There are several temples on the west bank of the Nile, the most prominent of them being the Rameseum, or Memnonium, and Medinet Aboo. These two were on the same general plan as the Temple of Karnak, though less extensive; but, even when compared with Karnak, they are entitled to very high rank as works of Egyptian art and architecture. In the neighborhood there are half a dozen or more smaller temples, each possessing an historical and artistic interest peculiar to itself.
It was a busy time for our friends, as they had a great deal to see in a few hours. What they saw we will learn from their accounts:
"We had a delightful ride on the donkeys that were waiting on the bank as we arrived, our way lying through fields such as we have already described, and afterward passing over a stretch of barren ground—the border of the Libyan Desert. Doctor Bronson told us while we were riding along that this was formerly the Libyan suburb of Thebes, and that the ancient city stood on both sides of the river. Sir Gardner Wilkinson says it was about five miles long by three in width. It was in its most flourishing condition during the eighteenth dynasty, and it began to decline in the eighth century before the Christian era. There is a great deal of dispute as to its population; but it is said that it could send out twenty thousand horsemen to battle, and its walls were pierced with a hundred gates. Its ruins are scattered over a large area, and its burial-grounds are so enormous that several days would be required for even a slight examination of them.
RUINS IN OLD THEBES.
"According to some writers the greater part of the population was on the eastern or Luxor side, while the western section was the residence of the kings and royal households; and, consequently, many of the temples were built there. For the same reason the tombs of the kings were on the western side, but were placed a considerable distance from the river, where the character of the limestone rock was such that it could be readily excavated. Much of the site of the city is now overflowed every year at the time of the inundation, and in this portion there are only a few traces of the buildings that once stood there.
"We went through some of the small temples, and then came to the Rameseum, or Memnonium. It owes its first name to the fact that it was founded by Rameses the Great, and its second to its dedication to the worship of Memnon. It is grand enough to have half a dozen names instead of two, and the honor can certainly be divided between Rameses and Memnon without any fear that either of them will suffer.