Passageway of the Second Pylon

The eastern end of the passageway through the Second Pylon viewed from the Hypostyle Hall. The sunlit wall just beyond the large column is where our project began its work in 1990.

The Second Pylon forms the huge "front door" of the Hypostyle Hall. The existing reliefs are the work of Ptolemy VI (ca. 180-145 BCE), but our research has shown that two earlier kings, Ramesses I ( ruled ca. 1290-1291 BCE) and Ramesses II, inscribed these walls before Ptolemy. Recording and study of the inscriptions has given us a new understanding of the earliest history of the building and its use and repair in the first thousand years after it was built. These reliefs were recorded between 1990 and 1997 and final inking of the drawings for publication is underway.

When we began our recording of the reliefs, it was known that Ramesses II was not the first king to inscribe these walls, nor the last. Ptolemy VI had restored the inscriptions in the eastern passageway of the Second Pylon after the roof over this part of the building had collapsed, badly damaging the wall decoration.

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