Temple Complex of Medinat Habu, West Bank, Luxor , Egypt
in Association with Q.E.A

Medinat Habu, West Bank, Luxor, Egypt

By

Dr John R Ward KT & PH Ma Maria Nilsson

The Sirius Project

&

The Historical Preservation Society

The mansion of millions of years, or more commonly known today as just Habu has to be one of the best preserved temple complexes in Egypt today. Its actual true date of conception as a site of worship is unclear. However the buildings that occupy the site today date from various periods in Egyptian history and as an archaeological site it has yielded much evidence over the years and supportive material for many disciplines.

The main temple structure itself is attributed to that of Ramesses III, with its unmistakably enlarged relief chiseled deeply into the walls of the temple to evade any usurper the chance of taking the temple complex as his own later on. The colours in second courtyard are as crisp as they were when Ramesses himself walked the halls and the flag stones, if they could speak would tell of great meetings and religious ceremonies that would dwarf any of our modern day equivalents. The window of appearance in the first courtyard would have been such a ceremony, to actually gaze upon the living God himself, oh; we can only imagine how that must of felt!! To gaze upon the Pharaoh as he majestically sails by in his royal barge along the interconnecting canals is one thing, but to actually be in his presence in the temple complex itself and to actually gaze into the eyes of the living God, now that would have been one of the most terrifying moments in any man's life, to actually meet with his maker while still alive.

Surrounding the main temple complex of Ramesses III stands a collection of other smaller but by no means less important temples and shrines. The chapels of the divine adoratrices just inside the main gated entrance hold a particular interest for me, the first chapel being dedicated to that of Amenerdis I has a splendid inner whispering corridor that runs outside of the inner holy of holies with small roof lights cut into the roof allowing beams of natural sunlight to stream in catching the dust particles in the air and providing a romantic atmosphere to the whole chapel itself. Outside sits a small offering table, unfortunately the roof is now missing from the small inner courtyard but the relief is still fine and provides an insight into the type of ceremonies that would have been performed inside this chapel during its time of use. There is a small crypt located beneath the first chapel said to of held the entombed body of Amenerdis I herself, unfortunate nowadays it has become a victim to the ever increasing water table in Thebes. There are two other chapels attached to it , both of which are not in such a good state of preservation but still provide a great insight into the power that the Saite dynasty must have had during the 25 th and 26 th dynasties. Standing opposite across the main pathway sits the small temple shrine of Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III, most of Hatshepsut's cartouches and thrones names were replaced by that of Tuthmosis I and Tuthmosis III. There have been many additions to this small temple, each adding his own uniqueness to it. The final addition by Antoninus Pius of a columned portico and inner courtyard left unfinished and resembling some type of folly, but today unfortuanlty his gate is blocked by a stone wall and the original gate of Ramesses III is used to gain entrance to Habu once more.

There are many other small stone structures that do not resemble much in the way of a building but one can see that they were once a door way or a stair case etc. one such stair case leads to the underwater aqueducts that fed the various parts of the temple complex, some academics have referred to these as nileometers . The sacred lake sits close by and is said to have healing properties and is still used today for baptisms and for use in fertility. Very brave given the colour and odor.

After the temple complex became derelict due to the demise of the pharaonic dynasty the site became home to many of the Theban families of the area, the walls were rebuilt , not of stone as they were before but this time with mud brick and instead of housing the armies of the Egyptian empire this time they housed the Christians of Thebes, the entire complex was taken over, the temples were incorporated into the ever growing village, the second courtyard of the main temple itself was redesigned and recut to perform as an church within the temple itself, putting a yet another place of worship on this site and at its very centre. The tell tale signs of where the adjoining mud brick structures once stood outside and were adjoined to the temple itself are self evident, but it was this very conversion that we have to thank, for the preservation of not just the colours but also of the relief as it was covered by a skim of lime to cover the relief from the eyes of the newly installed Christians. This skim helped preserve for eternity the relief and colours that we so graciously gaze upon today. The pillars that once filled the second courtyard and made up the church were removed during the excavation of the site and lay just opposite the once grand throne room of Ramesses II himself. Unfortuanlty due to the rising water table the pillars are now all but now destroyed but there is work being carried out now to save them from any further damage.

Habu never lets me down it has a surprise around every corner, something new to gaze upon each time I visit , it has a diverse array of structures that have kept me busy all these years and will do so for a lot more yet to come.

Dr John Ward KT & PH Ma Maria Nilsson

Historical Preservation Society