the statues of the king and his consort have equal size.<ref name="siliotti" /> Traditionally, the statues of the queens stood next to those of the pharaoh, but were never taller than his knees. Ramesses went to Abu Simbel with his wife in the 24th year of his reign. As the Great Temple of the king, there are small statues of princes and princesses next to their parents. In this case they are positioned symmetrically: on the south side (at left as one faces the gateway) are, from left to right, princes [[Meryatum]] and Meryre, princesses [[Meritamen]] and [[Henuttawy (19th dynasty)|Henuttawy]], and princes [[Pareherwenemef]] and [[Amun-her-khepeshef]], while on the north side the same figures are in reverse order. The plan of the Small Temple is a simplified version of that of the Great Temple.

As in the larger temple dedicated to the king, the [[hypostyle]] hall in the smaller temple is supported by six pillars; in this case, however, they are not Osiris pillars depicting the king, but are decorated with scenes with the queen playing the [[sistrum]] (an instrument sacred to the goddess Hathor), together with the [[Deity|gods]] [[Horus]], [[Khnum]], [[Khonsu]], and [[Thoth]], and the [[goddess]]es Hathor, [[Isis]], [[Maat]], [[Mut]] of Asher, [[Satet|Satis]] and [[Taweret]]; in one scene Ramesses is presenting flowers or burning [[incense]].<ref name="siliotti" /> The capitals of the pillars bear the face of the goddess Hathor; this type of column is known as Hathoric. The bas-reliefs in the pillared hall illustrate the deification of the king, the destruction of his enemies in the north and south (in these scenes the king is accompanied by his wife), and the queen making offerings to the goddesses Hathor and Mut.<ref name=Skliar /> The hypostyle hall is followed by a vestibule, access to which is given by three large doors. On the south and the north walls of this chamber there are two graceful and poetic bas-reliefs of the king and his consort presenting [[papyrus]] plants to Hathor, who is depicted as a cow on a boat sailing in a thicket of papyri. On the west wall, Ramesses&nbsp;II and Nefertari are depicted making offerings to the god Horus and the divinities of the Cataracts—[[Satet|Satis]], [[Anubis]] and Khnum.

The rock-cut [[sanctuary]] and the two side chambers are connected to the transverse vestibule and are aligned with the axis of the temple. The bas-reliefs on the side walls of the small sanctuary represent scenes of [[Sacrifice|offerings]] to various gods made either by the pharaoh or the [[Great Royal Wife|queen]].<ref name="siliotti" /> On the back wall, which lies to the west along the axis of the temple, there is a niche in which Hathor, as a divine cow, seems to be coming out of the mountain: the goddess is depicted as the Mistress of the temple dedicated to her and to queen Nefertari, who is intimately linked to the goddess.<ref name="siliotti" />