Mortuary temple of Amenhotep III. - Totentempel Amenophis’ III.

The Colossi of Memnon once stood in front of the pylon of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.

Mortuary temple of Amenhotep III. Kōm el-Ḥīṭān · ‏كوم الحيطان‎

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Mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.

The Mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, also Memnoneion or Amenophium called (Arabic:كوم الحيطان‎, Kōm / Hardly al-Ḥīṭān, „Hill of walls“), Is an archaeological site on the Nile west side of Luxor at the edge of the fruit land. Here is the so-called. Millions of years Amenhotep III. This temple complex served both the death cult of the late king and the worship of the god Amun. Little remains of the temple today. The colossal seated figures of the king, the Colossi of Memnon, are the landmarks of the Theban western valley and are the most popular photo motif.

background

The historian Strabo (64/63 BC - after 23 AD) reported that a plaintive sound emanated from one of the two colossi, although he really did not want to believe in the origin of the sound from the colossus: “Now is they {the Thebais} [only] inhabited in parts; one part, which embraces the city proper, lies in Arabia, but another on the other bank, where the Memnonium is. Of two colossal statues made of a block of stone, standing close together, one has survived, but of the other, as a result of an earthquake, it is said, the upper parts fell down from the seat. It is believed that once every day from the part remaining on the throne chair and the pedestal a sound emanates as if from a not very strong attack. I, too, who was present at the place with Aelius Gallus {the Roman prefect of Egypt} and a multitude of friends and soldiers accompanying him, heard the sound around the first hour {after daybreak}, whether it was from the pedestal or from the Colossus [himself] came, or whether one of those standing around in the circle around the pedestal intentionally brought out the sound, I cannot decide; because with the uncertainty of the cause I would rather believe everything than that the sound is emitted by the stones arranged in this way. "^[1]

getting there

About 5 kilometers from the ferry pier on the west bank are the remains of the temple complex on the right (north) side of the road. The ticket booth is 500 meters to the west. You do not need a ticket to visit the memnon colossi.

Tourist Attractions

Standing statues of Amenhotep III. in the peristyle courtyard

• Colossi of Memnonwho stood in front of the former first pylon.

• Torso of Amenhotep III. Similar to the well-known colossi there was a pair of colossal statues of Amenhotep III in front of the second pylon. The northern colossus was erected from February 6th to 13th, 2012.^[2] The legs and lower body of the former seated statue made of quartzite are still preserved. The torso itself is 8 meters high and weighs 320 tons. Next to the right leg of the king is the king's wife Teje. On the eastern side of the throne, the symbol of the union of Upper and Lower Egypt can be seen again. On the pedestal is a ruse of the subjugated southern peoples.

• Peristyle court. The fourth courtyard of the temple was bordered by colonnades of columns. Between the papyrus bundle columns on the east and west side were about 8 meters high portraits of King Amenhotep III.

• Steles in the peristyle courtyard of the temple. The southern stele was rebuilt in 1950 under the direction of the Egyptian Egyptologist Labib Habachi and is dedicated to the Theban triad. King Amenhotep III can be seen in the upper image field. accompanied by his wife Teje, as he did on the occasion of the Nice festivals from the desert valley, a festival in honor of the deceased, worships Amun-Re. The less well-preserved north stele is 8.66 meters high and weighs over 120 tons. It was only rebuilt in 2012. The stele is dedicated to the gods Amun and Ptah-Sokar-Osiris and contains a prayer to the gods of the dead.

kitchen

There is a small restaurant in the area of Sheikh ʿAbd el-Qurna in the vicinity of the Ramesseums, more in Gazīrat el-Baʿīrāt and Gazīrat er-Ramla as in Luxor.

accommodation

The closest hotels can be found in the area of Sheikh ʿAbd el-Qurna. There is also accommodation in Gazīrat el-Baʿīrāt and Gazīrat er-Ramla, Ṭōd el-Baʿīrāt, Luxor as Karnak.

trips

The visit to the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III. can be seen with a visit to other mortuary temples and the burial of officials, e.g. in Sheikh ʿAbd el-Qurna connect.

literature

• Generally
  • Stadelmann, Rainer: Mortuary temple and millennium in Thebes. In:Communications from the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Department (MDAIK), ISSN0342-1279, Vol.35 (1979), Pp. 301-321.
  • Ullmann, Martina: King for Eternity - The Houses of Millions of Years: An Inquiry into the King's Cult and Temple Typology in Egypt. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2002, Egypt and Old Testament; 51, ISBN 978-3-447-04521-6 .
  • Schröder, Stefanie: Millions of years: for the conception of the space of eternity in constellative kingship in language, architecture and theology. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2010, ISBN 978-3-447-06187-2 .

• Mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.
  • Bernand, André; Bernand, Etienne: Les Inscriptions grecques et latines du colosse de Memnon. [Paris]: [Adrien-Maisonneuve]; Institut français d’archéologie orientale, 1957, Bibliothèque d'étude; 31.
  • Haeny, Gerhard (Ed.): Investigations in the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.. Wiesbaden: Steiner, 1981, Contributions to Egyptian building research and antiquity; 11.

Individual evidence

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25 ° 43 ′ 17 ″ N. 32 ° 36 ′ 31 ″ E