Category: Ancient Egypt History

Egyptian Temples in Ancient Egypt

List of Pharaonic Temples, Historical Facts, Secrets, Design Engineering of the Architecture of Funerary and Solar Temples, Why Temples were built?, What are Egyptian Temples Types? What is the Difference between Old Temples and the temples of the Greek era, Roman and Ptolemaic eras?

Discover the rituals that were held in the temple, and more secrets that were previously known about the History of the Pharaohs.

Egyptian Temples

What architectural and engineering methods did Ancient Egyptians use to construct the Egyptian Temples?

Discover Ancient Egyptian Architecture characteristics & Planning, Mechanical Engineering Design, The Architectural Evolution, Construction Methods and Building Materials in Ancient Egypt.

Design of the Egyptian Pharaonic temples is considered to be of a special nature, as its idea is based on the fact that the temple is the dwelling place of the god on earth, as a sacred room was designed that is forbidden to humans to enter, and wide open spaces that humans enter.

In the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, the temple is the palace of the god on earth and is similar in design to the palace of the God Horus in the sky and the rest of the Egyptian gods.

The temple design must contain a room Birth house Mammisi dedicated to proving that the pharaoh was half god and half human, and that he was created by a god from heaven, who is God Hathor.

• The architecture and planning of each temple was designed differently from the other, starting from the rule of the pharaohs of the First Dynasty of Egypt “King Narmer” until the end of the rule of the kings of the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom of Egypt, Starting from the rule of King Ramses II in the era of the 19th Egyptian Dynasty, the construction of temples began to be organized according to fixed rules in planning and architectural engineering design until the last kings of the Late Period and the rule of the Black Pharaohs.
• With the beginning of the king’s rule Ptolemy I “First king of Egypt in the Ptolemaic era”, The architecture of Egyptian temple construction began to develop with the general layout of the temple remaining constant, with only the area on which the temple was built varying.
• It was discovered that Architect Imhotep, The architect of the design and planning of the King Djoser complex (Third Dynasty of Egypt, Old Kingdom) wrote and drew manu scripts and engineering designs for Egyptian temples and was used as a guide for all ancient Egyptian engineers throughout the eras of the Pharaonic dynasty until the rule of the Ptolemaic and Greek kings. His name and achievements were mentioned on the walls of the Edfu Temple in Aswan.
• Archaeologists and Egyptologists discovered in 2000 AD during research and excavation in the area Tebtunis (Umm El-Burigat) And area Soknopaiou Nesos Near Qarun Lake, the most famous Archaeological Sites in Fayoum, which contains temples from the Ptolemaic and Greco-Roman eras, 50 ancient Egyptian papyri were discovered containing texts in the ancient Egyptian language “Demotic” Explains the steps of building temples to ancient Egyptian engineers.
• Egyptologists and Egyptian archaeologists discovered during a research mission in the Ramesseum Temple in Luxor a papyrus dating back to the Middle Kingdom and another papyrus written in the language “Hieratic” dates back to the reign of The Ramesside Period kings of the 20th Dynasty and all indicate that engineering texts and plans from the book Design and Construction of Egyptian Temples, which was created by Architect Imhotep in the Old Kingdom era.
• Book of the construction of Egyptian temples, Book of Imhotep was an engineering reference for all architects throughout the history of ancient Egypt. It contained methods for selecting the sacred animal for each temple and detailed religious and engineering explanations for building the temple in its correct form.

What is the difference between a Roman temple and a Greek temple and Old Temples?

The texts of religious beliefs and religious rituals in the religion of the ancient Egyptians were not written or drawn on the walls of the funerary temples that were built in the era of the Old Kingdom, such as the Temple of the King Djoser Group (King Djoser of the Third Egyptian Dynasty) and the temples of King Khafre in the Valley (Fourth Egyptian Dynasty).

Because the ruler at that time was of Egyptian origin and the priests were observing the rituals and there was no fear of the collapse of the ancient Egyptian state.

The beginning of the era of rule King Mentuhotep I fromThe Eleventh Egyptian Dynasty in a while Kingdom of Egypt in the Middle Ages, reliefs were drawn on the walls of Egyptian temples depicting the king offering sacrifices to the goddess, with his name, the name of the god, and the name of the offerings.

From the New Kingdom period to the beginning of the rule King Ahmose I from Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, inscriptions were drawn on the walls of Egyptian temples telling us a dialogue between the god and the pharaonic king, praying, supplicating and offering sacrifices without mentioning details.

At the beginning of the Roman and Greek rule of ancient Egypt, the head quarters of the chief priest was moved, and the priests feared the collapse of the religious faith of the ancient Egyptians and the disappearance of religious identity, so it was written in papyrus and recorded accurately on the walls of the chamber of the funerary temples, starting with the king’s supplication to the god and the supplication to the gods and the types of offerings and how to present the offerings and many details and religious teachings for each new priest and writing religious texts about religious rituals for all religious books.

The steps of the basic, preliminary, preparatory and final religious rituals were explained as engraved on the walls of the Edfu Temple, more than 1,100 scenes of the steps of offering sacrifices to the gods, as we find drawings in the Temple of Habu or the Temple of King Ramses III within the Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes “built during the reign of King Ramses III of the 20th Dynasty, the Ramesside era” describing King Ramses III offering bread and meat as sacrifices to the gods and explaining only 10 steps through 100 pharaonic inscriptions on the walls and not all the steps in the religious rituals.

Summary:

• Egyptologists have obtained a complete explanation of the religious beliefs, rituals and religion of the ancient Egyptians only from the wall drawings of the Egyptian temples (Edfu Temple, Dendera Temple, Esna Temple, Philae Temple, Kombo Temple) which were built in the Greek and Roman era of ancient Egypt only.
• The recording of religious texts drawn on the walls of the Edfu Temple in Aswan began in 1892 AD and was completely completed in 1934 AD (more than 43 years) by Egyptian archaeologists and foreign researchers from around the world, while the texts of the Dendera Temple were recorded in 1934 AD. Until 2024, only 75% of the religious drawings and texts have been recorded.

What are the characteristics of Egyptian temple architecture?

The basic fixed elements in the architectural design of each temple were the gate, then the open courtyard containing rows of columns on both sides, then the Holy of Holies room.

The basic elements were developed in the New Kingdom era, such as the Temple of Medinet Habu in Luxor, which contains a hypostyle hall and several gates for the entrance.

Then, in the Roman and Ptolemaic eras, the shrines were increased on both sides of the open courtyard.

The floors of Egyptian temples are built in levels that increase in height as you go inward, so you notice that the ceiling of the Holy of Holies is lower than the starting point at the temple gate.

Limestone was used in the construction of Egyptian temples during the Middle Kingdom because it is an easy and light stone to carve on.

However, it has the disadvantage of difficulty in carving and sculpting in relief and sunken relief on the walls of funerary temples.

Limestone was extracted from the Tura quarries in Giza “Egyptian Tura Stone”, which made it difficult to transport it from Giza to southern Egypt in Luxor and Aswan across the Nile River in wooden boats.

Starting from the reign of King Ahmose I of the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, sand stone began to be extracted from the quarries in Luxor, especially Gebel el-Silsila, the quarries of the West Bank and Aswan, for ease of transport and ease of engraving and sculpting all the drawings and texts on the walls of the temples.

The architectural design of all Egyptian temples has the Holy of Holies in the eastern direction and the gate to the west with the sun’s rays “the god Ra” in the direction, while in the Temple of Luxor the Holy of Holies is to the south while the gate is to the north.

The reason for this is the discovery by the ancient Egyptians that the Nile flood comes from the south and goodness and the beginning of creation are from the south while the sun rises from the southeast.

Holy of Holies Room

It was known in ancient Egypt as Set Wet, meaning the great throne or the great place reserved only for the ruling pharaoh. Gifts, offerings, rituals and religious rites were presented there to glorify the king and the gods.

The Holy of Holies room in the Abu Simbel Temple in Aswan contains 4 statues that refer to 4 Egyptian gods: the god Ptah, the god Amun-Ra, the god Horus, and a statue of King Ramses II.

What are the different types of temples in Ancient?

Types of Egyptian temples were divided according to function into…

The Divine Temple

Prayers and supplications to the gods only and religious rituals in the religion of the ancient Egyptians are held in it.

It is required to be built in the middle of the village, far from the royal tombs or the tombs of the nobles, such as the Karnak Temple, the Luxor Temple, the Abydos Temple, the Mit Rahina Temple (for the worship of the god Ptah) in Saqqara, Giza, the Abu Simbel Temple, and the Tell Basta Temple in Sharqia.

Funerary temple

• The funerary temple was built upon the death of the ruling pharaoh, where religious rituals were performed to begin the transformation of the pharaoh from a human to a divine state.
• The West Bank area of ​​Luxor contains 32 funerary temples, including the Holy of Holies room and the king’s cabin for receiving offerings from the people.
• Daily prayers and religious rituals were performed to glorify and renew the life of the deceased pharaoh in the afterlife, in addition to a part of the worship of the ancient Egyptian gods.
• Egyptian temples were divided into two sections, starting from the rule of the Roman and Ptolemaic kings. The first section was concerned with the architectural design of the divine temples, and the left section was concerned with the architectural design of the funerary temples, as in the Temple of Edfu and Philae in Aswan.

The types of Egyptian temples were divided in terms of architectural design into…

1. A rock-cut temple like the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut carved into the rocks of Mount Qurna in Luxor and the Temple of Abu Simbel to The temple of King Ramses II and the Wadi el-Maghara Temple, carved into the rocks of Mount Al-Maghara, South Sinai.
2. A temple built using stones and granite extracted from the quarries of Aswan.

Egyptian temples were divided in terms of area into…

1. First class temples: These are built on a large area and contain larger pharaonic rooms and chapels.
2. Second-class temples: These are temples of medium size and in which large offerings are made.
3. Third-class temples: These are small temples found in villages and small regions, such as the ancient Egyptian geography, such as the oases temples.

What is the purpose of building Egyptian Temples?

• The main reason for the beginning of the formation of the ancient Egyptian family is that the ruling pharaoh of the throne of ancient Egypt, regardless of his lineage or origin, is a messenger or follower of the god Horus on earth to carry out the orders of the gods after the separation of humans from the gods and the descent of humans to earth “as in the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians.”
• The ruling pharaoh king gets the title of follower of the god Horus when he implements the rules, tasks, duties, and serves the gods and humans and maintains the laws of the gods, as the ruling pharaoh king was the legitimate heir and mediator on earth from the gods so that he accepts the gifts from the gods from heaven and then performs the tasks of giving these gifts to humans.
• In return, the ruling pharaoh would ask humans to offer sacrifices in the form of food, drinks, gold and silver and present them to the gods in the Holy of Holies room. He would then send them to the gods in heaven. “There are texts in the ancient Egyptian language that state that the ruling pharaoh is the one who asks for gifts from the gods, not other humans. Humans do not have the right to pray directly, but rather to ask for gifts from the king, and then the ruling pharaoh would ask for them from the gods.”
• Animals were slaughtered in designated slaughtering places, such as in the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and animals, food and drink were presented as offerings to the gods and the deceased pharaoh to glorify him after his death in the afterlife.
• In the Karnak Temple Complex and Luxor Temple, three rooms were built to house the boats of the gods Amun, Khonsu and Mut after the completion of the ancient Egyptian ceremonies.

What was the Egyptian daily ritual? inside Egyptian temples?

It was the duty of the ruling pharaoh to offer sacrifices to the gods 3 times a day, but due to the difficulty of that, the high priest of the temple would do that on behalf of the ruling pharaoh and wear the royal crown and the king’s full clothes to begin special religious rituals.

• Drawings were discovered inDendera Temple Qena and Edfu Temple explain these religious rituals of the ancient Egyptians.
• Texts on how to perform religious rituals were written on the doors of funerary temples to guide young priests in prayers, purification, and the steps for making offerings to the gods.
• Everyone who enters the temple must be spiritually and physically pure.

Temple priests rituals:

The high priest of the temple wore special clothes only for the pharaoh king and entered the dark Holy of Holies room which contained the statue of the Egyptian gods and prostrated himself.On his stomach and kissing the groundIt is repeated several times, then incense is lit and prayers and supplications begin.SingingThe sacred texts of the gods are then offered to him as offerings of food and drink.

Ceremonies of the Pharaoh’s accession to power in Egypt:

The ruling pharaoh receives a divine ceremony to assume the position of the legitimate heir and king of the god Ra on earth through which he receives a box made of leather containing the papyrus of Ra’s inheritance, which he receives with the tasks assigned to him by the gods.

The king’s investiture ceremony by the gods is depicted on the walls of the Edfu Temple in Aswan, where we find an inscription of the king.Ptolemy III”The most famous kingsPtolemaic era”He gets the skin box from the god lord of the temple.

Therefore, it became part of the religious belief of the ancient Egyptians that there must be a legitimate and official ruler of the country to perform religious rituals and official celebrations for each god, even if the ruler was not of Egyptian Pharaonic origin, such as the Hyksos, Romans, and Greeks.

The names of some pharaohs were omitted from the list, such as the Hyksos rulers, Queen Hatshepsut, the rulers of the First, Second and Third Intermediate Periods, and the Amarna period of ancient Egypt, because they did not implementATasks and duties of the gods as believed by the priests of the Temple of Amun.

How are Greek and Egyptian temples similar?

• More than 400 temples were built on the corridor of the dynastic eras from the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom until the Roman and Ptolemaic rule of ancient Egypt. Only 20 temples remain available for visitation so far: Edfu Temple, Dendera Temple, Esna Temple, Philae Temple, Kombo Temple, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, Hatshepsut Temple and other ancient Egyptian temples.
• The texts of religious beliefs in the religion of the ancient Egyptians were copied on papyri and the walls of funerary temples before being transferred to the Library of Alexandria by the priests of the Egyptian temples for fear of their being removed and disposed of by the Roman and Greek rulers at the time.
• It was discovered that the Roman and Greek rulers did not interfere in changing or eliminating the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, but rather preserved them during their rule of the provinces Egypt over 1000 years during their approach to the priests of the Temple of Amun and giving them influence, as well as during the reign of King Ptolemy V and the elimination of the revolution of the people against him with the help of the priests of the Egyptian temples and the period of ruleAugustus Caesar”The most famous kings of the Roman Empire era MacedonianWhen he decided to move the headquarters of the chief priest of the Egyptian temples to Rome, Italy, he was the one who chose the chief priest himself..
• Temples were built in the Greek and Roman era with the same architecture and rules of building Egyptian funerary temples in terms of religious beliefs, drawings of ancient Egyptian gods on the walls of the temples, and the interior engineering design of each temple.
• There was an engineering institution dedicated solely to building funerary temples in honor of the worship of the gods, starting from the rulers of the First Dynasty, to the reign of King Narmer, until the last kings.Roman Empire eraTo ruleEmperor CaracallafromThe Greek Macedonian family.
• The name of the ruling pharaoh was written on the cartouche of the temple that was being built in his era, even if the ruler was a foreigner “not of pharaonic origins” as a type of historical recording and documentation of the time period.
• It was discovered that the Roman and Greek rulers did not directly order the construction of funerary temples during their reign, or even visit them or celebrate in them as part of the celebrations of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt, except for a few of them from the Roman rulers as a recreational visit only, but the name of the Roman king was attributed as historical documentation of his reign and that the temple was built in his era.

Researcher’s opinion: Tamer Ahmed Abdel Fattah

• Once the inauguration ceremony of the pharaoh king is completed and he becomes the legitimate ruler of the country and regions in ancient Egypt, he gives direct orders to the religious establishment to immediately begin building a funerary temple for him and to build many temples in the small regions to sanctify the ancient Egyptian gods and obtain the title of Son of Ra to become a god and to be glorified and prayed to during his rule and after his death “according to the beliefs in the religion of the ancient Egyptians.”
• The more ancient Egypt’s wealth increased in gold, silver, floods, the growth of foreign trade and agriculture, the country’s political stability, and the strong protection of its borders against enemies and invasions, the more the size and area of ​​the temple and the number of temples belonging to the king increased in all the western, eastern, southern, and northern regions of Egypt, as was the case in the era of King Ramses II, King Seti II, and King Amenhotep III.
• Funerary temples had to be built to increase the religious thought of the ancient Egyptians that the ruling pharaoh was the son of the god, so the people feared him and carried out his orders without thinking. The temple priests also had religious influence and strong authority that made them powerful over all classes of people and obtaining money, lands and properties gave them the ability to build luxurious tombs and mummify their bodies with the most expensive types of mummification materials inside wooden and stone coffins like the pharaohs.

List of Pharaonic Egyptian Temples

Egyptian Temples in Cairo, Giza, Saqqara

• Sun Temple of Userkaf
• Southern Temple in King Djoser funeral complex

Egyptian Temples in Luxor

• Karnak Temple
• The Colossi of Memnon
• Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
• Luxor Temple
• The Funerary Temple Of King Thutmose III
• Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III
• Temple of Seti I
• The Temple of Ramesseum
• Funerary temple of Merenptah
• Temple of Al-Shalweit
• Temple of Esna
• Temple of Al-Toud
• Temple of Mentuhotep II

Egyptian Temples in Aswan

• The Temple of Kom Ombo
• Kalabsha Temple
• Temple of Edfu
• Temple of Abu Simbel
• The Temple of Philae
• Temple of Amada
• Temple of Wadi El-Sebua
• The Temple of Soleb
• Temple of Dakka “Daca” in Nubia
• Temple of Amenhotep III in El Kab
• Temple of Isis Near Old Cataract
• Temple of Khnum in Elephantine Island

Egyptian Temples in Matrouh

• Temple of Amon
• Temple of Ramses II in Marsa Matrouh, Om El Rehem

Egyptian Temples in Dakhla and Kharga oases

• El Zayan Temple
• Ghweita Temple
• Dush Temple
• Deir el-Hagar Temple
• Temple of Hibis

Egyptian Temples in Sohag

• Temple of Athribis
• Osireion Temple
• Temple Ramses II
• The Temple of Abydos

Egyptian Temples in Qena

• Temple of Dendera

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