ABYDOS

Situated on the West Bank of the Nile, 145kms north of Luxor, Abydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt and maintained its importance for a whole century because this is where the cult of Osiris, the god of the dead, was celebrated. A very popular god Osiris meant salvation after death and eternal happiness in the afterlife. To the ancient Egyptians Abydos was the “Gate to Heaven” and therefore burial in its sacred ground meant safe passage to heaven.

The Greeks named the city Abydos and the modern Egyptian call it Al-Araba Al Madfuna. However, to the Ancient Egyptians it was known as Abjdu, meaning the Hill of the Symbol because the head of Osiris, the King of the Underworld, was buried there.

Like many other cemeteries in Egypt, Abydos was “visited by thieves”. In a pre-dynastic grave found in 1990, the searchers found signs of fire and grave robbing.                      

Among the most interesting tombs are; a grave discovered during a dig in 1988 dating back to the first dynasty complete with doors, windows and 12 chambers, when found it still contained pottery and wine from Canaan (Judea). Also interesting are, the specially constructed tombs of ancient boats buried to be used for the voyage across the sky to meet the Sun god Ra.

Anyone who was not of the royal family was buried in the northern cemetery. The cemetery was used from the Middle Kingdom until Roman times.

Ancient Abydos was mostly a cemetery but residential and industrial sections of small villages were also found. Narrow streets lined with mud brick houses, courtyards and even a pottery workshop complete with kiln (clay baking oven)

What Abydos is most famous for, is the Temple of Ramses the II and the Temple of Seti.

§         GREAT TEMPLE OF SETI

Two distinct types of temples existed in Ancient Egypt; the “cult temples” dedicated to the principal god of the region and the “mortuary temples”. The “cult temples” were elaborate buildings because they were considered as “Homes of the Gods’, unlike the “mortuary temples” which started off as simple two room structures attached to the king’s pyramid.    

One of Egypt’s most beautiful “cult temples” , is the great temple of Seti, also known as the Cenotaph, built during Seti’s reign (1318 -1304BC) and completed by his son Ramses ll after his death. Built in fine white marble the unusual temple is constructed in an L-shape as opposed to the traditional rectangular style.

The beauty of temple almost feels like an apology to the gods Seti dedicated it to, the Osiris, Isis and Horus family and the Amun Ra, Mut and Khonsu group. He built six individual chapels, one for each god, including a seventh one for him. By reinventing himself as a god he wanted his humble beginnings to be forgotten, his ancestors had been mere Delta warriors a few generations earlier. Seti spared no effort in decorating the temple. The finest bas-reliefs in the New kingdom are to be found in those sanctuaries. The ones done during Seti’s reign are exquisite; those commissioned by his son Ramses ll after his father’s death are much cruder. Perhaps he did not have his father’s taste or he tried to economise by hiring second-class artisans.

To the left of the sanctuaries lies a corridor called the Table of Abydos, also known as the “Gallery of the Kings”. There, the figure of Seti and his eldest son Ramses ll head the list of the pharaohs that preceded them, 34 kings to be exact, beginning with Zoser (second king of the third dynasty in the Old Kingdom). Although Seti provided the Egyptologists with a helpful account of Egypt’s history, he added his personal touch by “editing” the list a bit. First he invented a brand new lineage for himself and his descendants (the reason, it is assumed, he built the temple in the first place) then removed the names of whoever he disapproved of such as; Hatshepsut, the woman pharaoh, Akhenathen, the heretic and all the Hykos pharaohs, the foreigners.

§TEMPLE OF RAMSES II
The small temple of Ramses ll near the village is a bit of the let down after the sheer beauty of the temple of Seti.

Although built in the rectangular plan Ramses followed his father’s example in building his temple. There are sanctuaries for each of the gods considered important Osiris, Amun Ra, Thoth including the self- appointed deities of his father Seti and of himself.

Originally, when first seen by Napoleon’s archaeologists it was still a finely built temple, although today the roof is missing and the rest is in disrepair. When he erected it in 1298BC Ramses ll took extra care and used his father’s top class artisans in the hope that his Ka (spirit) would get on the friendly side of the god Osiris, so therefore the workmanship is better than in most of his monument, some of the bas-reliefs are still visible. When a pharaoh wants to pave his way to eternal life it is no time for economy and slap-dash work.