 Qasr Dush fortress seen from the north. To the east is the entrance to the Temple of Isis and Sarapis | ||
| Qaṣr Dūsch · قصر دوش Kysis · Κυσις | ||
| Governorate | New valley | |
|---|---|---|
| height | 74 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Qasr shower (English: Qasr Dush, French: Qasr Douch, Arabic:قصر دوش, Qaṣr Dūsch, also Tell / Tall Dūsch (Arabic:تل دوش) Or Dūsch el-Qalʿa (دوش القلعة); the ancient Kysis (Greek: Κυσις), ancient Egyptian: Kš.t) is an archaeological site in the south of the egyptian Sink el-Chārga in the Western desert. The fortress dates back to Greek times, while the two temples were built in Roman times. The area was already permanently settled before the Greco-Roman period, as indicated by an ostracon (labeled stone shard) ʿAin Manāwir from the time of the Persian great king Xerxes I. (483 BC) out.[1]
getting there
You can get to this site by car. One drives either on the trunk road Bārīs, crosses the city until after about 20 kilometers between el-Maks el-Bahri (Arabic:المكس البحري, al-Maks al-Baḥrī, „the northern customs post") and el-Maks el-Qibli (Arabic:المكس القبلي, al-Maks al-Qiblī, „the southern customs post“) To a branch 1 24 ° 33 ′ 19 ″ N.30 ° 37 ′ 13 ″ E, Asphalt road) to the east in the direction of 'Ain Mansur (Arabic:عين منصور, ʿAin Manṣūr) arrives. Another branch at 2 24 ° 41 ′ 23 ″ N.30 ° 35 '56 "E to the archaeological site there is south of ʿAin Shams ed-Dīn and immediately north of Bārīs. The road runs roughly in a south-easterly direction.
Due to the remoteness of the archaeological site - from the city el-Chārga from the point of view - the visit is a good idea when arriving or departing from / to Luxor at.
mobility
A 3 parking spot(24 ° 34 '57 "N.30 ° 42 '47 "E.) located 500 meters northwest of the Temple of Isis and Serapis. The grounds of the fortress and the temple have to be explored on foot.
background
location
The fortress and temple are located northeast of the village of Dūsch, about 95 kilometers south of the city el-Chārga and 15 kilometers south of Bārīs. The surrounding area is about 60 meters above sea level, while the highest point of the hill is 123 meters. The ancient settlement was located about 70 meters north of the temple.
Naming
The ancient Egyptian name Kš.t (Keschet), in the Demotic, a late form of Ancient Egyptian, Gšj, derives from Kush, the ancient Egyptian name for Nubia, from. The t is just the feminine ending. The name suggests caravan trains to Nubia that passed here. The ancient Egyptian name surely became the Greek one Kysis, Κυσις, which is documented for the 2nd to 4th centuries AD both in the local dedication inscription from the year 116 AD and in Greek papyri.[2] As can be shown on the basis of Greek and Coptic documents, around the 1st century BC By a sound shift from the K a T become, in the Middle Ages the T became voiced.[3] The modern name of the neighboring settlement Dūsch and the archaeological site developed from the Coptic language.
history
Artifacts show that this area has been used by nomadic population groups since Paleolithic was used.[4] The flint tools found here can be dated to the Paleolithic and Neolithic.[5] Ceramics and flint stones are documented for the old empire.[6]
There are no documents for the subsequent period. The first permanent settlement has existed since first Persian period, the 27th dynasty, in ʿAin Manāwir. An ostracon, an inscribed shard of stone, from the time of the Persian great king Xerxes I. from the year 483 BC Chr. Calls this settlement Pr-Wsỉr-ỉw and a sanctuary to Isis from Gšj and Osiris-ỉjwj (Osiris has come).[1]
The fortress was certainly laid out in Ptolemaic times, but no later than the 1st century AD. The Greek ostraka found in the area of the fortress date back to that time Alexander IV, the son of Alexander the great, extend to the beginning of the Ptolemaic period.[7] The fortress did not yet have a military function, but its walls only served to protect the enclosed buildings from drifting sand.[8]
There was already one at the site of the current stone temple Previous building made of adobe bricks. From the caramel finds it could be deduced that it can be dated to the beginning of Roman times.[9]
The establishment of the Temple for Isis, Sarapis (Osiris-has-come) and Horus took place in the 1st century AD under emperors Domitian (AD 51-96). The decoration was among his successors Hadrian (76-138) and Trajan (53-117) completed. Trajan also had a forecourt built. In the Egyptian inscriptions the revered deity is called Osiris-ỉj-wj (Osiris-has-come), called Sarapis in the Greek. This special form of Osiris is only documented here, perhaps it is also related to the caravan trade.
The adobe temple nearby has no datable inscriptions, but it certainly also dates from Roman times.
Numerous texts from the 3rd to 5th centuries AD have been found in the houses of the neighboring settlement. They mostly deal with the supply of military units, but also prove that the residents were Christians. The temple itself was probably stopped in the 4th century. The temple then served as a military camp. The cemeteries of this settlement are also located at the foot of the fortress hill.
The main branch of the economy at that time was agriculture. The fields were supplied via underground channels (qanats). The settlement was abandoned in the first half of the 5th century, probably because the springs dried up.
In arab time Dūsch was no longer mentioned.
Today's hamlet Dūsch was founded by the ʿĪsā family, a branch of the Sarḥān clan based in Bārīs, between 1820 and 1840. Later other families moved from the Nile Valley.[10]
Research history
The temple fortress was visited and described by several European travelers in the 19th century. Belonged to them Frédéric Cailliaud (1787–1869, visit 1818)[12], Archibald Edmonstone (1795–1871, visit 1819)[13], John Gardner Wilkinson (1797–1875, visit 1825)[14] and George Alexander Hoskins (1802–1863, visit 1832)[15]. After a long break, the area was taken over by the German Africa explorer in early 1874 Georg Schweinfurth (1836–1925) visited.[11] He left a quite usable map, but a mistaken copy of the Greek inscription on the first gate.
The site was opened in 1898 under the British geologist John Ball (1872–1941) as part of the Egyptian Geological Survey mapped.[16] In 1936 the German archaeologist and building researcher visited Rudolf Naumann the valley and described, among others, this temple.[17] The Egyptologists Serge Sauneron stayed here in the second half of the 20th century (first in 1954) and in 1962 Wolfgang Helck (1914-1993) and Eberhard Otto (1913–1974)[18]. From 1976 the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale carried out excavations here and in the surrounding area.[19] Between 1976 and 1979 the temple, which had been partially buried by then, was uncovered; the restoration work lasted until 1995. In 1989, the gold treasure of Dusch was found in the area of the fortress.
Since 2000, with the dissertation of Peter Dils, a complete publication of the representations and inscriptions in the temple has been available.
Tourist Attractions
Qaṣr Dūsch fortress
On the highest hill in this area - it rises about 55 meters above the surrounding ground and is about 2 kilometers long - is the Qaṣr Dūsch fortresswhich dates from Ptolemaic times. It initially served to protect against drifting sand, later also to protect the Darb-ed shower route Esna or. Edfu or des Darb el-Arbaʿīn to Asyūṭ. The almost square mud brick fortress is about 52 meters long (north-south) and 53 meters wide and stands up to 12 meters. The entrance is on the north side near the northeast corner.
In the eastern part of the fortress is the Roman temple of Dūsch. In connection with the construction of the temple, the fortress was expanded to the north with a grandstand, a gate and the first temple courtyard. A second temple gate was integrated into the fortress wall. In the 4th century AD, the fortress was expanded to the southeast with an enclosure wall, presumably to accommodate a church.
About 70 meters north of the fortress are the remains of a settlement from the 4th century AD.
Temple of Dush
The temple is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The admission price is LE 40 and LE 20 for students (as of 11/2019). There is also a combined ticket for all archaeological sites in el-Chārga for LE 120 or LE 60, which is valid for one day (as of 11/2018).
The 1 Sandstone temple(24 ° 34 '48 "N.30 ° 43 ′ 3 ″ E) is located east of the fortress Qaṣr Dūsch. He was taking in Roman times Domitian erected and was of Isis and Sarapis (Osiris-has-come [Osiris-ỉj-wj]) consecrated. There are also inscriptions from his successors Trajan and Hadrian. The temple is oriented in north-south direction, its entrance is in the north. The temple is part of a fortress, in whose eastern part it was integrated. The building material, a sandstone of moderate quality, was extracted on site.
Once a path led to the one that still exists today Grandstandwhich is 19 feet long and 10 feet wide. You then pass through two stone gates, also called pylons, to get to the temple via a large courtyard.
The first goal and the first courtyard, about 29 meters long and 14 meters wide, is located in front of the northern fortress wall. The gate is about 8 meters high, 4.7 meters wide and 4.5 meters deep. The second gate, which is integrated into the fortress wall, is smaller: 5.9 meters high, 3.7 meters wide and 4.2 meters deep. Behind it is the 11 meter long and 7 meter wide second courtyard.
The first gate bears a five-line dedication inscription by the Emperor Trajan from the year 116:[20]
[1] Ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου Αὐτοκράτορος Καίσαρος Νέρονα
[2] Τραιανοῦ Ἀρίστου Σεβεστοῦ Γερμανικοῦ Δακικοῦ τύχης ἐπὶ Μάρκου Ῥουτίου Λούπου
[3] ἐπάρχου Αἰγύπτου, Σαράπιδι καὶ Ἴσιδι θεοῖς μεγίστοις οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Κύσεως, οἱ γράψαν-
[4] τες τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ πυλῶνος εὐσεβείας χάριν ἐποίησαν. L. ιθ Αὐτοκράτορος Καίσαρος
[5] Νέρονα Τραιανοῦ Ἀρίστου Σεβεστοῦ Γερμανικοῦ Δακικοῦ. Παχὼν α [λ?].
[1] For the good of the lord autocrat and emperor Nerva
[2] Trajanus Optimus [the best] Augustus Germanicus was under Markus Rutilius Lupus,
[3] the prefect of Egypt, the mighty gods Serapis and Isis, the inhabitants of Kysis,
[4] the construction of the pylon was ordered as a sign of piety. Year 19 of the autocrat and emperor
[5] Nerva Trajanus Optimus Augustus Germanius Dacicus, on 1. [30. ?] of the Pachon.
The ancient name of the place is also used in the inscription Kysis called.
The 7.8 × 20 meter large and 5.3 meter high temple consists of a forecourt (pronaos), a pillared hall with four columns - from here a staircase leads to the temple roof on the west side - and a double saintuar (holy of holies). The temple has only a few decorations: on the facade to the forecourt, at the entrance to the pillared hall, a few traces in the double sanctuary and on the back wall of the temple.
The Forecourt (Pronaos) is 4.8 meters long and 7.2 meters wide inside and is laterally bordered by ante. The facade is formed by two barrier walls and the gate to the forecourt. On the left wall of the barrier you can see Emperor Hadrian handing the symbol of eternity to Osiris with a feather crown and ram horns. On the right wall of the barrier you can see him handing a menit to Isis. The menit is a rattle instrument used in the cult of gods. The barrier walls are delimited with a groove with king cartridges.
The architrave on the ante is missing today. The right ante is also no longer completely preserved. On the ante, Emperor Hadrian is again shown in front of various gods in six registers (picture strips). These include the gods of the Osiris family (Osiris, Isis, Harsiese, Nephthys) on the left and those of the Amun family (Amun-Re, Mut, Chons, Amenope) on the right. The left ante shows the Nile god Hapi and a field goddess. Hadrian (from below still above) offers wine to Nehemetawai (the "mistress of the city", consort of the god Thoth), in front of Maat and Thoth, a field to Nephthys, the signs of life and power to Harsiese (Horus as a child), a menit to Isis and incense before Osiris. On the right ante you can see a field goddess below. In addition, Hadrian (from below still above) offers two sists to Sekhmet, a strip of linen and incense to Ptah, an udjat eye to an ithyphallic god, lotus to Chons and for courage. The top register was intended for the Amun of Hibis.
Now we enter the temple, which is also thematically expressed on the post. On the left post you can see (from below and above) how the Nile god of the south and Hadrian, King of Upper Egypt, enter the temple. Above you can see the name of Horus Hadrian before the crown goddess Nechbet. Above was the winged sun and the title. The right side is similar: here the Nile god of the north and the king of Lower Egypt enter the temple, or the name of Horus is in front of the crown goddess Buto (Wedjat).
The Entrance to the pillared hall shows depictions of sacrifices by Emperor Domitian. On the base you can see three lapwings (RechitBirds) over papyrus plants. On the left post you can see Domitian offering wine (from bottom to top) to Nehemetawai, an image of the mate to Thoth, two sistras to Isis and the symbol of eternity to Osiris. On the right (from bottom to top) he offers two mirrors to Tefnut, the symbol of eternity to Shu, wine to courage and an udjat eye to Amun. The lintel shows Emperor Domitian in two scenes sacrificing incense and water to Osiris, Horus, Isis and Nephthys (left) and wine to Amun, Mut, Chons and Amenope.
The Column hall is 6.2 meters long, 5.4 meters wide, 4.4 meters high and has four slender, 3.9 meter high columns. The stone ceiling rests on their architraves. The staircase to the roof is on the west side. On the back wall of the columned hall, on the lintel to the front sanctuary, Domitian is shown kneeling in two scenes, as he sacrifices a field to Osiris, Harsiese and Isis (left) and how he offers wine to Atum, Schu and Tefnut (right). The posts or reveals at the entrance bear the titulatures of Domitian.
Now two sanctuary rooms of almost the same size follow. They are each 3 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and 3.6 meters high in the middle. Both rooms have vaulted ceilings, which is rare in temple construction. in the front sanctuary There is a 84 centimeter high trapezoidal base, the base of which is square and the edge lengths of which are reduced from 70 to 61 centimeters at the top. There are herringbone-like grooves on the top of the base. The purpose of this pedestal is unknown and controversial. This means that the function of this room is also unknown: it could be a barge sanctuary - then the divine barge is placed on the plinth - or it could be a sacrificial table - then the offerings are placed here.
The door to the rear sanctuary is decorated with the winged sun. On the door reveals the titulatures of Domitian can be found again. In addition, there is a building inscription on the right reveal of the door: "Long live the perfect God, the Lord of the two countries, the son of Osiris, born of Isis, the mistress of heaven, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt Domitian, the son of Re who is given life, stability and [power]. He made the gold house for his father Osiris-is-comes so that he can give life like Re in eternity. "[21] On the back wall of the sanctuary you can see Domitian, who offered the sacrificial wreath to Osiris and Horus and in the presence of Isis.
Narrow side rooms, about 6.9 meters long and 1.4 meters wide, were arranged on both sides of the sanctuary, the purpose of which is also unknown due to the lack of inscriptions.
In the east and west, corridors one meter wide lead to the temple's rear wall.
The Temple back is by far the largest area that can be decorated and is adorned from top to bottom with a frieze inscription of Hadrian, two double scenes, another line of inscriptions and on the base with the representation of the king with a scepter or club in front of a procession of gift bearers with fertility gods and field goddesses. In the large double scenes, the emperor Hadrian can be seen on the left with an incense and water offering in front of Horus and Hathor, as she shakes two sistras in front of Osiris, and on the right, Emperor Hadrian with a wine offering in front of Amun-Re and Thoth, as he worships Isis.
In front of the temple back wall is a 4.7 meter long and 6.5 meter wide, paved square, which is surrounded on three sides by mud brick walls with doors. The southern wall has three stucco barrier walls between which there are half-pillars made of adobe bricks. Here was the Counter-temple.
Treasure of gold from Dūsch
About 10 meters northwest of the facade to the forecourt of the temple was excavated in 1989 by the Institut Français d’Archeologie Orientale in the fortress of the Treasure of gold from Dūsch found. It consists of a diadem with the figure of Sarapis, a necklace with plaques and two agate bracelets made of solid gold, which were kept in a terracotta vessel. The gold objects date from the 2nd century AD and were probably part of the temple inventory. It is conceivable that this treasure was hidden here around the 5th century during the period of increasing Christianization. Today the treasure is in the jewel hall of Egyptian Museum of Cairo issued.
Second temple
There is a second about 200 meters west of the fortress 2 Mud brick temple(24 ° 34 '49 "N.30 ° 42 ′ 55 ″ E), which probably also comes from Roman times. It is about 24 meters long and up to 10 meters wide. In the north it consists of an open facade, followed by three rooms with barrel-vaulted ceilings. The first room served as a sacrificial room, the third as a sanctuary, in which there is also a cult niche. To the west of the sanctuary a staircase leads to the temple roof. The temple does not have any inscriptions. The temple is surrounded by an enclosure wall about 60 meters long and 20 meters wide. There is another building to the east of the enclosure wall.
graveyards
There are several in the north of the Dusch fortress, about 1–2 kilometers away graveyards with shaft or chamber graves, all of which date from Roman times.
accommodation
- Tabuna Camp (northwest of the temple of Qasr Dusch). Tel.: 20 (0)92 910 0688, Email: [email protected]. Tent village with bathrooms and dressing rooms. It is only operated seasonally from October to April.
Accommodation is usually in the city el-Chārga elected.
trips
The temples and fortress of Dush along with other sites should be along the road to Bārīs be visited, e.g. with the temple of Qasr ez-Zaiyan and Qasr el-Ghuweita.
North of Dusch is at 'Ain Manāwir a settlement from Persian times with a temple and about twenty irrigation canals. The village too el-Maks el-Qiblī worth a visit. 3.5 kilometers east of Qaṣr Dūsch is the archaeological site of ʿAin Ziyāda.
literature
- The description of the temple can be found in:
- : The Temple of Dush: Publication and investigations of an Egyptian provincial temple from the Roman period. Cologne: university, 2000. The dissertation describes the representations on the temple.
- : Le sanctuaire osirien de Douch: travaux de l’Ifao dans le secteur du temple en pierre (1976-1994). Le Caire: Inst. Français d’archéologie orientale, 2020, Documents de fouilles de l’Institut français d'archéologie orientale; 51, ISBN 978-2-7247-0732-8 (in French). Architecture description of the temple.
- A scientific description of the gold discovery of Qaṣr Dūsch can be found in: : Le trésor de Douch (Oasis de Kharga). Le Caire: Inst. Français d’archéologie orientale, 1992, Documents et fouilles / Institut français d’archéologie orientale de Caire [DFIFAO]; 28 (in French).
Web links
- Douch, Excavation information from the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale
Individual evidence
- ↑ 1,01,1: Travaux de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale en 2000–2001. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), ISSN0255-0962, Vol.101 (2001), Pp. 449-610, especially p. 500.
- ↑: Kysis. In:Pauly, August; Wissowa, Georg et al. (Ed.): Paulys Realencyclopedia of Classical Antiquity; Row 1, half vol. 23 = Vol. 12.1: Kynesioi - Legio. Stuttgart: Slaughterer, 1924, P. 207.
- ↑Dils, Peter, loc. cit., P. 1 f.
- ↑Dils, Peter, loc. cit., Pp. 3-6.
- ↑: Douch: rapport préliminaire des campagnes de fouilles de l’hiver 1978/1979 et de l’automne 1979. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), ISSN0255-0962, Vol.80 (1980), Pp. 287–345, especially Fig. 3 between pp. 292 and 293.
- ↑: Travaux de l’IFAO au cours de l’année 1988-1989. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), ISSN0255-0962, Vol.89 (1989), Pp. 291-341, especially p. 306.
- ↑: Les ostraca grecs de Douch (O. Douch). Le Caire: Institut français d’archéologie orientale, 1986, Documents de fouilles; 24. Five notebooks.
- ↑: Les temples gréco-romains de l’oasis de Khargéh. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), ISSN0255-0962, Vol.55 (1955), Pp. 23–31, especially p. 26.
- ↑: Quinze années de recherches françaises à Douch. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), ISSN0255-0962, Vol.90 (1990), Pp. 281-301, especially p. 287.
- ↑: Economic and social change in the “New Valley” of Egypt: on the effects of Egyptian regional development policy in the oases of the western desert. Bonn: Political working group for schools, 1989, Contributions to cultural studies; 12th, ISBN 978-3-921876-14-5 , P. 96.
- ↑ 11,011,1: Notes on the knowledge of the El-Chargeh oasis: I. Alterthümer. In:Communications from Justus Perthes ’geographical institute about important new researches in the entire field of geography by Dr. A. Petermann, Vol.21 (1875), Pp. 384-393, in particular pp. 392 f., And Plate 19; Quote p. 392.
- ↑: Voyage à l’oasis de Thèbes et dans les déserts situés à l’occident de la Thébaïde fait pendant les années 1815, 1816, 1817 et 1818. Paris: Delagarde, 1821, Pp. 88-89, panels XII.1,2, XIII.1,2,3. Panel.
- ↑: A journey to two of the oases of upper Egypt. London: Murray, 1822.
- ↑: Modern Egypt and Thebes: being a description of Egypt; including the information required for travelers in that country; Vol.2. London: Murray, 1843, P. 370.
- ↑: Visit to the great oasis of the Libyan dessert. London: Longman, 1837, Pp. 151-157, panel XIII (opposite p. 154).
- ↑: Kharga Oasis: its Topography and Geology. Cairo, 1900, Egyptian Geological Survey Report; 1899.2.
- ↑: Buildings of the Khargeh oasis. In:Announcements from the German Institute for Egyptian Antiquity in Cairo (MDIK), Vol.8 (1939), Pp. 1-16, panels 1-11; in particular pp. 6-8, 12-15, fig. 3, 6, plates 5 f., 10, 11.a.
- ↑: A trip to the Egyptian oases. In:Ruperto-Carola: Announcements from the Association of Friends of the Student Union of the University of Heidelberg e.V., Vol.14,32 (1962), Pp. 92-98.
- ↑: Douch - Rapport préliminaire de la campagne de fouilles 1976. In:Bulletin de l’Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale (BIFAO), vol.78 (1978), Pp. 1–33, panels I – VIII.
- ↑: The inscription on the pylon of the Temple of Dusch (OGIS 677). In:Chronique d'Égypte (CdÉ), vol.42,83 (1967), P. 212, doi:10.1484 / J.CDE.2.308083.
He did not do a translation. Diacritics were added to the transcription and the sigma in the form “„ / ϲ ”was replaced by the more familiar form“ Σ / σ / ς ”. Only capital letters were used in the original inscription. - ↑Dils, Peter, loc. cit., P. 106.
