This is intended to be the first in a series of articles dealing with Egyptian Temples, and to serve as a general introduction to the subject. It describes the standard sort of temple complex which emerged in the New Kingdom Period (1550-1069 BC) and continued in fashion down to Roman times.
During the New Kingdom Period in Egypt, roughly the latter half of the second millennium BC, there were two principal types of temple— cult temples, known as “mansions of the gods” and mortuary temples, known as “mansions of millions of years”. Cult temples were dedicated to the worship of the gods of Egypt— Amun, Ptah, Horus, Osiris, etc.— and were designed to accommodate their images. In mortuary temples, on the other hand, the object of worship was the deified pharaoh. We are fortunate that sufficient examples of both types have survived in reasonably good condition so that the layout and much of the superstructure are available for study. However, a lot of the details of decoration and furnishing have disappeared and we have to rely on written descriptions and contemporary depictions in order to reconstruct these. These also help considerably in enabling us to understand the functions of the various rooms and buildings.
Building texts are fairly abundant from the New Kingdom down to Roman times and describe the construction, circumstances and function of several temples. The various components are named, described and their purpose outlined— there are even detailed descriptions of the fittings (doors, etc.). Great officials, in their Tomb Biographies, describe the roles they played, as chief of works or treasurer, in these projects. Senenmut (left), for example, gives a detailed description of the quarrying, transport and installation of Hatshepsut's obelisks at Karnak. This type of document tends to be stereotypical, however, and should be applied cautiously on a case by case basis.
Relief from the Red Chapel showing Hatshepsut's Obelisks
Representations of temples occur frequently on tomb walls, especially at Amarna, and in papyri. Pylons, the great formal gates to the temples, are most frequently depicted but other details which do not survive appear as well. The ground plan of a temple at Heliopolis, possibly that of Re'-Harakhty himself, appears on a stone slab and shows three open courtyards and a number of subsidiary temples.
Modern Farmstead near Abydos
The forms of Egyptian architecture are based on the reed huts of the first people to settle beside the Nile. Bundles of reeds or reed poles framed and supported rush mats to make their simple huts and small shrines—techniques that are still in use today. These were simply translated to stone for the permanent use of the gods. Of course, the temples of later periods are much grander in scale and elaborate but otherwise nothing new is added to the mix.
MANSIONS OF THE GODS
The big occasion of the Egyptian year was the festival of the local deity and the layout of the temple was largely determined by the requirements of ritual and ceremony. Essentially, the whole temple complex was meant to be a recreation of the Primeval Mound where life began. At the heart of these ceremonies was a great procession when the god emerged from his temple, just as life emerged from the cosmic ooze on the original mound. However, it was the home of the deity too and, in that respect, functioned in pretty much the same way as any noble household—it was only a matter of degree. The god had to be fed, and so there were kitchens and dining rooms. There were also robing rooms along with plenty of closet space and vaults full of jewellery.
Ground Plan of the Temple of Horus. Edfu
The standard temple followed a tripartite plan, consisting of an outer court, a hypostyle (or columned) hall, and the sanctuary itself. These elements could be multiplied and were generally enclosed by auxiliary rooms but the basic design was fairly consistent. A common addition was an enormous gateway known as a pylon at the entrance to the courtyard, providing a more grandiose approach. The various elements were arranged symmetrically, along a single avenue of approach, ideally running from east to west and facing the Nile (although this combination was not always possible). It was meant to be a microcosm of the cosmos at the time of Creation
