Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon

5 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

The Colossi of Memnon are two seated statues of Amenhotep III, carved around 1350 BCE, about 18 metres high including their bases. They belonged to his mortuary temple, which covered some 35 hectares and is described as the largest and most opulent in ancient Egypt; an excavation team led by Hourig Sourouzian has been working there. Medinet Habu, the temple of Ramses III, is a different kind of visit: a complex you walk through, past pylons and courts with more than 7,000 square metres of reliefs.

The Colossi of Memnon

The statues stand in an open field near the road, and there is no ticket. Travel guides list them as free and open 24 hours; you can photograph them from the car park or walk up closer. Most West Bank tours stop here on the way to or from the Valley of the Kings. From the temple of Hatshepsut it is about 4.5 km by road, roughly 11 minutes by car.

An earthquake in 27 BCE damaged the northern colossus. Afterwards, ancient travellers reported that it made a sound in the early morning, and Strabo wrote about it around 20 BCE. The last reliable report of the "singing" statue dates from 196 CE.

Medinet Habu

Ramses III, who ruled from about 1186 to 1155 BCE, built his mortuary temple here, and the structure is about 150 metres long. You pass through three pylons, and in the first court stand Osiride colossi of the king. On the north wall, 13 scenes show his campaigns against the Libyans and the Sea Peoples, and the south wall carries a calendar of 1,470 lines of hieroglyphs.

The Epigraphic Survey of the University of Chicago has been recording the inscriptions since 1924. Painted decoration survives in places, such as the lintel below with its winged sun disc and royal cartouches.

According to the official ticket portal, egymonuments.com, the temple costs 220 EGP for foreign visitors and 110 EGP for students as of November 2026. It opens at 6:00, and last entry is at 17:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter; the portal does not say on which dates the two timetables begin. Reports still differ: several 2026 visitors say only cards are taken, while a local portal recommends cash, so carry a card that works abroad and some Egyptian pounds as a reserve. A QR code ticket bought in advance is also on offer; it covers entry only, without guide or transport.

The Ramesseum on the way

The mortuary temple of Ramses II, the Ramesseum, lies on the same side of the river and has its own ticket of 220 EGP, with the same last entry times as Medinet Habu (official portal, November 2026). Its best-known feature is a toppled colossus of the king, about 20 metres in size and now in several pieces. One travel guide describes the site as quiet, which makes it a good stop if you hire a driver for the day.

Timing and getting there

The West Bank sites open at 6:00, and the Colossi can be seen at any hour, so an early stop on the way to the royal valley is easy. In late December the sun rises at about 6:30, in June just before 6:00. Daytime highs in Luxor reach roughly 41 °C on average from June to August, so in summer the early morning is the time to go. From October to April the afternoons are milder, with average highs of roughly 23 to 35 °C.

From the East Bank you can cross by car over the bridge or take the public ferry, which runs every 10 to 15 minutes, and hire a driver on the other side. Fares are negotiated, not metered, so settle the stops and the price before you set off. Cycling is not recommended: the sites are far apart, the roads climb and the heat is strong.

Tours that include both

Medinet Habu is not on the standard route of the large group tours, which tend to go from the Valley of the Kings to Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi. Some small-group half days add it, and several private West Bank tours do too, together with the Valley of the Queens and Deir el-Medina.

Balloon rides take off from the West Bank before sunrise and can pass close to the Colossi when the wind carries them that way. A flight is never guaranteed: the operators cancel when the wind is too strong. From Hurghada, a private trip that drives through the night combines a sunrise balloon with the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, the Colossi and Medinet Habu in one very long day of 15 to 17 hours.