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Waset's District of
Mansions of Millions of Years
For the ancient Egyptians, the land to the west of the Nile was synomym with closeness to the entrance to the Afterlife. It was here, where the sun set, that the deceased were buried, and it was here that their cults were carried out.
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Opposite modern Luxor, the western shore of the river Nile displays the highest frequency of ancient monuments in one area. Apart from notorious places like the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple and the village of the tomb workers at Deir el Medina, this stretch of river bank is dotted with no less than twelve different mortuary temples, one after the other, in more or less excavated condition.
The name "Mansion of Millions of Years" expressed for the ancients the purpose of the king gaining Eternal Life in the Afterworld. As long as his cult was upheld in the world of the living, he would live on forever, and therefore these temples were built in stone, with the hope that they would last in eternity. In the area of Waset, the festival Beautiful Feast of the Valley involved these temples as way stations on the journey across the West Bank, which meant that they were frequented by people from all levels of society.
A mortuary temple was intended for the daily ritual of the deceased king and originally mortuary temples were attached to the royal tombs. As it became apparent that these drew the attention of tomb robbers, they were, from Amenhotep I, located some distance away from the tombs. Thus the stretch of land beween the river and the Theban mountains was chosen by several kings in the New Kingdom. Here, focus has been given to three of the temples as a start:
The Mortuary Temple of Amehnhotep III
The largest of all the mortuary temples, this one was built so low on the plain that it was partly flooded during the Inundation. When the water withdrew, the temple would appear as rising from the Primeval Mound. Although this was a great religious concept, it was too poorly constructed and was quickly destroyed. Today, very little can be seen, except for the two great statues of Amenhotep - the "Memnon Colossi".
The Ramesseum
Early in his reign, Ramesses II began construction of his Mortuary temple, on the same spot as a ruined temple of his father Seti I. It took twenty years to complete and stood as the original to Ramesses III temple at Medinet Habu. Here too, the location was badly chosen; too close to the river made the flooding water undermine the structure within too long. Still, today the hypostyle hall has a well preserved ceiling and in the area are remains of a palace and extensive granaries and storerooms.
The Mortuary Temple of Seti I
Seti I began constructing this temple, calling it "Glorious Seti in the West of Thebes". He dedicated it to Amun-Re and after his death, it was completed by his son Ramesses II. There is also a shrine to Seti's father Ramesses I, who only reigned for two years and never erected a mortyary temple for himself. Also this temple has suffered from flooding in ancient days and in modern times, like all other structures, it is suffering a great deal from salt coming from fertilizers, which are used since the Nile has been stopped from normal flooding.
Layout by:
TaysatWesir Amenhotep
Quick info by:
Mirjam Nebet
Graphics from:
Egyptmyway
TourEgypt
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TaysatWesir Amenhotep
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