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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. 
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
  • Pure Corridor
Categories
Temple

Offerings Forecourt

This perfect place, the Nome of Horus-Ra, is his horizon on earth, is the House of Appearance of His Majesty, is the Great Throne of His Ka, on which he appears and sets, in the Shrine that Protects Khepri of the quickly born child, is the place at which His body has been nourished since the First Beginning, is the Chamber of the Falcon is the Ruler’s House of the ruler, is the Tomb of the Falcon with the Dappled Plumage, is the Great Place of the greatest of the gods, is the House of the Strong One of Horus, the strong bull, is the Palace of the Revenger, who drives the hot-headed from Egypt, is the Place of Stabbing of the one who stabs the Wamamati Snake, is the Horizon of Eternity and Primeval Hill of the horizon god, is the Shrine of the divine Winged Disk.

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

About the Offerings Forecourt

The Forecourt, or Offerings Forecourt as it was called among other things, is the place where the general population gathered to attain favors from Horus, as well as where the festivals of the temple were held. There are thirty-two columns in the Forecourt’s colonnades, twelve on each west and east sides and the remaining eight on the south side next to the pylon gateway. Carved on these columns are reliefs of Ptolemaic pharaohs making offerings to local gods. The cartouches inscribed in the court are empty, where future pharaohs would have their names carved inside them. On the walls of the forecourt are carved reliefs of the Pharaoh making offerings to the gods, as well as slaying enemies. Also recorded are significant events and festivals.

Djeba hieroglyphs
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Temple

Shatjyat – Sanctuary of Sokar

The Shatjyat Sanctuary of Sokar, to the west of it and decorated with the protector gods (see below), is 7 5/6 cubits by 6 2/3 cubits… These are the palaces of Iun (Osiris) in BaHadat (Behdet). His forms have been carved on the walls of the three chambers. The two weeping and mourning women, the two sisters, protect him; they are the two kites, Isis and Nephthys, are the ones who transfigure his Ka’a spirit. The four Asabat goddesses protect the bier. The four Anubis gods, the four door-keepers of the netherworld […], the sharp-eyed protective gods. The gods of the Netherworld, who do not leave their districts, are jointly responsible for his protection. Horus the Protector of his Father protects him. Thoth the Great One reads the festival ritual for him. The gods of BaHadat, the Children of Horakhty, the living Ba’a spirit of Ra in the midst of his children and the netherworld gods, who guard the Nome [and] his [towns], are in their place, and watch over him.

About the Shatjyat

One of three chapels in the north-west of the corridor devoted to the cult of Osiris. This sanctuary dedicated to Sokar as the syncretized Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. Combined with the Mansion of the Prince, these chapels are the Portals of the Pillar-god Osiris. This chapel represented the tomb of Osiris in Man nafar (Memphis). Reliefs show Isis reassembling Osiris after being dismembered by Seth in the Ptolemaic mythos of the Contendings of Horus and Seth.

Chapel Shatyat relief
Relief in the chapel (Image: Kurth, 2004)
Djaba'a Hieroglyphs
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Temple

sat war – Great Seat

The Great Seat in the midst of the chapels and surrounded by the corridor mentioned, measures 19 3/6 cubits by 10 1/3 cubits. The doors of the corridor are to its right and left, and give access to the surrounding chapels. The processional barqe of the Deity with the Dappled Plumage, His magnificent portable shrine next to it, and His great Naos of black stone that is next to both of them, they are wonderful to behold. His Seat is of the Talon in heaven, his Dwelling on earth, His throne Seat in the temple heaven is inscribed with the Divine Ennead of the nome. The rituals of the Lord are dedicated to Him (Horus-Behdety); Revealing the God’s face, Offering Ma’at to its Creator (Ra), and Burning Incense for the Processional Boat.

About the Great Seat

The Great Seat is the place where the Living Statue of Horus-Behdety sat in its naos. Originally the naos was in the north west corner, but was moved during Mariette’s excavation in 1860. In the center of the room rests a pedestal where Horus’ portable shrine and festival boat would stand. The facade of the Great Seat is inscribed with the morning litany, that was sung during the Morning Rites. The living statue was approximately 23 inches high, composed of gold plated wood and laid with precious jewels.