THE TEMPLE OF ABYDOS


Page under construction and translation

Situation of Abydos in Egypt

Situation of the Site, in High Egypt , in the north-west part of Louxor , the eldest Thebes.

The town is very old ; its orignes decame from the prehistory , it is one of the most imprtant town in Egypt . The main cult was devoted to the God Osiris who had replace an eldest god : Khentymentyou , "The first of Westerners the lord of Abydos " . His burial was in the Town Center ; situated in the north parts of Sethy Istr and Ramses II 's temples . An map will give you a situation plan with main monuments , to have an idea for their relative positions .


The town of Abydos ; in Egyptian Abedjou, is situated at about 450 km to the south from Cairo , near the little town of Baliana . It site is now occuped by villages of El-Kherbéh and Arabat el-Madfounah . One town in a short north distance from Abydos was called Thinis and this town was considered , according to Manetho as the Capital of the Two First Dynasties .


Temples of million of years of Sethy Ist :

Temple name was : ; which us translated as : Divine castle of the million of years of the King of High and lower Egypt Menmaatrê A variant to this name : , and also and finally variants which are more simple !

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General plan :

A large GIF-file of 608X867 pixels !

In fact the temple is on the bend of a hill, rear part is nearly 3/4 underground.

According to Paul Barguet("Note sur le complexe architectural de Séti Ier à Abydos", Kemi 16 pp.21-27), we find a a correlation with pyramidal complex in Old Empire. Osireion would be a deification of Sethy in a tomb (cenotaphe), and the temple itself woulb be a funeray temple, with a correspondance betwenn the 5 niches of the High Temple linked to the pyramid in old Kingdom and the 7 chapelles. The difference between 5 niches and 7 chapelles would be explained like that: Sethy + Ptah + Rê Horakhty + Amon + (Osiris + Isis + Horus), CQFD.

In west part according to this author, we could find a little enclosure situated in the rear part of the treasusary romms, and just at side an another enclosure, nearly square to close Osireion.

Notice that the palace would bear an unsual entrance in south.


To have an another point of vue or other informations , you can link you on the french WebSite : Les 2 Terres : Abydos .


  1. First pylôn and first court .
  2. Second pylôn and Second court .
  3. Portiquo .
  4. Hypostyl halls .
  5. Chapels .
  6. Annexes .
  7. Osireion .

To be continued....

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