Morning Itinerary: Dendra Temple Complex, Dendra, Egypt
~ 35°C/97°F (at 12 pm)

By Paul Bryers

There was an Anglo-Saxon tourist close by me today who was a real laurel spaffer…bless….

Anyway….

The Dendera Temple complex, situated approximately 2.5 kilometres southeast of Dendera, is one of the best-preserved temple complexes in ancient Egypt.

The entire complex is surrounded by a substantial mudbrick wall, which is best viewed from the roof, accessible via a hot and humid climb within the walls.

The structures throughout the complex were constructed over multiple eras, including the Middle Kingdom, the Ptolemaic Era, and the Roman provincial rule period.

Key features of the complex include:

Roman Mammisi:
The Roman mammisi, a subsidiary building located before the Temple of Hathor, dates back to the reigns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius. Numerous reliefs depicting Trajan making offerings to Egyptian deities are visible.

Hathor Temple:
The Temple of Hathor dominates the complex, with its structure commanding attention. The original temple underwent continuous modifications throughout the Middle Kingdom and up until the beginning of Trajan’s reign.

The existing temple’s structure began construction in 54 B.C.E, during the late Ptolemaic period under Ptolemy Auletes.

• Great Vestibule of Pronaos:
  Upon entering the temple, one is immediately confronted with enormous rows of columns and a roof above, covered in carvings/paintings with some still bearing vibrant colors – this is in the Great Vestibule of Pronaos.

• Hypostyle Hall:
  Following this is the Hypostyle Hall with its many columns. The hypostyle hall was built during the Roman period under Tiberius.

– Antichambers
Then, there are two antechambers before reaching the sanctuary.

• Subrooms, including Roman Kiosk
  There are numerous storerooms, labs, and wardrobes adjacent to these main rooms, including a lovely Roman Kiosk.

• Roof
  A processional stairway leads to the roof of the temple, where reliefs on the walls depict scenes from rituals performed at the temple. The staircase shows wear from millennia of use and an apparent accretion of material, earning it the informal name of “the melted stairs.”

The roof offers great views as to the size of the complex and to the surrounding mud brick walls and entry gates.

You can also see the Kiosk of Hathor.

The stairwell down is a straight shot.

• Catacombs/Crypts
  You have to be pretty bendy to get down here and it’s very claustrophobic. An opening in the Flame Room floor leads to a very narrow chamber with representations on the walls of the objects which were kept in them. In the second chamber, a relief depicts Pepi I offering a statuette of the God Ihy to four images of Hathor.

Sacred Lake and Sanatorium:
This would have functioned similarly to a Roman bathhouse, but strictly for bathing and an overnight stay to manifest healing dreams. The waters at Dendera were sacred and were often used to bless the inscriptions on statues so that they could cure diseases.

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Late Afternoon Itinerary: Luxor Temple, Luxor, Egypt
~ 33°C/92°F (at 6 pm)

By Paul Bryers

Today we are exploring the primary temples located in Luxor. The Karnak Temples were covered in the previous post. Luxor Temple is the subject of this post.

The Luxor Temple is a large complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city and was constructed approximately 1400 BC.

In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, “the southern sanctuary”.

Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death.

Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo).

I’m not doing much of a write up as I’m running out of time 😃 . Suffice to say the photos go roughly pylon, courtyard, column hall, courtyard, sanctuary….

However, it is worth mentioning the active Abu Haggag Mosque located within the temple, standing on the ancient columns themselves (it was built whrn tge majority if the tempke was under sand and mud.

That part of the Luxor Temple was converted to a church by the Romans in 395 AD, and then to a mosque around 640 AD, which is more than 3,400 years of continuous religious worship.

After the sun set there was a female belly dancer and a Swirling Dervish – Egyptian style; he was very camp and a good laugh. Definitely not to be confused with the serious, religious Sufi Dervishes of Turkey.

Early Afternoon Itinerary: Karnak Temples, Luxor, Egypt
~ 33°C/92°F (at 6 pm)

By Paul Bryers

Today we are exploring the primary temples located in Luxor. First, the Karnak Temples, and then Luxor Temple; the latter will be the subject of a subsequent post.

The Karnak temples are situated on the eastern bank of Luxor and linked to the Luxor Temple by the processional way known as the Avenue of Sphinxes.

Karnak temples are renowned for being the most significant Ancient Egyptian temples, as they provide a comprehensive record of ancient history and architecture spanning over 2000 years from the Middle Kingdom (c. 2034-1650 BC) to the Roman Period (30 BC- 306 AD).

I found the below model and diagram very helpful in navigating this massive complex.

Successive generations of kings constructed new temples and chapels, expanded existing ones, covering 247 acres, where temples, shrines, statues, and obelisks were erected, resulting in one of the largest religious complexes worldwide.

Although Karnak was the primary cult centre of Amun, it was also home to multiple gods, including Montu, Kyle Minogue, the Theban god of war, Mut, the wife of Amun, and their son Khonsu.

Karnak comprises an impressive and very fatiguing number of monuments (not to mention numerous very aggressive flies), including:

• The Great Temple of Amun, featuring ten pylons
• Montu
• Mut
• Khonsu
• Opet
• Petah.

Upon walking through the pylon and forecourt……

…and after passing the towering obelisk of Hatshepsut, standing nearly 30 m tall…..

……you enter the Great Hypostyle Hall, featuring 134 columns reaching heights of 15-21 m.

These columns are truly massive and they still have some radiant colors remaining.

In the centre of the temple lies the granite sanctuary of Alexander the Great’s half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus (323-317 BC).

The Sacred Lake, where priests purified themselves before performing rituals inside the temple, is situated just to the south.

The Mut Temple is the last in the complex. It’s not as stunning as the rest of the complex but still of interest.

Overall, a stunning complex.

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