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Most of the Ramesside kings left some mark at Thebes, and even those who left few visible signs of their reigns were buried in the Valley of the Kings. The most impressive builder in the city after Ramesses II, though, was Ramesses III (reigned 1184-1153 BC). Although Ramesses III took the same name as his illustrious forebearer, he was of no direct relation; but he did emulate Ramesses II’s propensity to build in and around Thebes. Ramesses III’s most impressive monumental gift to the Thebes region was the construction of the massive temple known today as Medinet Habu, which was the last great temple of the New Kingdom. Medinet Habu served as the cult complex of Ramesses III, but there was also a chapel on the grounds that honored Ramesses II. Perhaps as a sign of the decreasing stability of the Egyptian state at the time, Medinet Habu doubled as a fortress. <ref> Haeny, pgs. 107-9</ref>
==Who was the Egyptian God Amun?==As Thebes rose to prominence in the New Kingdom, so too did the god Amun. Amun was the Ancient Egyptian God of the sun and air. A powerful cult was built around the worship Amun that increased the power of Thebes in Ancient Egypt.<ref>Mark, J. J. (2016, July 29). [https://www.ancient.eu/amun/ Amun]. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from [https://www.ancient.eu/amun/ Ancient History Encyclopedia]</ref> Although Amun was one of the earliest Egyptian gods, as he was associated with Thebes , he did not become prominent until the Eighteenth Dynasty. A new professional priesthood developed at Thebes during this time, and as Thebes grew in importance so too did Amun, and vice versa. <ref> Redford, Donald B. <i>Akhenaten: The Heretic King.</i> (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1987), p. 159</ref>
When Akhenaten moved the capital from Thebes to Amarna, he also divested much of the funding for the Amun cult, but by the time of the Nineteenth Dynasty Amun’s cult was endowed with even more funding and estates, making him a universal and national god. <ref> Kuhrt, Amélie. <i>The Ancient Near East: c. 3000-330 BC.</i> (London: Routledge, 2010), p. 206</ref> As long as Amun remained the primary Egyptian god, Thebes was assured to have a place of primacy.
