Great Court of the Temple - enclosing remains of Christian church [Medinet Habu, Thebes]

Thebes, on the west bank of the Nile, was a vast mortuary site for the rulers of the New Kingdom, 1550-1069 BC. Alongside the Valley of the Kings and Queens were several mortuary temples. One of the best preserved is the temple for Ramesses III at Medinet Habu. Many fine painted reliefs have survived, particularly in the Great Court (or second court), partly because the early Coptic Christians covered them when they converted the site into a church. The photograph is signed, captioned and dated in the negative, ‘F Bedford Medeenet Abou’.