In his many years of reign great additions were made to Amun's temple at Karnak. Ramses completed the great hypostyle hall which measured 103 metres wide and 52 metres deep. He added a front court, front pylon and obelisks at Luxor. By his addition of a front pylon he believed that all work behind his front pylon was claimed' as his own doings. Seti began a temple at Abydos before Ramses reign and Ramses finished it. He also completed Seti's mortuary temple at Gourna (Thebes). .
Ramses built many temples of his own also. His own mortuary temple was massive and was built near on the west bank. He named it the Ramesseum. Inscriptions at Gebel el silsila recoded a minimum of three thousand employees cutting for the Ramesseum. The Ramesseum comprised of seven courts, pillars, columned terraces, statues of Ramses as Osiris, a palace, magazines and slaughter areas. He built no less than six temples at Nubia. But his greatest building feat was by far the two temples carved out of a mountainside at Abu Simbel in Nubia. The basic plan of each was very similar; both had carved fazade, pillared interior hall and shrine at rear. The Great Temple' (larger temple of the two) was overwhelming. It was fronted by a pair of 18m to 20m high seated figures of Ramses on each side of the entrance. The orientation was exact so that the rising sun at equinox lighted straight through entrance to illuminate three of four gods. The unlit god, Ptah, was associated with the underworld. The smaller temple was dedicated to Nerfertari and Hathor. This temple was fronted by two striding of Ramses beside figures of Nefertari and her children. The cult figure inside was Ramses protected by Hathor. .
Of course Ramses does have his down points while building. Although he has many building achievements quantity tended to overrule quality. This was very noticeable when Ramses completed Seti's temple at Abydos. Ramses' workers used faster and less skilled ways of working.