Hopefully last night will be my last sleep deprived one. It doesn’t seem to matter what day of the week it is … the music and chanting start up like clockwork …
Porters came to pick up our luggage as we headed out for breakfast. This morning I ate my usual hearty breakfast as it’s not clear what time we will arrive in Abydos or what lunch arrangements have been made. I will miss Mena House even though I haven’t gotten more than a lick or two of sleep the whole of our stay. I made a mental note that upon our return here at the end of the trip to upgrade to a room that promises quiet!
A couple of things were brought to my attention before we left:
This morning is a bit different ... a plains clothes security man joined us for about an hour of our trip. At first I’d no idea why this would be and then remembered that the region between Cairo and Luxor has been sullied by fear of terrorist attacks. Even our hotel is ring-fenced with security guards with guns and a german shepard dog that sniffs all around our bus when we return from our day’s adventure.
Porters came to pick up our luggage as we headed out for breakfast. This morning I ate my usual hearty breakfast as it’s not clear what time we will arrive in Abydos or what lunch arrangements have been made. I will miss Mena House even though I haven’t gotten more than a lick or two of sleep the whole of our stay. I made a mental note that upon our return here at the end of the trip to upgrade to a room that promises quiet!
A couple of things were brought to my attention before we left:
- Most disappointing, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which is still under construction, stopped allowing private tours of their exhibition preparation and restoration areas. [Note to self: Gypsy and I must remember to get our $200US entry fee returned before leaving Egypt.]
- I have not mentioned the many police checkpoints we’ve encountered every time we leave Giza / Cairo. It seems like every 20 minutes or so we slow down to a crawl or stop at a checkpoint. Most checkpoints we’ve encountered on our excursions to Saqqara and Dahshur have been simple — 3-4 policemen wearing bullet proof gear with assault rifles and generally at least one is behind a translucent bullet-proof screen. At other times the “shooter” is housed in a small tower a bit taller than our bus with his gun pointed towards passing vehicles. Though neither of our guides have said anything, I’ve not taken any photos of these checkpoints.
This morning is a bit different ... a plains clothes security man joined us for about an hour of our trip. At first I’d no idea why this would be and then remembered that the region between Cairo and Luxor has been sullied by fear of terrorist attacks. Even our hotel is ring-fenced with security guards with guns and a german shepard dog that sniffs all around our bus when we return from our day’s adventure.
The drive to Abydos, we find out after boarding our bus, is about 300+ miles south of Cairo in Upper Egypt. I figure our drive will be about 5-6 hours — plenty of time to catch up on some much needed sleep as well as take photographs of the scenery. As the roadway moves away from the Nile River, the landscape transforms into desert. I am always intrigued by the mysterious and romantic quality of deserts, and this one doesn’t disappoint! |
This region has been considered a world apart ever since Pharaonic times. In fact, the ancient Egyptians separated their land into Upper and Lower — a division that is confusing because rather than oriented by a compass, it is oriented by the flow of the Nile River. Therefore, Upper Egypt lies to the south, where the river carved a deep gorge in the North African plateau. The line of demarcation is around Cairo.
Nearing Abydos high sand-colored cliffs form a palisades on either side of the Nile and become the backdrop as the desert gives way to verdant green. as the Nile’s wide floodplain that is about 15 miles wide in this area makes this one of the most agriculturally productive regions of Upper Egypt.
"This was the Black Land, whose people greeted the sun each day with gratitude and prayers under the watchful gaze of the gods. The dark soil beneath their feet was rich and fertile because each year the river god Hapi brought them the Inundation; and at night when they cast their eyes upward they saw the body of the sky goddess, Nut, arched against the canopy of the heavens. Each night she swallowed the sun and gave it forth again by day. Theirs was a world of beauty and symmetry, gods and magic." — from Omm Sety's Egypt: A Story of Ancient Mysteries, Secret Lives and the Lost History of the Pharaohs
"This was the Black Land, whose people greeted the sun each day with gratitude and prayers under the watchful gaze of the gods. The dark soil beneath their feet was rich and fertile because each year the river god Hapi brought them the Inundation; and at night when they cast their eyes upward they saw the body of the sky goddess, Nut, arched against the canopy of the heavens. Each night she swallowed the sun and gave it forth again by day. Theirs was a world of beauty and symmetry, gods and magic." — from Omm Sety's Egypt: A Story of Ancient Mysteries, Secret Lives and the Lost History of the Pharaohs
History
Egypt’s history has unequivocally been influenced by its environment. Its lack of rain forced early nomadic inhabitants to migrate towards the Nile Valley and its fertile floodplain gave birth to a nation that produced many important achievements in human history and established a culture that remained largely unchanged for over 3,000 years.
Excavations here have shown that the world’s first form of writing — hieroglyphs — was in use in Egypt from around 3250BC, which is several centuries before the earlier writing in Mesopotamia. As more and more people migrated to the fertile Nile floodplains, settlements came into conflict with each other, and what is now Egypt polarized into two opposing kingdoms of north (Lower Egypt) and south (Upper Egypt). Around 3100BC the two kingdoms were united, under King Menes, into a single state.
King Menes’ successors organized the country into 42 provinces with an efficient bureaucracy and established a system of taxation based on the collection and distribution of abundant grain supplies. Collected taxes were also used to build the massive pyramid complexes including the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid built by Sneferu, and the pyramids of Khufu (Great Pyramid), Khafre and Menkaure.
The power base of the Old Kingdom (3100-2180BC was established at Memphis, which was the first capital of unified Egypt and strategically located where Upper Egypt meets Lower Egypt at the apex of the Nile Delta near Cairo.
The earliest kings chose Abydos as their funeral site to reflect their southern origins. For more than five millennia, the ground here was used as a cemetery. Later rulers, as we’ve already experienced, preferred to be buried at Saqqara. The king was seen as the living incarnation of the god Horus the child of Isis and Osiris.
By the First Dynasty, kings were no longer content with a single tomb, each commissioned a funerary enclosure that faced the town and temple of Abydos for all to see and celebrate.
Excavations here have shown that the world’s first form of writing — hieroglyphs — was in use in Egypt from around 3250BC, which is several centuries before the earlier writing in Mesopotamia. As more and more people migrated to the fertile Nile floodplains, settlements came into conflict with each other, and what is now Egypt polarized into two opposing kingdoms of north (Lower Egypt) and south (Upper Egypt). Around 3100BC the two kingdoms were united, under King Menes, into a single state.
King Menes’ successors organized the country into 42 provinces with an efficient bureaucracy and established a system of taxation based on the collection and distribution of abundant grain supplies. Collected taxes were also used to build the massive pyramid complexes including the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid built by Sneferu, and the pyramids of Khufu (Great Pyramid), Khafre and Menkaure.
The power base of the Old Kingdom (3100-2180BC was established at Memphis, which was the first capital of unified Egypt and strategically located where Upper Egypt meets Lower Egypt at the apex of the Nile Delta near Cairo.
The earliest kings chose Abydos as their funeral site to reflect their southern origins. For more than five millennia, the ground here was used as a cemetery. Later rulers, as we’ve already experienced, preferred to be buried at Saqqara. The king was seen as the living incarnation of the god Horus the child of Isis and Osiris.
By the First Dynasty, kings were no longer content with a single tomb, each commissioned a funerary enclosure that faced the town and temple of Abydos for all to see and celebrate.
Abydos
As previously stated, Abydos played an important role — the spiritual heart of ancient Egypt — and served as the burial place of Egypts’s rulers after unification and the start of the First Dynasty. Once thousands of pilgrims flocked here to worship the god Osiris, ruler of the land of the dead. More about Osiris later on … Once a vast walled town with ancient cemeteries, lakes and temples, by the mid-1800s Abydos became the focus of intensive archeological work. It also attracted looters during times of political instability. |
Most recently, in February 2011, as the Egyptian revolution gathered strength in Tahrir Square, all across the country police disappeared. During this time, looters opened more than 200 archaeological pits in and around Abydos, and it wasn’t until the end of March, after then President Hosni Mubarak resigned and the country stabilized, did local police resume its protection of the sacred and historical sites here. Today, Abydos is an incredibly quiet town due to the absence of tourists fearful of terrorist attacks.
Our home for the night is the House of Life, the only hotel in Abydos. It is also a health and healing center, where “ancient” Egyptian treatments can be obtained. Sadly (or not), there was not time to try their treatments.
The facility was a surprise — much better than I’d expected. A porter carried our luggage, which was a god-send as there are steep stairs from the street to the lobby, from the lobby to the pool / lodging area, and from the ground floor up to our second floor room. Our room was nice enough, but not up to the Mena House standard. No bathrobes, double-size beds, and the narrowest shower ever! We did have a balcony.
The facility was a surprise — much better than I’d expected. A porter carried our luggage, which was a god-send as there are steep stairs from the street to the lobby, from the lobby to the pool / lodging area, and from the ground floor up to our second floor room. Our room was nice enough, but not up to the Mena House standard. No bathrobes, double-size beds, and the narrowest shower ever! We did have a balcony.
While some in our group decided to swim (cold water) before a late lunch, Gypsy and I decided to take a walk around town. Wrong. There was no “town” near where we were staying. So we walked a bit up one side of the road, and down the other before turning back in time for lunch. Not used to walking around like this on our own in a third world country, Gypsy felt more vulnerable than her comfort level liked.
Lunch was served buffet style with a variety of veggies and some mystery meat options, lentils, hummus and soup. My diet here has become pretty standard — some lentils and hummus with bread, soup, veggies, and perhaps some chicken, if it is being served. Rarely do desserts look interesting. And, I drink lots and lots of water.
More History
Around the time Seti I was born, the son of King Amenhotep III — Akhenaten — ascended the throne. His queen was Nefertiti. Akhenaten was not a warrior like some of Egypt's great kings before him. Rather, he was a religious zealot. Within a few years of his reign he abolished the worship of the old gods and set himself up as the only son of the only supreme god from whom all life emanated — Aten (the Disc-of-the-Sun). No more Amun (king of the gods). No Osiris to judge the deeds of the heart. No compassionate Isis or Horus to battle evil. And, no Hathor to protect women and children. Further, the Amun priesthood and temples were closed and their vast revenues diverted to build Akhenaten's new city of the sun, Akhetaten. Egypt fell into chaos — corruption among public servants grew and the country's far-flung empire fell prey to its enemies.
By the time of Akhenaten's death — possibly not from natural causes — he had done irreparable damage to the stability of the kingdom. His immediate successor was Tutankhamun, who was just a boy and possibly either Akhenaten's younger brother or his son by his second wife Kiya. Anyway, Tutahkhamun's short reign was overseen by his elderly vizier, Ay, and the powerful general Horemheb. Together, they re-established the old gods and tore down all reminders of Akhenaten's existence, who if spoken of at all was referred to as a criminal or heretic. and they immediately set about undoing the effects of his religious revolution.
Following Tutankhamun's early death, Ay briefly ruled bringing the 18th Dynasty to an end. Whether by force or Ay's death, General Horemheb assumed rule. He was immensely popular and possessed the qualities and determination to restore order in Egypt. His reign ushered in the 19th Dynasty in 1319BC.
To legitimize his claim to the throne, he married one of Nefertiti's sisters. Neither being young, they had no children. Therefore, Horemheb named his vizier and general of the armies to be his successor. His name was Ramesses.
Upon Horemheb's death, the double crown of Egypt (Upper and Lower Kingdoms) was passed to Ramesses. His family had come from a part of the eastern delta that worshipped the warrior god Set. When his first son was born, he was named Seti (Set's man).
Enter Seti I, who was probably in his late 30s when his father became pharaoh. His father appointed his son co-regent to assure a smooth succession. Seti I was considered a brilliant man of restless energy. By the time he became king, Seti I was a widower with a son whose mother was a non-royal woman. With his second wife, who was a noblewoman, he had a second son named Ramesses.
Seti I's reign had one over arching theme: to put right what had been disrupted by securing the outposts of the empire and restoring equilibrium to Egyptian life at home. He understood the psychological necessity of religious transition in the lives of his people and built magnificent additions to Amun's great temple at Thebes (Luxor) as well as new monuments and temples to honor the old gods. The most beautiful of these would be in Abydos.
By the time of Akhenaten's death — possibly not from natural causes — he had done irreparable damage to the stability of the kingdom. His immediate successor was Tutankhamun, who was just a boy and possibly either Akhenaten's younger brother or his son by his second wife Kiya. Anyway, Tutahkhamun's short reign was overseen by his elderly vizier, Ay, and the powerful general Horemheb. Together, they re-established the old gods and tore down all reminders of Akhenaten's existence, who if spoken of at all was referred to as a criminal or heretic. and they immediately set about undoing the effects of his religious revolution.
Following Tutankhamun's early death, Ay briefly ruled bringing the 18th Dynasty to an end. Whether by force or Ay's death, General Horemheb assumed rule. He was immensely popular and possessed the qualities and determination to restore order in Egypt. His reign ushered in the 19th Dynasty in 1319BC.
To legitimize his claim to the throne, he married one of Nefertiti's sisters. Neither being young, they had no children. Therefore, Horemheb named his vizier and general of the armies to be his successor. His name was Ramesses.
Upon Horemheb's death, the double crown of Egypt (Upper and Lower Kingdoms) was passed to Ramesses. His family had come from a part of the eastern delta that worshipped the warrior god Set. When his first son was born, he was named Seti (Set's man).
Enter Seti I, who was probably in his late 30s when his father became pharaoh. His father appointed his son co-regent to assure a smooth succession. Seti I was considered a brilliant man of restless energy. By the time he became king, Seti I was a widower with a son whose mother was a non-royal woman. With his second wife, who was a noblewoman, he had a second son named Ramesses.
Seti I's reign had one over arching theme: to put right what had been disrupted by securing the outposts of the empire and restoring equilibrium to Egyptian life at home. He understood the psychological necessity of religious transition in the lives of his people and built magnificent additions to Amun's great temple at Thebes (Luxor) as well as new monuments and temples to honor the old gods. The most beautiful of these would be in Abydos.
Temple of Seti I
This afternoon we walked to the Temple of Seti I, which dates back to his reign (1294-1279BC) and is one of the most intact temples in Egypt. Begun by Seti I, it was completed by his son, Ramses II (1279-1213BC). Built of white limestone, it contains some of the finest bas-reliefs and incised wall art found anywhere in Egypt — some with their original color. |
The temple is built in an “L” shape and once had a landing quay and ramp. Originally, the entrance was flanked by two pylons. There were two courtyards and pillared porticoes — the first in ruins and the second now serves as the temple’s present facade.
The entrance now opens into the first hypostyle hall that has two rows of 12 columns with lotus bud capitals.
The entrance opens into the first hypostyle hall that has two rows of 12 columns with lotus bud capitals that were completed and decorated by Seti I's son Ramses II. Due to the artificial and natural lighting mix, all of the columns and wall reliefs are made exquisitely eerie by the colors they refract.
In the second hypostyle hall are three rows of 12 shorter columns that align for access into the seven chapels. The first row of columns has lotus bud capitals, while the other two rows sit upon a high platform. The carved bas-reliefs in this part of the temple were completed by Seti I and are gorgeous bas-relief scenes carved the walls; many depicting Seti I with Osiris and Horus.
Just beyond the second hypostyle hall are the seven chapels mentioned above, which are dedicated to:
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Each chapel is decorated with gorgeous pigmented reliefs depicting rituals associated with various festivals related to these gods and hieroglyphs. The Osiris chapel is almost exclusively depictions of the various forms he took as distinguished by the various headdresses worn.
The chapel roofs are vaulted and and decorated with stars and the royal cartouches. Six of the chapels have double false doors on their far walls, except for the Osiris chapel that has a real door (sadly locked), which apparently opens into rooms dedicated to him.
Also notice, as you look at the photographs below, how marred some of the reliefs are due to grave robbers, archeologists that took back pieces of the temple for their respective sponsoring institutions, as well as having been despoiled by vandalism.
The chapel roofs are vaulted and and decorated with stars and the royal cartouches. Six of the chapels have double false doors on their far walls, except for the Osiris chapel that has a real door (sadly locked), which apparently opens into rooms dedicated to him.
Also notice, as you look at the photographs below, how marred some of the reliefs are due to grave robbers, archeologists that took back pieces of the temple for their respective sponsoring institutions, as well as having been despoiled by vandalism.
To the left of the chapels are additional rooms connected by a narrow hallway that is accessed from the second hypostyle hall.
My favorite room — because of its strong, clean energy — is one that held the barques (sacred boats) that were used in sacred processions for carrying the statues of the gods. I found myself being drawn back to this room again and again to sit in silence, photograph, absorb the room's energy, and at one point receive healing light that poured into my hands from a skylight high up one wall. Later, I read that this was the "office" of Omm Sety, who was responsible for a number of significant archaeological finds during her long career with the Egyptian Antiquities Department. More about this extraordinary woman later on. |
It should be noted that since our beliefs are shaped by our surroundings, Egyptian religious rituals were always dominated by the Nile River and boats — funeral processions, royal processions, pilgrimages, and even the travels of gods. Therefore, it was natural that images of deities were housed in barque-shrines, even when carried on land. From earliest times, Egyptians conceived of an afterlife journey that would take place by boat. Below are images found in this room.
You’ve probably noticed by this point, as you looked at my photographs, how marred some of the reliefs are due to grave robbers, archeologists that took back pieces of the temple for their respective sponsoring institutions, as well as having been despoiled by vandalism.
In fact, in the late 19th century, after the rediscovery of the royal tombs, Abydos attracted interest from antiquarians as a steady stream of good antiquities were starting to emanate from the site. In a scramble to obtain the best excavation permits the concession for the royal necropolis at Abydos was given to French orientalist and papyrologist Emile Amélineau. The results was an archaeological disaster — no plans were kept, there was no record of where things are found, no useful publication of findings, and he boasted of “reducing stone vases that he did not care to remove to chips and burnt up the remains of the woodwork of the 1st dynasty in his kitchen.” In contrast, since the 1970s, the concession has been held by the German Archaeological Institute.
Interestingly, besides the fact of their existence the Temple of Seti I provides little information, if anything, about the sort of afterlife envisioned by early Egyptian rulers. Even the later pyramids that we’ve seen, some of which were inscribed with religious texts, do not provide a clear picture of the afterlife. Only at the end of the Pyramid Age, did a definitive concept of the hereafter emerge throughout the Nile Valley. At the center of this new model of afterlife was Osiris . . .
In fact, in the late 19th century, after the rediscovery of the royal tombs, Abydos attracted interest from antiquarians as a steady stream of good antiquities were starting to emanate from the site. In a scramble to obtain the best excavation permits the concession for the royal necropolis at Abydos was given to French orientalist and papyrologist Emile Amélineau. The results was an archaeological disaster — no plans were kept, there was no record of where things are found, no useful publication of findings, and he boasted of “reducing stone vases that he did not care to remove to chips and burnt up the remains of the woodwork of the 1st dynasty in his kitchen.” In contrast, since the 1970s, the concession has been held by the German Archaeological Institute.
Interestingly, besides the fact of their existence the Temple of Seti I provides little information, if anything, about the sort of afterlife envisioned by early Egyptian rulers. Even the later pyramids that we’ve seen, some of which were inscribed with religious texts, do not provide a clear picture of the afterlife. Only at the end of the Pyramid Age, did a definitive concept of the hereafter emerge throughout the Nile Valley. At the center of this new model of afterlife was Osiris . . .
Osiris
By the time of the Middle Kingdom and the cult of Osiris was at its most popular, Djer’s tomb was already one thousand years old. Political and marketing campaigns occurred even back then — Djer’s burial was reconstructed with a twist and promoted as a place of pilgrimage to Osiris. Worshippers came from all over Egypt for centuries bearing offerings at the “tomb of Osiris.” Why?
Abydos had been a key battleground in the civil war between the Thebans and their adversaries for years after the collapse of the Old Kingdom. In the process, the temple and other sacred places sustained damage. Fingers were pointed at the Thebans’ rivals as a great act of shame. The defeat of their northern adversaries was chronicled as an act of divine retribution for their “failure to protect the sanctity of Abydos. The Theban kings who ruled Egypt after its reunification lavished patronage on the temple of Osiris (Osirion), beautifying and transforming it into a focus for national pilgrimage. In doing so, they positioned themselves as pious rulers and their power-grab as divinely sanctioned … pretty great marketing strategy!
In addition to the on-going pilgrimages to the Osirion, an annual festival of Osiris was established to cement the mythology of his life, death and rebirth through a series of processions, led by priests, and tableaux called the “Mysteries of Osiris.” These were held for two thousand years.
Abydos had been a key battleground in the civil war between the Thebans and their adversaries for years after the collapse of the Old Kingdom. In the process, the temple and other sacred places sustained damage. Fingers were pointed at the Thebans’ rivals as a great act of shame. The defeat of their northern adversaries was chronicled as an act of divine retribution for their “failure to protect the sanctity of Abydos. The Theban kings who ruled Egypt after its reunification lavished patronage on the temple of Osiris (Osirion), beautifying and transforming it into a focus for national pilgrimage. In doing so, they positioned themselves as pious rulers and their power-grab as divinely sanctioned … pretty great marketing strategy!
In addition to the on-going pilgrimages to the Osirion, an annual festival of Osiris was established to cement the mythology of his life, death and rebirth through a series of processions, led by priests, and tableaux called the “Mysteries of Osiris.” These were held for two thousand years.
So who was Osiris in the Egyptian cosmology? He was the son of the deities Geb and Nut, and initially a god of nature who symbolized the cycle of vegetation / agriculture. Later, he became god of the dead and symbolized the regenerative powers of the natural world, severe weather conditions, and the well-being of humanity. At his birth, Osiris was proclaimed the “Universal Lord,” and when his father retired, he became king of Egypt and took his sister Isis as his queen. He is credited for teaching humankind how to make bread and wine, and oversaw the building of the first temples and statues to the gods. A workaholic deity, he also built towns and created just and fair laws. |
According to mythology, everyone Osiris encountered was immediately transfixed by his charisma. Everyone that is but his brother Seth, who became jealous of Osiris’ popularity and hatched a plan — or two or three … depending upon which story is told.
One story is that Seth invited his brother Osiris to a feast during which he’d arranged for a gorgeous coffin to be carried in. Feigning ignorance and innocence, Seth proposed that the coffin would belonged to whomever it fit. Osiris, playing along, laid inside the coffin and Seth immediately had the lid nailed down and the coffin thrown into the Nile, which later washed ashore. In other versions, Seth kills Osiris after transforming himself into a crocodile or a bull. Anyway … when Isis hears the fate of her husband / brother, she is overcome with grief and began searching for his body. She eventually found it and hides it in a swamp. Seth then finds Osiris’ body and cuts it into 14 pieces. Isis, in turn, re-members Osiris’ body and performs a magical ritual thereby bringing him back to life. Osiris, now disillusioned with his brother Seth, decided to retire from life and reign over the dead in the underworld. There, he supervised the judgment of the dead. Osiris was often depicted as a bearded man, sometimes wrapped in mummy bandages, holding a crook to represent his kingship.
One story is that Seth invited his brother Osiris to a feast during which he’d arranged for a gorgeous coffin to be carried in. Feigning ignorance and innocence, Seth proposed that the coffin would belonged to whomever it fit. Osiris, playing along, laid inside the coffin and Seth immediately had the lid nailed down and the coffin thrown into the Nile, which later washed ashore. In other versions, Seth kills Osiris after transforming himself into a crocodile or a bull. Anyway … when Isis hears the fate of her husband / brother, she is overcome with grief and began searching for his body. She eventually found it and hides it in a swamp. Seth then finds Osiris’ body and cuts it into 14 pieces. Isis, in turn, re-members Osiris’ body and performs a magical ritual thereby bringing him back to life. Osiris, now disillusioned with his brother Seth, decided to retire from life and reign over the dead in the underworld. There, he supervised the judgment of the dead. Osiris was often depicted as a bearded man, sometimes wrapped in mummy bandages, holding a crook to represent his kingship.
Osirion
Along the narrow hallway in the Temple of Seti I, lies a passage way with a set of stairs leading outside. Here, almost 50 feet below grade is one of Emile Amélineau’s most important discoveries at Abydos -- the tomb that ancient Egyptian priests had identified as the burial place of Osiris. In actuality it was nothing of the sort. The Osirion is perhaps the most visible example of religious symbolism in Egyptian architecture it is constructed from huge blocks of stone. |
Our entry point is the the original one (not the wooden staircase of modern times). Instead, we walk around the far right side of the Osirion to a steep set of stone stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs, we pass through a long limestone tunnel decorated with scenes and text from the Book of Gates depicting the hours (gates) of the night and describes the challenges faced in the underworld (e.g. Apophis (ancient spirit of evil and destruction who dwelled in eternal darkness, justice, material blessings and time); and the Amduat — also known as the Book of the Sacred Chamber — which is the earliest of all funerary text and documents the sun god’s journey through the 12 divisions of the underworld, beginning on the western horizon and reappearing as the newborn sun in the east). |
Once through the tunnel, the passageway opens into a mud brick wall enclosure there are wall murals.
At this point the passage make a 90-degree bend to the left and passes through a massive stone pillared entryway that opens into what would have been a long “island” hall. Carved into its floor are rectangular recesses that would have held a sarcophagus and canopic chest that were beautifully carved to contain the internal organs removed during the process of mummification. Often these receptacles were made from Egyptian alabaster. Flanking these recesses are five Aswan rose colored granite monoliths that have held a massive stone slab roof. |
Surrounding the rectangular hall is a channel that contained water symbolizing the primeval waters of creation from which the “island” hall arose. The outside walls are made of red sandstone, some apparently almost 20 feet thick.
Next, we went into the transverse hall nearest Seti I’s temple that was also built of limestone with a corbeled roof of sandstone cut in the shape of a pent roof. With only a little light from the setting sun, its decorations consist of astronomical and funerary text. Along the pent ceiling are depictions of the sky goddess Nut birthing light (sun) into the world that was commissioned during the reign of Seti I and incorporates elements of New Kingdom royal tombs.
Flower of Life:
An Organizing Principle in Ancient Egypt
An Organizing Principle in Ancient Egypt
Several stone pillars in the Osirion are branded with images of the Flower of Life. This image is symbolic for the blueprint of creation and occurs in almost all ancient cultures.
This primeval symbol is the visual expression of Oneness — a oneness that is birthed from the “Great Void” and from which all creation arises. Ancient Egyptians knew that through a deeper understanding of the Flower of Life, the Oneness of all that lives and all that manifests itself could be understood. |
Omm Sety
Abydos was the home of Omm Sety — Mother of Sety. Born in London (1904) as Dorothy Louise Eady, she became keeper of the Temple of Seti I and a draughts-woman for the Department of Egyptian Antiquities.
Briefly, her story goes that while still a child she tripped down the stairs of her family’s home and fell into a deep coma. Upon awakening, she knew in her heart that she belonged in Egypt; not London. Later, as an adult, she found a job opportunity and moved to Cairo. At the age of 52 she moved to her beloved Abydos where she assisted a number of archeologic teams decipher hieroglyphs and assisted in the restoration of temples. She was widely respected for her expansive knowledge about the history of Ancient Egypt. Omm Sety passed away in April 1981.
Briefly, her story goes that while still a child she tripped down the stairs of her family’s home and fell into a deep coma. Upon awakening, she knew in her heart that she belonged in Egypt; not London. Later, as an adult, she found a job opportunity and moved to Cairo. At the age of 52 she moved to her beloved Abydos where she assisted a number of archeologic teams decipher hieroglyphs and assisted in the restoration of temples. She was widely respected for her expansive knowledge about the history of Ancient Egypt. Omm Sety passed away in April 1981.