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Abydos
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Abydos
is approx. 153 km
north of Luxor. The most important building in Abydos is the funerary temple of
Sethos I. that was completed by his son, Ramses II. . The so-called king
gallery, which shows all Pharaohs from Menes (the legendary founder of the 1st
dynasty) up to Sethos I. is in the inner place. The king list is relatively
complete even if some rulers are not represented.
Remarquable must have been the Osireion, the bill grave Sethos I. A water
channel eaten from the Nil, which represented the Urozean, was inside.
The legend was that the head of the Osiris was buried in Abydos and here had the
resurrection of the God also taken place. Many Egyptians therefore laid out here
their own graves or also cenotaphs (appearances graves) or built memory steles
to take part in the resurrection. This "cemetery" extends over 1.5 km.
Osiris was, after a widespread Ancient Egyptian legend, originally the ruler of
Egypt. His jealous brother Seth killed and cut him and threw the parts of the
corpse into the Nil. Isis, the wife of the Osiris gathered the parts of the body
again, put them together and wrapped the body into mummy bandages. She then gave
birth with her spouse to Horus, the falcon God who finally avenged his father.
In the early days and during the first dynasties in ancient
Egyptian Abdju were buried the rulers. Abydos became the most important
religious centre of Egypt in the middle empire. It kept its central role in the
Osiris cult also later. According to Herodotus, mystery plays in which a large
number of pilgrims took part took place annually in Abydos. The play was based
on the above-mentioned Osiris legend.
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Dendera
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Dendera is approx. 65 km north of Luxor. The here situated Ancient Egyptian city
of Lunet was the capital of the sixth Upper Egyptian district. Great attraction
is the Hathor temple located on the desert edge. Hathor, the wife of the Horus,
was the goddess of the love under others. Her sacred animal was the cow as which
she was represented from time to time. Hathor was equated to the Greek
Aphrodite.
The temple in its today’s form was built during the Greek Roman time. The
representations of several Roman emperors are found on the temple walls.
A partly received mud brick wall surrounds the temple district. Two birthplaces
called "Mammisi", a little Isis temple and the remains of the sacred lake are
located in this area. A so-called sanatorium was once within the sacred
district. In this, sick persons were treated.
Columns, which represent the head of the goddess or the sistrum, a musical
instrument preferred by her, adorn the inner area of the temple. Underground
crypts in which the cult equipment was kept once are located in the temple. The
reliefs in the temple that show the laying of the foundation stone of the temple
are interesting.
A kiosk is today located on the roof of the temple with a plaster copy of the
Zodiac of Dendera that is in Louvre. The Goddess picture was brought to the
Horus temple in Edfu, once per year, the goddess visiting her husband. One has
from the roof a good view of the whole temple area and the surrounding
landscape.
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