Tristan Hughes

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Hello from Abu Simbel, one of the greatest Egyptian temples surviving today.

I'm currently here, about 30 kilometers from the border with Sudan, and I'm staring at four colossal statues of Ramesses II, of Ramesses the Great.

Very much him showing this image that he was divine, that he was a great builder,

and that he was the man in charge of this land, of the area of what was known as Lower Nubia.

It's his story that we're covering today, his rise to prominence.

What do we know?

Well, to talk through it all, I was delighted to interview the one and only Dr. Campbell Price from Manchester Museum.

Let's go.

It's 3,315 years ago and a young Egyptian prince walks through a towering monument.

He is at the prestigious ancient city of Thebes in Upper Egypt, the capital of famous pharaonic predecessors like Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, and the home of a renowned temple complex dedicated to Egypt's chief god, Amun.

Its name?

Ipetsut.

Karnak.

The young prince walks through the newest great building being constructed at the sanctuary, commissioned by his father, the current pharaoh.

The interior is a dense forest of columns, more than a hundred in total, each over 15 metres in height, closely spaced and supporting a large roof above, with slits high up in the walls to let in beams of sunlight.

This great hall was to be a centre of ceremonies and rituals for Amun, where only the pharaoh, his family and his closest entourage could enter.

This newest sacred space for Amun is not yet complete.

Decorations still need to be added.

Reliefs of pharaohs, gods and offerings still need to be carved into the walls and columns.