Outstanding temples of ancient Egypt that are worth a visit. Ancient temples of Egypt

1. The first of the wonders of the world. Majestic stone pyramids rise on the western bank of the Nile. These are huge tombs of the pharaohs. They are guarded by the Great Sphinx, carved from a whole rock. He has the body of a lion and the head of a man. The tallest - the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops - was built around 2600 BC. e. Its height is almost 150 meters. This is a building height of 50 floors. To go around it, you need to walk a whole kilometer.

In ancient times, seven of the most famous structures were called wonders of the world, and the first of them was the Egyptian pyramids. Many travelers wanted to see

their. Indeed, the construction of pyramids in ancient times, when there were not even iron tools, can only be called a miracle.

Many stonemasons and other artisans constantly worked on the construction of the pyramids. But especially many people were required to drag heavy stones. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus says that one hundred thousand people performed this work continuously, changing every three months. The construction of the pyramid took years, and sometimes decades. The people were exhausted from backbreaking labor and the hardships to which the pharaohs doomed them.

2. Temples are the homes of the gods. Other famous buildings are temples. Let's go to one of them.

Like guards along the road leading to the temple - two rows of sphinxes. On both sides of the gate rise massive towers decorated with reliefs. In front of them, huge figures of a pharaoh sitting on a throne are carved from granite. At the entrance there are obelisks - stone “needles of the pharaohs”. Their pointed tops, covered with gold
lot, sparkle dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Behind the gate is a wide courtyard surrounded by columns. From the courtyard you can see a huge covered hall with rows of columns that look like bundles of papyrus stems. Their mighty trunks rise high. A man becomes timid among these stone giants, his heart trembles at the thought of the power and greatness of the gods. Behind the main hall in the depths of the temple is the most hidden and mysterious room. Only the priests and the pharaoh have the right to enter where the statue of the god - the owner of the temple - stands.

On holidays in honor of God, the priests carried his statue on their shoulders into the temple courtyard, where they were greeted by crowds of people. Then the procession slowly moved to the river and boarded the ship. God sailed along the Nile, as if visiting other gods in their temple dwellings. At the end of the festival, the statue was returned to its place - in the depths of the temple.

3. Tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. In the second millennium BC. e. The Egyptians stopped building pyramids - they buried their pharaohs in rooms carved into the rocks.

Over the centuries and millennia that have passed since the time of the pharaohs, their burial places have been plundered.

Archaeologists found only one tomb intact. Their excitement was great when, having gone down into the dungeon, they noticed that the pharaoh's seal on the doors was intact. No one has entered here for more than three thousand years - all the treasures remained in place.

In the middle of the first room stood a throne - on animal paws, covered with gold, decorated

Construction of the pyramid. A drawing of our time.

woven with ivory and multi-colored stones. There were also hundreds of objects: furniture, vases made of translucent stone, weapons and jewelry. In the main room there was a stone sarcophagus, and in it there was a second sarcophagus, in the second there was a third. Only in the last, fourth, sarcophagus made of pure gold did the mummy of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun rest.

4. Let's go to the museum! Many beautiful works of art have been found in tombs, temples, and during excavations in ancient cities of Egypt. They are collected in different museums around the world.

When creating stone statues, the sculptor followed special rules. This is how the nobleman sits: his legs are closed, one hand is pressed to his chest, the other to his knees. This is not the natural posture of a living person. Pharaohs, nobles and gods are depicted as if they are enchanted: their gazes are directed forward, their bodies are frozen in the same pose.

There were other rules: men were depicted with dark skin, and women with light skin. The figures of the gods are always large. The pharaoh is usually much taller than his nobles; ordinary people are very small in comparison with the pharaoh.

And here are the rules that Egyptian sculptors followed when depicting a person on reliefs. On the wall of the tomb is the figure of a nobleman (see picture). The upper part of his body (shoulders, arms) looks like we're looking at him from the front, and his legs look like we're looking at him from the side. The head is also turned sideways towards us, but the eye is depicted as if we are looking straight into the person’s face.

Most of the statues were in tombs. The statue had to look like the deceased so that the soul would “recognize” it and move into it (if for some reason the mummy was not preserved). Therefore, the Egyptians attached great importance to portrait resemblance.

In Moscow you can visit the Museum of Fine Arts, and in St. Petersburg the Hermitage Museum. There you will see Egyptian mummies and sarcophagi, statues of gods and pharaohs.

Explain the meaning of the words: Egyptian pyramids, wonders of the world, sphinx, obelisk, column.

Test yourself. 1. How and for what purposes were the huge pyramids built? 2. What do you know about the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun? 3. What gifts did the pharaohs give to the gods who supposedly lived in the temples? 4. What rules did Egyptian craftsmen have to follow? Work with the map (see p. 33). Find the Egyptian pyramids and determine their location.

Describe the drawing “Building a Pyramid” (see p. 59). Does the drawing correspond to what the ancient historian Herodotus tells about the construction of the pyramid? If yes, then with what?

Write a story on behalf of the Egyptian about visiting the temple according to plan: 1) Alley of Sphinxes; 2) obelisks, statues, towers; 3) entrance to the courtyard; 4) columned hall; 5) a room with a statue of a god.

The religious buildings of the inhabitants of the Nile Valley are the magnificent temples of Ancient Egypt, which will be discussed briefly. They were erected both for religious purposes, as worship of deities, and for the tombs of the pharaohs, whom the Egyptians recognized as the representatives of God on earth.

The central place in Egyptian temples was the sanctuary, which was a room with sculptures depicting the gods. As architectural traditions developed, the sanctuary began to take on a different look - it began to include a number of buildings, including monumental ones. Not all categories of people were allowed into some of them; for example, ordinary residents were forbidden to do this so as not to desecrate the premises with their presence. Only special people close to the deities - priests - were allowed to conduct religious ceremonies. On the territory of the temples there were fields where everything necessary for the life of the priests was cultivated. They were processed by ordinary people. Thanks to this, the temples were self-sufficient and independent.

On the territory of the city of Thebes, which was once the capital of Ancient Egypt, there is a temple complex called the Temple of Karnak. Its area is about eighty hectares. It ranks second in popularity among tourists after the pyramids. The complex includes the main temple dedicated to the god Amun and 25 other small buildings. This structure was discovered during excavations in the 19th century, and it is of great cultural significance, especially considering that workers erected it by hand.
There is another temple located in Thebes. Today's name of the city is Luxor, which is why the structure is called Luxor Temple. It was founded by Pharaoh Amenhotep III, and his descendants decorated it and supplemented it with 74 columns and sculptures depicting pharaohs. The god Amun was also worshiped in this temple. Today, this building is very popular among tourists - every summer there is a special festival dedicated to the life of Ancient Egypt - rituals of worship of the gods and the daily life of priests and ordinary residents of those times are staged.

Temples were also erected in honor of God, the lord of the underworld, Osiris. One such structure is the temple at Abydos, built by Pharaoh Seti. This pharaoh is the father of the famous ruler of Egypt, Ramses II. In fact, this temple is a funeral structure for Pharaoh Seti himself. It has seven sanctuaries, and each has its own separate entrance. Despite the fact that the temple is dedicated to Osiris, it also contains a sanctuary of the main god of the Egyptians, Amon-Ra. The Abydos Temple of Osiris is of great value to researchers, as it preserves a huge number of wall images and reliefs, practically untouched by time.

At the moment, the most expensive temple for UNESCO is the rock-cut temple in Abu Simbel. This is due to the fact that the building was in danger of destruction at its previous location, and a decision was made to move it. The rock was dismantled and transported to a place where it was not in danger of flooding. It consists of two parts - the Big and Small Temples. The large one is intended for the veneration of three gods - Amun, Ptah and Ra-Horath, as well as Pharaoh Ramses II. The small temple is dedicated to his wife and the goddess Hathor, represented in her image.
Ancient Egyptian temples today are of great value to both historians and tourists. Thanks to these buildings, you can fully learn about the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, get acquainted with their traditions and customs, and truly touch history.

11.01.2017

The Luxor Temple is one of the monuments of the ancient Egyptian civilization, located on the site of the no longer existing city of Thebes. In ancient times, the Egyptians called this temple “iput-resit”, which translates as “southern secret chambers”.

General information about Luxor Temple

This temple was built on the eastern bank of the Nile River. Previously, there was one of the centers of Egyptian civilization, Thebes, and now it is the territory of the city of Luxor. The temple was located in the southern part of Thebes, which is why it received the name “southern chambers”. Of course, to this day the monument has not been preserved in its original form, but on some columns you can still see traces of the original paint, and in the dilapidated temple you can see the outlines of the halls. Luxor Temple was originally connected to Karnak by the Avenue of the Sphinxes, a paved stone alley about three kilometers long, flanked by sphinxes on both sides. The alley was created during the reign of Pharaoh Nectaben I.

The beauty and scale of the Luxor Temple amazes the imagination. It reaches a length of 260 meters. On the sides of the entrance there are pylons more than 20 meters high and about 70 meters long. The first pylon was erected under Ramses II. It is decorated with scenes of his victories. In ancient times, six statues of this pharaoh stood on either side of the entrance to the temple. Only three of them have survived to this day. You can also see an obelisk at the northern entrance. The second obelisk that stood here was taken to France at the end of the 19th century.

Mohammed Ali, the ruler of Egypt at the time, gave it to Philippe Louis, the French king, who presented Mohammed with a French watch as a gift.

Upon entering the temple, you will find yourself in the peristyle courtyard, which was created under Ramses II. This courtyard leads to a colonnade, built already under Amenhotep III. The alley of columns stretches for one hundred meters and consists of 14 rows of pillars made in the shape of papyrus. Next you will find yourself in the next colonnade, also built under Amenhotep - the hypostyle hall. This colonnade is formed by 32 columns that lead to the sanctuary of the temple. During the Byzantine government, this inner temple served to renounce pagan religion in favor of Byzantine Christianity. Then, going further, you can see the latest of the buildings - the Temple of Amun, which was erected during the Byzantine Empire by Alexander the Great.

History of Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple dates back to the buildings of the 14th-9th centuries BC. Over its many-thousand-year history, this building has survived both peaceful times and enemy invasions. It was founded in the 14th century BC. Pharaoh Amenhotep the third at the beginning of the New Kingdom. Although the controversy over this still does not subside. There is an assumption that the beginning of the temple was laid in the era of the Middle Kingdom, this was stated in the inscriptions on the walls of the White Temple.

Over the course of several centuries, each ruler added additions to this magnificent building during his reign. For example, during the reigns of Horemheb and Tutankhamun, a courtyard was added, which included 74 columns and statues of the pharaohs. And Ramses decided to leave a legacy and memory of himself in the form of a pylon, which depicted his exploits in the fight against the Hittites, and the northern peristyle.

The temple served its purpose until the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great. In 320 BC. Alexander tried to revive the glory of the temple from the time of Amenhotep. And while the Roman Empire dominated Egypt, the temples of the complex became the center of worship of the Roman emperor, who declared himself the son of Amon. Ptolemy, Alexander's general, appointed governor of Egypt after the death of Macedon, destroyed the beautiful city of Thebes and its temples in 84 BC.

In the 7th century AD. Egypt was conquered by the Arabs. By this time, the entire temple and its structures were mostly hidden under a layer of river silt. In the 13th century, the Abu Haggag Mosque was built on the site of the temple (or rather on its top). Nowadays only one of the remaining minarets can be seen.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, travelers made sketches of columns sticking out of the ground. And at the end of the 19th century, Gaston Mospero, a French archaeologist, organized excavations of the temple. The opening date of the temple is considered to be 1884. Active excavations began only in the 1930s. And in 1989, 26 statues were found under the floor of the temple. It is possible that these sacred statues were hidden by the clergy to protect them from destruction during the invasion. They can still be seen today in the Luxor Museum. Now tourists can admire the temple as a heritage of ancient civilizations.

Cultural (religious) significance of Luxor Temple

The temple complex was dedicated to the Theban divine triad: Amun-Ra, his wife, the goddess Mut, and their son Khonsu. In ancient times, the Luxor Temple, built on the banks of the Nile, was connected by an avenue of sphinxes to the Karnak Temple. This was a very important point in the religion of that time. After all, it was along this road that the procession took place during the Opet holiday. This holiday was celebrated every year when the waters of the Nile turned purple and overflowed their banks.

During the flood, a divine boat was launched into the water, which traveled from the Karnak temple to Luxor and back. This magnificent procession served to renew the God-king, as well as to renew the lands after a long drought. These celebrations took place for three thousand years until the Macedonian conquered Egypt. During Byzantine rule, some halls were converted into Christian sanctuaries.

As you remember from the history of the Ancient World, the pharaohs were messengers of the gods, their strength and power were equated with the divine. But the pharaohs had no connection with the gods until they were crowned. Before this, the ruler was considered a mere mortal. It was the Luxor Temple that was the link between the king and the gods; it was the personification of the divine nature of the power of the ruler of Egypt. The temple was also considered a symbol of the creation of the world.

Current state of Luxor Temple

To this day, the temple has been preserved in excellent condition. You can also clearly see the boundaries of the halls and architectural structures, right down to the drawings on the columns. In ancient times, the temple was restored and reconstructed many times. And its excellent condition is attributed to the huge layers of earth that grew around it over time. The only thing is that you and I will not be able to see the high fence that, according to some historians, was erected by Ramses. It hid the majesty of the building and many beautiful statues from the eyes of ordinary believers. But excavations of the Alley of Sphinxes are still being carried out.

An endless stream of tourists come on excursions to this temple. Luxor is popular because it was previously home to the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, which left behind many architectural masterpieces. Every tourist who has visited Egypt must visit this great architectural monument.

Where is Luxor Temple located and what can you see nearby?

The Luxor Temple was one of the significant buildings of the “City of the Living” (that was the name of the part of the city on the eastern bank of the Nile). Nowadays the temple is located in the center of the Egyptian city of Luxor. The ruins of an ancient building look very unusual among modern shops and buildings. Tourists have chosen Luxor because of its rich ancient culture. Arriving on an excursion to this city, even one day will not be enough for you. You can visit the Luxor Museum, where a collection of antiquities is exhibited. Also be sure to see the exhibition of recently found statues near the temple fence.

Many tourists, visiting the Luxor Temple, do not pass by the Valley of the Kings (“city of the dead”), and also go to Karnak to see the second beautiful ancient monument (Karnak Temple).

How to get to Luxor Temple

The temple is located in Egypt, in the center of Luxor. Excursion buses go to the temple constantly from different resorts in Egypt. The tour operator organizes trips for tourists, and a ticket for the excursion can be purchased at the hotel where you are staying.

Conclusion

The Luxor Museum welcomes visitors from nine in the morning to one in the afternoon and from 16.00 to 21.00 (in summer from 17.00 to 22.00). You will have to pay 12 LE for entry. The temple itself is open from seven in the morning to nine in the evening. Here you will be charged 20 LE for entry. Many who have already been on excursions in Luxor advise visiting the temple at night (in the evening). Well-chosen lighting will show this monumental structure from another, absolutely amazing, side.

In contact with

Temple buildings are located throughout the territory of Ancient Egypt and in those areas that depended on this state.

Description

Typically, temples were seen as homes for the gods or kings to whom they were dedicated. In them, the Egyptians performed all kinds of religious rituals, made offerings to the gods, reproducing scenes from mythology through various holidays, and performed actions aimed at diverting the forces of chaos. All these rituals were considered necessary for the gods, to maintain Maat - the divine order of the universe. Providing housing and caring for the gods were the responsibilities of the pharaoh, who collected large resources for the construction and maintenance of temples.

If necessary, the pharaoh delegated most of his ritual duties to the priests. Ordinary Egyptians could not take part in ritual ceremonies and were forbidden to enter the most sacred places of the temple. However, the temple was an important religious site for all classes of Egyptians, who came there to pray, make offerings, and seek prophetic guidance from the god who resided there.

One of the most important places in the temple was the sanctuary, which usually contained cult images and statues of the gods. The premises located outside the temple grew over time and became increasingly complex, so the temple grew from a small sanctuary at the end of the Predynastic period into a gigantic temple complex in the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1070 BC). These structures are examples of the largest and most enduring structures of ancient Egyptian architecture. Every element and detail of the temple is made in accordance with the religious symbolism of the Egyptians. The design of the temple included a number of closed halls and open areas. At the entrance there were massive pylons, which were aligned along the path along which the festive processions passed. Behind the walls of the temple there were fences and a number of additional buildings.

Large temples owned no less large plots of land, on which ordinary people worked, providing for the material needs of the temple. Temples were the main religious and economic centers. The priests who controlled these powerful structures had great influence, and, despite their “conditional” subordination to the pharaoh, sometimes created significant problems in his power.

The construction of temples in Egypt continued despite the decline in population and the final loss of independence during the Roman Empire. With the advent of Christianity, the Egyptian religion began to come under increasing attack from Christians, and temples began to close, the last of which was closed to the public in 550 AD. Over time, the old buildings became empty and began to collapse.

But at the beginning of the 19th century, a new wave of interest in Egypt broke out in Europe, which led to the emergence of the science of Egyptology and began to attract an increasing number of visitors who were interested in seeing the ruins of an ancient civilization. Dozens of temples have survived to this day, some of which have become world-famous tourist attractions. Tourism has begun to bring considerable income to the treasury of the modern Egyptian economy. Egyptologists continue to study the ruins and surviving temples of this ancient civilization today, as they are an invaluable source of information about ancient Egyptian society.

Functions

Religiosity

Ancient Egyptian temples were intended as housing for the gods to live on earth. The word "temple"

which literally means "house of god", was most often used by the Egyptians to refer to a temple building. The presence of god in the temple connects the human world with the divine and allows man to communicate with god through ritual activities. According to Egyptian beliefs, these rituals kept the god alive and allowed him to continue to play his role in nature. Ultimately, it all came down to maintaining the key figure of Maat - the perfect order of nature and human society. The purpose of the Egyptian religion was to maintain Ma'at, and the temples had the same purpose.

The pharaoh was entrusted with his own divine power, so he, as a sacred ruler, was considered the representative from all of Egypt to the gods and the most important supporter of the truth. Theoretically, his duties could include performing temple rituals. At the same time, it is unknown how often the pharaoh could take part in such ceremonies. The presence of a large number of temples in Egypt made it impossible for him to be present in all of them, so in most cases these duties were assigned to priests. Nevertheless, the pharaoh was obliged to maintain, maintain and expand temples throughout the state.

Photo gallery

The earliest temples of Ancient Egypt appeared in the mid-4th millennium BC and resembled reed huts. The last of the Egyptian temples to be built was the Temple of Philae, which ceased to be used in the 6th century AD. Not surprisingly, this selection covers a wide variety of different structures built over a huge period of time. Your trip to Egypt would not be complete without visiting one of these places.

Great Temple of Medinet Habu

Located on the West Bank of Luxor, Medinet Habu is the Arabic name for a huge temple complex. In size it is second only to Karnak, but at the same time it has been much better preserved to this day. Pharaohs Hatshepsut and Thutmose III built a small temple in honor of Amun on this site. Next to their temple, Ramses III built his tomb, the largest surviving monument of the Medinet Habu complex. Ramses III surrounded the temple complex with a large brick wall that surrounded warehouses, workshops and residential buildings.

Kom Ombo Temple

Among the greatest temples of Ancient Egypt, it is impossible not to mention Kom Ombo. Situated on a high dune overlooking the Nile, Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple. It was built during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The original temple began to be built under Ptolemy VI Philometor at the beginning of the second century BC. Kom Ombo actually contains two different temples that mirror each other. They have two entrances, two courts, two colonnades, two hypostyle halls and two sanctuaries.

Colossi of Memnon

Built around 1350 BC. The Colossi of Memnon are two large stone statues. They depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III sitting on a pedestal. The original purpose of the Colossi was to stand guard at the entrance to the temple of Amenhotep, where he was worshiped both before and after his departure to the other world. It was once one of the largest temples of Ancient Egypt, but today it has almost completely disappeared, with the exception of these two statues. Both Colossi are significantly damaged, with parts from the waist up almost unrecognizable.

Temples of Philae Island

The island of Philae was the center of the cult of the goddess Isis. The first temple on the island was built by the pharaohs of the 30th dynasty. Construction of the temple continued during three centuries of the reign of the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty and Roman rulers. In 100 AD, the Roman Emperor Trajan built the famous Trajan's Kiosk, which most likely served as the river entrance to the great Temple of Isis. In the 1960s, the temple and other Philae monuments were moved to the island of Agilika. The relocation was carried out by UNESCO volunteers to save the historical heritage from the rising waters of the Nile due to the construction of the Aswan Dam. Philae Island is currently flooded by the waters of Lake Nasser.

Edfu Temple

The Temple of Edfu is dedicated to the eagle-headed god Horus, and is the second largest Egyptian temple after Karnak and one of the best preserved. Construction of this temple began in 237 BC during the reign of Ptolemy III and ended almost two centuries later in 57 BC by Ptolemy XII, father of the legendary Queen Cleopatra. This temple consists of traditional elements of the Egyptian Temples of the New Kingdom, together with several Greek structures, among which the House of Birth (Mammisi) stands out.

Temple of Seti I at Abydos

The Temple of Seti I is the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I on the west bank of the Nile at Abydos. The ancient temple was built towards the end of Seti's reign, and was completed by his son Ramses the Great after his father's death in 1279 BC. This temple houses the Abydos List, a chronological list of all the dynastic pharaohs of Ancient Egypt from the Egyptian King Menes (founder of the first dynasty) to Seti's father, Ramses I.

Egyptian Temple of Hatshepsut

This temple is the tomb of Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt from approximately 1479 BC until her death in 1458 BC. It is located on the western bank of the Nile. The colonnaded structure was designed and built by the Egyptian architect Senmut. The royal architect Hatshepsut built a temple for her burial and also to honor the glory of Amun. The Temple of Hatshepsut is harmoniously inscribed into the cliff of a sharply rising cliff with three stepped terraces reaching 30 meters in height. These terraces are connected by long ramps that were once surrounded by gardens.

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple is located on the eastern bank of the Nile River in the ancient city of Thebes. It was founded in 1400 BC during the New Kingdom. The temple was dedicated to the three Egyptian gods Amun, Mutu and Khonsu. The temple was the center of the Opet festival, the most important festival in Thebes. During the annual festival, statues of the three Gods were transferred from the Temple of Amun in Karnak to the Temple of Luxor along the road of the sphinxes connecting the 2 temples. Today, Luxor is a major destination for travelers to Upper Egypt, and an important stop on most Nile river cruises. Among the outstanding temples of Ancient Egypt, Luxor has always occupied a special place.

Abu Simbel

Karnak Temple of Ancient Egypt

Even though horribly destroyed, the Temple of Karnak surpasses in beauty most other attractions in Egypt. This is the largest ancient religious building in the world, representing the combined work of many generations of Egyptian builders. The Temple of Karnak actually consists of three main Egyptian temples, smaller indoor temples, and several outer temples about 2.5 kilometers north of Luxor. It took millennia to build and expand the Temple of Karnak. Most of the work on Karnak was done by the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (1570-1100 BC). One of the most famous structures of Karnak is the Hypostyle Hall, which covers an area of ​​5,000 square meters with 134 large columns set in 16 rows.