The Colossi of Memnon are two enormous statues that sit on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor, facing east toward the sunrise. Each one shows Pharaoh Amenhotep III seated on a throne, hands resting on his knees, looking out across the river toward the land of the living. They were built around 1350 BCE to stand at the entrance of his mortuary temple, a complex so large it once covered about 35 hectares, bigger than the Temple of Karnak.