This series of articles cover minor temple ruins on the West
Bank at Luxor (Ancient Thebes).
In part
one of this series, we briefly investigated the ruins of the Temples
belonging to Amenhotep I, Amenhotep
II, Siptah, the Colonnaded Temple of Ramesses
IV, the Ramessid Temple, the Chapel of the White Queen and the private
temple of Nebwenenef. We also listed, with links, the major temples on the West
Bank at Thebes. In part
two of this series, we
 explored the temples of
Ramesses IV (mortuary), Amenophis son of Hapu, Tuthmosis
II, and the North and South temples at Nag Kom Lolah. In part three of this
series, we examine the temples of Deir
el-Medina, including the Temple of Amenhotep I, the Hathor
Chapel of Seti I,
the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor, and a small Temple of Amun.
Deir el-Medina occupies a small hollow in the foothills to the northwest of
Amenhotep III's temple. It was a community of workers and craftsmen who
constructed the royal tombs in the Valley
of the Kings. Most of the temples associated with Deir el-Medina are located
on the north side of the village. These temples include:
The Temple of Amenhotep I
This temple was dedicated to the cult of Amenhotep I, and stands on the
terrace just above the enclosure of the Ptolemaic temple of Hathor
at its
northern corner. The temple is destroyed, but originally it was very small, but
in later times, a number of walls were added around the structure. It should be
noted that Amenhotep I was probably the founder of this worker's village, so his
cult worship here is not surprising.
Hathor Chapel of Seti I
Located on the northern side of the Ptolemaic
(Greek) temple of Hathor, and southward
of Amenhotep I's cult temple lies the Hathor Chapel built by Seti I. The temple
was built for the workmen of the village, and was considerably larger then
Amenhotep I's temple. It consisted of a series of architectural elements
before a tripartite sanctuary.
Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor
See also:
A view of the Ptolemaic (Greek) Temple of Hathor on the West
Bank at Luxor
 By far the largest temple in this area is the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor. It
was built atop the location of several earlier temple structures, and is itself
fronted by a staircase built during the reign of Ramesses
II. However, the main
complex was built and decorated in the 3rd century BC by Ptolemy
IV Philopator and several
of his successors (Ptolemies VI and
VIII). Even today, it remains in a very fine
state of preservation. Within this temple, a columned hall communicates with a
narrow vestibule before opening into three sanctuaries. The right (eastern)
sanctuary was dedicated to Amun-Re-Osiris, while the western or left sanctuary
was dedicated to Amun-Sokar-Osiris. The middle of the three sanctuaries was
dedicated to Hathor, the main goddess of the temple.
 Interestingly, the western sanctuary dedicated to Amun-Sokar-Osiris has a
scene depicting an Osiride judgment, commonly found in tombs but very rarely
decorating temple complexes.
A stairway leads from the left side of the vestibule to the temple's terrace
roof where the remains of several small votive chapels lie around the
enclosure's north wall.
Not Surprisingly, considering the nature of this community, the temple, like
that of Hatshepsut at Deir
el-Bahri, also contains chapels dedicated to Imhotep
and Amenhotep son of Hapu, who of course were both great architects and
builders.
Long after the abandonment of the village, the temple continued to function,
and was eventually transformed into a Coptic monastery. In fact, the village
derives its modern name, Deir el-Medina, meaning "Monastery of the
Town", form this ancient monastery.
The Temple of Amun
Across the small wadi from the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor
are the remains of
a temple to Amun and the other members of the Theban triad, consisting of Mut,
Khonsu and Amun. This temple was built by Ramesses
II.
References:
Last Updated: 05/31/2005
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