I MADE ANOTHER VISIT TO ABYDOS 🇪🇬 and was extremely fortunate that (the soon-to-be Dr.) Hani (director of antiquities at Abydos) spared the time to show me part of his amazing workplace.
We took in the massive Shunet El Zebib. – a huge double-walled structure made of mud bricks, almost 8,000sqm (15,000sqm if taken around the exterior of the massively thick walls), a comparable length and width to many UK Premier League football pitches. Many pharaonic Egyptian Temples also have the temple with a surrounding & enclosing wall extremely close to the structure – I like to think King Khasekhemwy, the ruler at this period, created the early prototype. It was built way back in 2700 BC by his teams during Egypt’s Second Dynasty, so it is older than the Giza Pyramids and even the Step Pyramid – it is often described as the world’s oldest standing large-scale mud-brick structure..
As we wandered around, I had to crane my neck to look up at walls that still tower up to 11 meters high – pretty impressive for a 4,700-year-old building! Hani explained how King Khasekhemwy used this space for royal funerary rituals and possibly early versions of the Osiris mysteries.
One of the most fascinating stories I learned while in Abydos was about Dorothy Eady, known as “Omm Seti” or “Mother of Seti.” This British woman believed she was the reincarnation of one of Seti I’s concubines – while her friends called her his mother, such was the way of life in Ancient Egypt that the two things may not have been exclusive!
She spent her later years in Abydos in the mid-20th century and became the go-to expert on Abydos. I found her grave near Shunet El Zebib, complete with offerings. It’s amazing how this place keeps its ancient traditions alive.
The highlight of my visit had to be the Temple of Seti I, built around 1290 BC – though Dr Hani ran it a close 2nd. Check my video of the temple https://youtu.be/OZb5geZ1GA0 Getting to Abydos isnt easy – the train station is miles away, there are barely any hotels, and the security restrictions are intense (no wandering allowed!). However, I have the phone number of a Tuk-Tuk driver who takes me both ways, so I’m not worried about being stranded. A small, somewhat overpriced hotel – for 2 nights – allows a full day on-site – and a late start to leave. The visit is worth all the small hassles – in any case, as I had visited before I was able to make work-arounds.
The temple is incredibly well-preserved – only missing its entrance pylon – though lots of work was needed on the roof. After going through the ticket office and crossing a large courtyard, I entered through the Entrance Portico.
It’s possible in this temple to see the difference between the style of artwork preferred by Seti I and his son, Ramesses II, as Ramesses completed the temple after his father’s death, notably in the Hypostyle Halls.
Ramesses II went for heavy incised artwork here, while his father, Seti I, preferred the more elegant relief style throughout the rest of the temple.
The two massive hypostyle halls are impressive, and suitably gloomy for a temple. famous for its unique ‘L’ shape. Most Egyptian temples are linear; this one takes a sharp turn at the second hypostyle hall. This was likely a late architectural change to avoid encroaching upon the pre-existing Osireion. Rather than a home for Gods, today the Temple has dozens of House Sparrows. However, I much preferred the seven intimate chapels just off the Second Hypostyle Hall to the larger halls.
Six are dedicated to major Egyptian deities, and (in what I can only describe as a power move) Seti I dedicated one to himself! The chapel of Amun-Ra is absolutely stunning. The detail in the relief carvings is superb, and in many chapels, you can still see the original paint after 3,000 years! In full, the chapels are to Seti I (deified), Ptah, Re-Horakhty, Amun-Re, Osiris, Isis, and Horus.
Some of the chapel’s walls have niches in them. These have been deliberately created – possibly to allow the Limestone blocks to be secured – or to allow Ritual Objects to be attached; unfortunately, there is no consensus.
I loved exploring the maze of rooms and chapels, especially the corridor with the King List. It’s Seti I’s curated version of Egyptian history – he definitely wasn’t shy about excluding rulers he didn’t approve of! a ‘damnatio memoriae’ before the Romans even came up with the phrase. Including dropping Hatshepsut, Akhenaten (Amunhotep IV), Smenkhkare, Tutankhamun and Ay. Seti I also excluded the First Intermediate Period and the Hyksos rulers (15th Dynasty), effectively ‘editing’ history to show a seamless transition of legitimate divine rule by Egyptians – leading inexorably to his own new dynasty – the 19th.
Before leaving the temple, in the First Hypostyle Hall there is one of the ‘Ancient Aliens’ sites: in the ’90s, some weathered hieroglyphs went viral because they looked like a helicopter. The truth – It occurred because the titulary of Seti I, “Who repulses the nine bows,” was plastered over and replaced by the titulary of Ramesses II (his son), “Who protects Egypt and overthrows the foreign countries.” Over time, the new plaster eroded, and the overlapping carvings created the accidental shapes of modern military equipment – if you imagine a bit.
Behind the main temple lies the mysterious Osirian, though I could only glimpse it from a distance. The flooding is the rising water table of the Nile. It was intentionally built at a lower level to reach the groundwater, symbolising the primaeval waters of Nun and the ‘Island of Creation’. This ancient underground complex dedicated to Osiris (god of the afterlife and death) is a bit spooky; was it closed out of superstition?.
I finished my visit at Ramesses II’s temple, about a kilometre walk north. While it’s smaller than Seti’s, it’s got its own charm, with amazing scenes of food offerings to the gods.
The recently excavated storage areas on the right (this does seem to be the preferred side for temple warehousing – as seen at Madinat Habu and the Ramseum in Luxor) offer fascinating insights into how these temples functioned day-to-day.
Before I left, Hani told me about some exciting new discoveries being made by his mentor, Dr. Joseph Wegner, in South Abydos. They’re still uncovering secrets about Egypt’s Middle Kingdom period, including evidence of previously unknown pharaohs. Dr Joseph Wegner’s, work in South Abydos proved the existence of a forgotten regional dynasty that ruled during the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1650–1600 BC). Just goes to show there’s always more to discover in this incredible place!
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