The majestic pyramids of Giza, hidden from prying eyes, the tombs of the Valley of the Kings are not the only monuments of the civilization that once flourished on both banks of the Nile. Along with necropolises, ancient Egyptian temples are of great interest. We will place the names and photos of the most significant structures in this article.
But first you need to understand the concept of the temple in Ancient Egypt. It was not a church in the modern sense of the word - a building serving for the assembly of believers and for establishing contact of the soul with God. No, the temple was a house, rather a palace. A certain God lived here, as a rich man lives in his mansions. He had his servants - priests. Every day, having passed the rite of purification, they dressed the statue of God, lit censers and incense in front of it, and made sacrifices according to the calendar. Only priests could enter the temple - and no one else. Sometimes God would come out of the palace to visit one of his relatives. He traveled in a boat (ark) led byin tow conventional ships. Only then could the common people see their god.
Development of sacred architecture
As you know, the history of Ancient Egypt has several long periods - kingdoms. Temple architecture developed gradually. It largely depended on religious views, which also underwent changes over the centuries. Unfortunately, the temples were rebuilt according to the new concept, and only structures related to the New Kingdom have come down to us. The funeral temples of the Ancient era are also well preserved. But they are dedicated to the posthumous cult of the pharaohs and are adjacent to their pyramid tombs. Here we will consider the ancient Egyptian temples of the New Kingdom. This is the abode of the eternal God. Such a temple has its own concept and, accordingly, its own architecture. The "Palace" of God assumed premises for officialdom and private, private chambers. The latter could only include selected priests who had undergone the most thorough cleansing (ablution, hair depilation, drinking soda). God dwelt in an interior without windows. That is, he was hidden from people's eyes.
The Palace of God in 3000 BC e
Five thousand years ago, ancient Egyptian temples (the photo shows the memorial shrine of Khafre) had the shape of a giant parallelepiped with sloping outer walls and a cornice crowning them. It was a real royal palace with spacious interiors located along the main axis. These were ceremonial halls and reception rooms where God listened to requests. Further, behind the vestibule and rooms for storing offerings, there were the chambers of the “owner of the house”. The immediate sanctuary of the god was located in the center. It was surrounded by four or six main prayer houses. Nearby were sacristies and other premises for ritual services. The main halls were divided by large columns into two or three naves. There was no roof as such. In fact, these were courtyards with porticos.
Ancient Egyptian temples of the Middle Kingdom
Starting with Thutmose I and especially the female pharaoh Hatshepsut (1505-1484 BC), the layout of the sanctuaries has changed. A characteristic feature of the temples of the Middle Kingdom is the monumentality of the halls leading to the holy of holies. The contrast with the small closet is simply amazing. In this room stood an exquisite ark. The massive walls of the ancient temples were replaced by many sacristies and chapels. But the main innovation was the extraordinary we alth of paintings. They covered the columns, ceiling, walls, floor. Ancient Egyptian temples in Karnak (Amon-Ra) and in Deir el-Bahri (the sanctuary of Queen Hatshepsut) can be called as a typical example of sacred architecture of that time. The interior and murals emphasize the function of each room. And the temple itself appears as a synthesis of the cosmos and God. The floor is the earth, the ceiling painted with stars is the sky, the capitals of the columns are flowers, on the architrave you can see fabulous birds.
Temple in 1500 B. C. e
Gradually, lay believers began to join in worship. Naturally, they were not allowed in the "holy of holies" and even in the temple. But in the planning of sacred buildingsstarting from 1500 BC, an innovation appears - one or more courtyards framed by a colonnade. Common people were allowed there to participate in religious ceremonies. So what were the temples of the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt? Where were they located? They stretch along the entire Nile - from Abu Simbel in the upper reaches to Abydos (north of modern Luxor). Each nome (region) had its own patron god (or hypostasis of Amon-Ra). Therefore, the ancient Egyptian temples had the appropriate names: Osiris, Hathor, Isis, Khnum, Thoth, Nekhbet, Horus, Sebek. Separately, we should mention the sanctuaries of the pharaohs, who were also considered gods: Ramses II, Seti I, Thutmose III and others.
The plan of the ancient Egyptian temple of the New Kingdom
Let's consider it on the classic example of the Karnak sanctuary of Amun. The temple was supposed to have access to the river. For this, a channel broke through from the Nile. It ended at the temple itself with a small rectangular pier, where a richly decorated boat was moored. The Egyptian gods had numerous relatives who were visited in their "homes" for birthdays. From the embankment there was a "procession road". It was framed by sphinxes or statues of a god, appearing in the hypostasis of a sacred animal. The pylons were the fronts of ancient Egyptian temples. The photo shows a massive stone building with slightly sloped walls. It repeats the hieroglyph "horizon". At dawn, the sun appeared exactly between the towers of the pylon. Its walls were richly decorated. There are still holes forflag poles. Behind the pylon was a rectangular courtyard, surrounded by a wall. Columns ran along its entire perimeter, supporting a narrow, non-solid roof, which served as protection not from rain, but from the sun. Passing through the courtyard, the man got into the hall of columns. The round pillars supporting the roof were stylized as thickets of papyrus. At the far end of the hall was the sanctuary. A portable boat rested on a cubic base in a small, low-ceilinged room. God lived here.
Around the temple
The surrounding area inside the outer walls (temenos) was also considered holy. There were auxiliary rooms. These could be rooms for the gods who came to "visit" and for their arks. Warehouses for offerings, cult objects occupied more than one room. Finally, small rooms were provided for the priests, where they underwent procedures for cleansing their bodies before entering the sanctuary. The temples of Egypt of the New Kingdom always had a sacred lake on their territory. It served to purify the priests. According to beliefs, the sun god Khepri rose every morning refreshed from the lake to follow the sky. In addition to this reservoir, there were also wells. The ancient Egyptian temples, the names and photos of which we have given here, had a special room on the pier - a berth for a boat. When the priests carried the ark with the god on their shoulders from the sanctuary, they stopped in this small chapel with two entrances.
Obelisks and colossi
Temples of Egypt oftenhad additional elements located outside the temenos fence. Sometimes colossi were placed in front of the sanctuary. These are giant paired statues of the pharaohs who built this or that temple. Notable here are the colossi of Memnon. The sanctuary itself has not survived - only two statues of Amenhotep III rise to this day. If the temple was dedicated to the sun, obelisks were placed in front of its entrance - also usually in pairs.
Ptolemaic and Roman period
How amazing these ancient Egyptian temples are: how many years they served as the home of the gods and did not succumb to change or even conquest. When the Roman Empire swallowed up these lands in terms of religious worship, little changed. Rather the opposite. Roman emperors began to wear cartouches with hieroglyphs, the cult of Osiris became one of the state cults in the empire. However, there is also interpenetration of cultures. Religious views develop, and gradually humanity comes to worship the one God.
