Abydos was one of the most sacred sites in ancient Egypt lying about 300 miles south of Cairo and 9 1/2 miles from the Nile and according to myth, was where Osiris himself was interred. Because of its associations with Osiris, Abydos was also an important cemetery site and the kings of the earliest dynasties were buried here. Remains from the predynastic have also been found here. When later kings were buried elsewhere, they often had cenotaphs at Abydos to identify themselves with Osiris. Cemetaries surround the temple itself and contain many hundreds of graves and offering pits containing pottery and wine jars. The whole area spreads over 5 square miles with the earliest tombs situated in an area called Umm el Ga'ab belonging to kings of the 1st and 2nd Dynasties.
The temple itself has a deceptively conventional appearance but the interior is unusual because it is dedicated to seven gods.
The main temple is L shaped with a southwest wing attached to the main temple.
This wing is dedicated to Sokar and Nefertum. The temple was mainly built by
Seti I but as he died before it was finished, it was completed by Rameses II,
who placed decorations over those of his father.
The
temple
originally had two pylons, which are now destroyed, leading into open courts
with pillared porticoes, which have been rebuilt.
The colonnade is decorated with carvings of Seti I with various Gods
A fallen lintel block shows the cartouche of Seti I beneath the spread wings of the vulture .
Then come two hypostyle halls and seven chapels standing side by side and dedicated to the main deities of the New Kingdom. Seti I is also honoured as a god, his chapel being at the opposite end to that of Horus.
The seven chapels are reached by their own processional way from the first hypostyle hall. Originally there were seven entrances from the portico but apart from the central one they were all blocked by Rameses II when he completed the temple after his father's death.
In Seti's parts of the temple the decoration is in raised relief but Rameses' decoration is cut deeply into the stone. The colours in the temple are still quite vivid.
Each of the chapels is dedicated to different gods and the funerary aspect of the temple is emphasised by their false doors.
The sanctuaries were dedicated to Seti I, Ptah, Re-Horakhty, Amun, Osiris, Isis and Horus, and each is decorated with festivals related to that god. The niches were for the statues of each god and the chapels are decorated with festivals related to these gods. Each chapel is roofed over in flat vaulting and decorated with stars and royal cartouches.
The Osiris chapel is devoted to the different forms and functions of Osiris. The Osiris chapel had a real door that led into a suite of rooms dedicated to him and are decorated with scenes of Seti making offerings to Osiris. Everywhere there are symbols of ressurection and rebirth.
On the northern wall are three more chapels, dedicated to Horus, Seti I and Isis, behind which is a hidden chamber, where the temple treasures were probably kept.
The rear of the chapel forms an L with additional chambers to the south and connected by a narrow hallway.
It is in this narrow hallway, "The Hall of the Ancients" that the timeline of the kings is inscribed. The list begins with Menes and ends with Seti I. 76 Pharaohs are listed but there are some exceptions, namely Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Hatshepsut, Ay and Horemheb. Each name is written within a cartouche and above all the names is a prayer for all the kings.
On turning right after this corridor there is the famous scene of Seti with
his son Rameses, roping a bull. Further scenes show the bull being sacrificed.
Further on still there is a scene of Seti and Rameses catching geese and offering
them to Amun.
Steps up from here lead outside the temple to the Osireion. This was the temple's cenotaph or false tomb and shrine to Osiris. It is located 15 metres lower and is now under water. The main temple acts as a mortuary temple to the cenotaph. The structure was built by Seti I but decorated by his grandson Mereneptah.
The design of the shrine itself is not unlike the tombs in the valley of the Kings and is decorated with scenes and text from the book of the gates. A rectangular island in the centre of the shrine had receptacles to receive a sarcophagus and canopic chest. This island was surrounded by water to represent the primeval waters of creation from which an island rose at the beginning of time.
By the Middle Kingdom, this temple was completely associated with Osiris and was more than likely the scene for the annual Festival of Osiris. During the festival, the Statue of Osiris would be moved on his barque by the priests of the temple and carried to his tomb on the mound known as Umm el Ga'ab.
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