Abydos Temple

The earliest occupants of the area were the people of el-Amra, then of Nagada who built a prehistoric and protodynastic village which later became the city of Abdjou (Abydos is the transcription of the Egyptian name) with protodynastic kings whose capital (This) was slightly further north and whose main necropolis was in the area of Um el-Qaab. Numerous temples, often dedicated to the local divinity, also go back to the Thinites period, as well as two fortresses in Shünet el-Zebib.

The importance of Abydos rose with the establishment in the 5th dynasty of the cult of Osiris, who was believed to be god and ruler of the earth. It was believed the city held his main tomb. Antef II (11th dynasty) made Abydos the city of Osiris and main center of the Osiris cult. Ancient Egyptians believed that being close to the god of the dead increased their chances of resurrection and eternal life. Wishing to be buried or symbolically buried there, some pharaohs from the 2nd dynasty onwards and followers of Osiris constructed small brick cenotaphs or stelae near the tomb of Osiris.

The Book of the Dead calls Abydos “the island of the Just” and contains a specific formula “to enter Abydos and become part of the retinue of Osiris”. Most of the monuments of Abydos are based on this belief. They include large necropolises from various periods located between the city area and the temples which today are most significant, those of Seti I and his son Ramses II. Abydos reached the height of its glory under these two kings.

The temple of Seti is an exceptional example of architecture and art. The temple was built mostly of limestone, with the occasional use of sandstone in different areas throughout, and has an unusual L-shaped ground plan. The temple was completed after Seti I’s death by his son, Ramesses II. The courtyards were decorated by Ramesses II with scenes from the battle of Qadesh and of the king offering to the gods. The second hypostyle hall has thirty-six columns similar to the ones in the first hypostyle hall, decorated with scenes of Seti I kneeling before the gods. 

There are seven chapels dedicated to seven gods: the deified form of Seti I, Ptah, Re-Horakhty, Amun-Re, Osiris, Isis, and Horus. The chapels are decorated with scenes of the king offering to the gods and of him receiving in return the symbols of life and dominion, as well as royal insignia. The temple’s southern extension contains more chapels including one where the barques used to carry the statues of the gods during ceremonies were kept. We also see the famous Abydos King List, the list of kings who governed Egypt from the first Thinite Kings up to Sethi I himself, with the exception of three kings (1359-1342) omitted on purpose including Akhenaton who was considered to be a heretic.

Other highlights of Abydos include the Osirion, Ramses II temple, the tombs of the early dynastic kings, and the tomb of Umm Seti (Dorothy Louise Eady (1904 -1981) an English woman who lived for 25 years in Abydos and was renowned for her interest in recording the traditional and popular customs of the people and linking them to ancient Egyptian history, and who also believed known that in a previous life she had been a priestess in ancient Egypt, 

Abydos continues to be a cult center and pilgrimage destination for many visitors from around the world.

Recommended books: The Monuments of Seti I: Epigraphic, Historical, and Art Historical Analysis by Peter J. Brand