Categories
Temple

Pure Hallway

This Corridor, which is pure and leads around all this, is within the wall, which is connected with the Pylon. It is 113 cubits long and 90 cubits wide, up to the small doors that are located in it on the right and left sides of the Pronaos. There are four doors in it. Details of the places on to which the doors open: one leads eastwards and is used by the Aqi-Priests when they come back from the Sacred Lake to perform their duty; it is used to bring out offerings released (for consumption), in order to hand them out to the overseers of the chapels of He of Dappled Plumage; another one, a miraculous work, leads to the Pure Well, to the Pure Magazine and to the Slaughterhouse of Horus of the choicest cuts of meat, to get fresh pure water for the temple, and for the divine offering to the Falcon at the appropriate time; two more (doors) open right and left, and they are sited in the Pronaos and lead into the Court of Offerings.

The Great Building Inscription of the Edfu Temple Translated by Dieter Kurth

About the Pure Hallway

The Pure Hallway is an open-air hallway located between the Enclosure wall and the original Naos of the Temple. Its walls are decorated with ritual scenes for the offering of the water and with the utterances for the consecration of the libation that occurs within the temple. This purified corridor was used to carry meat offerings and purified water to the individual chapels, as well as the ritual route for the senior w'ab - pure one to complete the daily offerings to Har - Horus. W'abw - Pure ones would carry a jar of qababwt - cold, purified water on sacred route, counterclockwise, from the Pure Well to the Room of the Nile, thus purifying the route within the temple. Carrying the qababwt occurred three times daily. first in the morning, second at midday, and third in the evening. Two w'abw performed the task, with one carrying the purified water, while the other preceded with burning frankincense, censing the water to keep it pure. 
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Categories
Temple

Pronaos

The Pronaos comes after it, which is higher than the rooms mentioned and wider on the right and left sides: it is 40 cubits by 36, with a total height of 30 cubits, and it is most perfectly carved on its inside with reliefs. The House of the Morning and the House of Papyrus Rolls are on the right and left sides of it. There is a small door in it, facing eastwards. There are 18 perfect columns that support the [horizon (the ceiling)], just as the sky is supported under the Winged Scarab.

The Great Building Inscription of the edfu Temple Translated by Dieter Kurth

About the Pronaos

The Pronaos or Outer Hypostyle Hall is the smaller hall before The Great Hall. It is so-named Hypostyle due to the many columns that support the ceiling. The twelve columns, carved to resemble papyrus, are carved completely with beautiful reliefs, depicting offerings by Pharaohs to the gods, symbols of strength and protection, and many others. The ceiling depicts astronomical motifs beautifully painted, of which a great portion still survives. There are six columns incorporated into the southern screen wall, which stand half the height of the Pronaos. The small door mentioned in the building texts leads to the Pure Corridor. Inside the Pronaos are the doors to the rooms of the House of the Morning and the House of Papyrus . Carved on its walls are reliefs of the Foundation and the Consecration of the Temple.

References

Kurth, D. (2004). The temple of Edfu: a guide by an ancient Egyptian priest. American University in Cairo Press.

McCoy, P. A. (2019). Pictures of the Edfu Temple. Djeba – Reconstruction of the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Kamat – Reconstructing Ancient Egyptian Culture. https://djeba.org/temple.

Watterson, B. (1998). The house of Horus at Edfu: ritual in an ancient Egyptian temple. Tempus.

Djeba hieroglyphs
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Categories
Temple

Great Hall

Map of the Great Hall

The Great Hall is in front of it (the Naos) : it has twelve columns, great supports, wonderful to behold. The hall is 37 (cubits) long and 26 wide. Its walls are most perfectly decorated: it is called Place of Pleasure. It is also known as Place of Joy and Place of Enjoyment of Ra and Horus, for it resembles the Chemmis (papyrus thicket) of their son (Horus, Uniter of the Two Lands).

– The Great Building Inscription of the edfu Temple Translated by Dieter Kurth

About The Great Hall

The Great Hall, and those halls and chapels beyond it, make up the original nucleus of the temple, or the Naos. The Great Court has twelve free-standing columns, more slender than those in the Pronaos, and the lower part of the columns being more slender. The Great Court had several names (above), and as the names indicate, The great Hall is the place where the gods enjoy themselves. On the west side of the Hall, the rooms of the ointment-workshop, and Room of the Nile. To the east of the Hall, the Treasury, and a stairway leading to the roof of the Naos.

Djaba' Hieroglyphs
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