 Istabl Antar rock tombs | ||
| Isṭabl ʿAntar · إسطبل عنتر Speos Artemidos | ||
| Governorate | Minyā | |
|---|---|---|
| height | 78 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Istabl Antar (Arabic:إسطبل عنتر, Isṭabl ʿAntar, „the stable of ʿAntar"), also Speos Artemidos, the "Grotto of Artemis", is an archaeological site in Middle Egypt South from Benī Ḥasan east of the Nile. The rock sanctuary for the lion goddess Pachet and some tombs without inscriptions are on the south side of the Batn el-Baqara wadi (Arabic:وادي بطن البقرة, Wādī Baṭn al-Baqara, „the valley of the cow's belly"). The name ʿAntar goes back to a pre-Islamic poet.
background
The area was used as a cemetery in particular in the Old and New Kingdoms. In Roman times an animal necropolis was created here, especially for cat mummies.
At this point the pharaoh Hatshepsut (18th dynasty) had a rock temple built for the lion goddess Pachet in her 7th and 8th year of reign. In addition to Hatshepsut, her stepson, later Pharaoh Thutmose III, is also mentioned in the temple. Under Seti I, the temple was reconstructed, replacing Hatshepsut's cartouches with his own.
The lion goddess Pachet ("the scratchy one") was particularly here in the area of Benī Ḥasan revered as the "mistress of the desert who dwells in the middle of the eastern desert". Among the Ptolemies, she was equated with the goddess Artemis. Her veneration continued in Roman times, when cat cemeteries were established in her honor.
getting there
The journey usually takes place in a taxi from el-Minyā out on the new asphalt road. Depending on whether you want to reach other destinations or are traveling with several people, the price for the taxi is around LE 100 - 150. You leave the archaeological site off Benī Ḥasan behind and reached first 1 Benī Ḥasan ash-shurūq(27 ° 54 ′ 41 ″ N.30 ° 51 '54 "E), the eastern or new Beni Hasan, and drives past the cemetery of Sheikh Ahmad, who belongs to Beni Hasan. The last few meters east of the village 2 Dirwa(27 ° 54 ′ 16 ″ N.30 ° 52 '49 "E), Arabic:دروة, Dirwa, you have to cover it on a sand runway. It is not possible to continue to villages and archaeological sites to the south.
In the area of the village of Dirwa one should not forget to look for the guards on the way so that they can unlock the temple. It is beneficial if there is still space in the taxi for the guards so that they do not have to walk.
mobility
The desert underground is very solid in the area of Isʿabl ʿAntar, so that you can drive to the temple yourself with a car.
Tourist Attractions
The main attraction is the 1 Temple of Hatshepsut, Thutmose ’III. and Sethos ’I.(27 ° 54 '15 "N.30 ° 52 '23 "E) for the lion goddess Pachet. Entry is free, but the guards are happy to receive a small baksheesh.
The temple consists of a wide transverse hall. The 15 m wide facade of the temple is taken up by four Hathor pillars. Another four Hathor pillars, which are only present in fragments, divided the vestibule. Above the entrance to the temple there is an inscription by Hatshepsut, in which she reports on the situation of Egypt under the Hyksos rulers about a century earlier and their actions for the reconstruction, preservation and construction of various shrines in Middle Egypt. The Hathor pillars contain dedicatory inscriptions.
Extensive decoration includes the rear wall of the vestibule. On the left half of the wall, the god Thoth in front of the unity of the gods (left) or the goddesses Weret-Hekau (the "magic realms") and Pachet and the pharaoh before Amun-Re (right) are shown. On the right half of the wall you can see the pharaoh between Amun-Re, Weret-Hekau and Pachet (left) or the pharaoh before a goddess or the pharaoh before Thoth.
A narrow corridor leads from the vestibule to the sanctuary, on the back wall of which there is a decorated niche. On the posts of the passage you can find depictions of Seti I in front of Pachet and on the lintel a double scene depicting the Sedfest run (run on the occasion of the coronation anniversary) of Pharaoh Set I at Pachet. On the left side of the passage you can see the Pharaoh offering wine in front of Pachet and an inscription in 19 columns. On the right side of the passage, the pharaoh is shown offering a klepshydra (water clock) to Pachet. Vultures were depicted on the ceiling of the passage. The shrine in the Holy of Holies has little decoration, such as a dedication inscription to Seti I and the depiction of the Pachet on the left post of the shrine. The shrine was probably used to hold a statue of a god, certainly that of the pachet.
If you ask the guards, some can smaller graves can be viewed on the same mountain slope. A one-room grave with a small niche in the back wall has a very blackened decoration. On closer inspection, however, pictures and faded inscriptions in a light shade of blue are definitely worth seeing.
accommodation
Accommodation options exist in el-Minyā.
trips
The visit of Isṭabl ʿAntar can be combined with a visit to the Deir Aba Hōr monastery in Sawada and the archaeological sites of Zāwiyat el-Maiyitīn and Benī Ḥasan connect.
literature
Information on the rock sanctuary can only be found in scientific literature:
- : A new speos from the reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III at Beni-Hasan. In:Annales du Service des Antiquités de l’Égypte <Cairo>, Vol.39 (1939), Pp. 709 - 723, a plate (English).
- Blumenthal, Elke; Müller, Ingeborg; Reineke, Walter F. (Ed.): Documents of the 18th dynasty: translation for volumes 5–16. Berlin: Akademie-Verl., 1984, Pp. 41 - 47, inscription no.120.
- : Texts of Hatshepsut and Sethos I inside Speos Artemidos. In:Journal of Egyptian Archeology <London>, Vol.33 (1947), Pp. 12 - 33, plates.
