 The chapels of ʿAin el-Muftillā, looking south | ||
| ʿAin el-Muftillā · عين المفتلا | ||
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'Ain el-Muftilla (also Ain el-Muftella, Ayn el-Mouftella, Ain el-Mufteli, Ain Umm Mufteli, Arabic:عين المفتلا, ʿAyn al-Muftillā) is an archaeological site northwest of the city el-Bāwīṭī in the valley el-Baḥrīya. Here are the remains of four chapels, two of which form a unit, from the time of the king Amasis from the 26th Dynasty in Ancient Egyptian Late period. Archaeologists and Egyptologists are most likely to be interested in this sanctuary area.
background
The modern one Name ʿAin el-Muftillā actually refers to a now dried up spring north of the tomb of Sheikh el-Badawī, but is still used today as a name for the archaeological site west of the spring and the tomb. The non-Arabic name muftilla, the meaning of which is no longer known, may have come from Roman times. 350 meters south of ʿAin el-Muftillā, in Qārat eṭ-Ṭūb, was a Roman military camp.
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There are four chapels in a very small space, which were built by Djed-chons-ef-ʿanch, the second prophet of Amun and later governor (mayor) of the oasis at the time of Amasis, the fifth king of the 26th dynasty (reign 570-526 BC . Chr.), And other buildings with a religious purpose. They were used until Roman times.
In contrast to its predecessor Apries tried Amasisto build friendly relations with Cyrene in what is now Libya and with other Greek city-states. The oasis places in el-Baḥrīya achieved a considerable upswing and renewed bloom during this time.
The chapels were all under Djed-chons-ef-anch, but not built at the same time. This can be seen from the inscriptions. The first chapel - the original numbering was in the order in which it was discovered - is the oldest, but in it his brother Shebenchons as governor of the oasis, Djed-chons-ef-anch, is only mentioned in passing. In the fourth chapel Djed-chons-ef-anch is led as the second prophet and governor. The second chapel was built at the height of his power as governor: he is the governor and priest of several gods. The inscriptions in the third chapel are insufficient for a more precise classification.
Originally only these buildings were known from Djed-chons-ef-anch, in which he also named his family: his father was called Pedisi (Padi-Iset), his mother Nʿas. His grave and that of his wife, who was also called Nʿas, are only in 1999 Qārat esch-Sheikh Sūbī found.
The site was founded in 1876 by the German botanist Paul Ascherson (1834–1913) discovered and recorded on a map.[3] In early 1900 Georg Steindorff (1861–1951) expose a wall of the first chapel.[4] 1938–1939 and 2003–2007 the archaeological site became more intense Ahmed Fakhry (1905–1973) and Françoise Labrique from the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale.
As part of the most recent measurements at the beginning of the 21st century, additional buildings were recorded. In total there are about 20. The entire complex is probably mainly dedicated to the cat-shaped fertility goddess Bastet, her son, the lion god Mihōs (Mahes), and Osiris. Among the buildings there is a birth house (Mammisi) and a gold house of Osiris, in which the resurrection of the god was celebrated.[5] It was also recognized that chapels 1 and 3, previously described separately, form a unit.
getting there
There are two main options. Either you go by bike or car coming from el-Bāwīṭī in a westerly direction on the asphalt road Siwa or. ʿAin et-Tibnīya. Immediately on 1 Exit from el-Bāwīṭī(28 ° 21 ′ 0 ″ N.28 ° 50 ′ 45 ″ E) turn north onto the asphalt road. After almost 700 meters you will reach the archaeological site. About halfway there is the fortress on the east side Qārat eṭ-Ṭūb.
The second path runs north parallel to the aforementioned road, but can sometimes only be passed with an all-terrain vehicle. But it is more attractive and can be done on foot or by bike. You walk about in the north of the burial ground of Qārat Qaṣr Salīm going west. You come to an area with palm groves and pass el-Qaṣr in the south. On a small one 2 place with a school one branches off to the right (this is the west). A little later the road forks, you stay on the right.
mobility
The area of the archaeological site can only be explored on foot. The subsoil is sandy. Some of the paths are covered with wooden boards.
Tourist Attractions
Don't forget to buy the ticket at the “museum” in el-Bāwīṭī. There is no sale on site!
The 3 Entrance(28 ° 21 '26 "N.28 ° 50 ′ 50 ″ E) the site is in the east.
The first and second chapels were built from limestone blocks, the third from sandstone blocks. In the case of the fourth chapel, only the doorways were built from sandstone blocks, the walls of the chapel are made of air-dried mud bricks. The walls of the chapels have been preserved up to a height of about 2 meters. The original roofs are missing. Today the chapels are again provided with a wooden roof to protect them from sand.
The depiction in all chapels was in the recessed relief, which was originally painted. Extensive remains of paint can be found in the first chapel.
The original numbering of the chapels was based on their discovery. The entrance to the second chapel is about 8 meters south of the fourth chapel. The third and first chapels are about 13 meters to the west, the first to the south of the third chapel. Closer research at the beginning of the 21st century showed that chapels 1 and 3 one unity form.
Fourth chapel of the Amasis
At the 1 fourth chapel(28 ° 21 '26 "N.28 ° 50 ′ 47 "E) Most of them walk past carelessly, it is on the left hand side of the wooden boardwalk about halfway to the third chapel. The fourth chapel consists only of the door posts of two gates about 6 meters away, the walls, which were formerly made of adobe bricks, are only partially present. The entrance was on the west.
The original representations in four registers (image strips) - three of which could still be made out in 1939 - in which the king Amasis and Djed-chons-ef-anch worship gods like Khnum, Thoth and Horus, can hardly be made out.
The second is about 10 meters south of the fourth chapel.
Second chapel of the Amasis
The 2 second chapel(28 ° 21 '26 "N.28 ° 50 ′ 47 "E) is dedicated to the god Osiris. It is 6.8 meters long on the inside, 2.8 meters wide, 8.8 × 5 meters on the outside and is up to a height of 2.10 meters. The entrance to the chapel is in the south. On the inner walls there were originally two registers on the left and three registers on the right and back, but only the lower one is completely preserved. Of the upper, once middle register of the right wall, only the lower part remains, on which the representations are difficult to make out.
At the wide ones Post of the entrance originally four registers were attached one above the other, the two lower registers are still preserved. In all scenes, King Amasis sacrifices, on the left post above to an unknown male god and below to the god Horus, son of Isis. On the right post, Amasis sacrifices a space to the lion-headed goddess Bastet and below to Thoth. On the facade to the right there are two more scenes: in the upper one, King Amasis offers bread to Horus-Thoth, and in the lower one Djed-chons-ef-anch worships the seated Osiris of TA-wbechet. In the eight-column inscription, the family history and the titles of the Djed-chons-ef-anch are mentioned.
In the hall we start at the left side. Both sides of the chapel differ significantly: on the left an adoration scene by the founder of the chapel and on the right, references to the Osiris myth, which are continued on the back wall. On the left entrance wall is probably Nʿas, the wife of Djed-chons-ef-anch, depicted. The corresponding inscription is unfortunately lost. Immediately in front of her is Djed-chons-ef-anch on the left wall, who in turn follows King Amasis. Amasis sacrifices in front of five standards and six deities, three are male, three are female. The first god is possibly Chons. Unfortunately, the tops of the gods and the associated inscriptions are missing, so they must remain unknown.
At the right entrance wall the incense-smoking Djed-chons-ef-anch is shown. In addition to his titles, the seven-column inscription also gives the name and title of his mother. Above it are a god and a goddess who are standing in front of the sacrificial table on the right wall.
The upper, originally middle register is only partially preserved. It shows the already mentioned sacrificial table from right to left, followed by an ithyphallic one[6] God, probably Osiris, as a sign of fertility or rebirth, behind that the same God twice, first in a box and then with wings. To the left there is a standard of a god and a seated goddess. Further to the left there is a box, a seated goddess, a kneeling person, a god who looks at the standard of truth, and two other standards.
In the lower register there are several scenes (from right to left): First you can see the Iunmutef priest pulling a sleigh with the canopic of Osiris. This is followed by five standing and one lying standards, namely those of Thoth, Chons, Upuaut (Wepwawet), Amun, Horus and Nefertum, the youthful god of the lotus flower. Behind it are a naos on a boat - the emblem of the Ba-neb-djedet, the ram of Mendes - and Anubis in the shrine. In the following one sees Osiris on a couch in the presence of Isis at the foot end and Nephthys on the head, as well as the reclining Osiris with arms crossed over his chest in the presence of Isis.
At the Back wall there are still two of what were once three registers, of which the lower one is much better preserved. The left part of the lower register shows the Junmutef priest followed by Anubis, Isis and Nephthys. The four of them sacrifice to the god Osiris, who has been destroyed today. On the right side you can see Osiris lying on a couch, on his left side a snake and on his right the hippopotamus goddess Apet (Taweret). The badly preserved register above shows the deceased or resurrected Osiris in the presence of several gods.
Third Chapel of Amasis
At the end of the boardwalk there is the so-called. 3 third chapel(28 ° 21 '26 "N.28 ° 50 ′ 46 ″ E). For a long time it was described in literature as an independent, one-room chapel. It is now assumed that this chapel, the two following transverse halls and the adjoining so-called first chapel form a unit.
The chapel mainly contains depictions of the god Bes, who is usually portrayed head-on as a dwarf. Bes is mainly a protective god who protects pregnant women, women who have recently given birth and newborn babies, e.g. the young pharaoh, and the deceased, but also god of music, dance and lust.
The hall that you enter in the north is about nine meters wide and 6.5 meters long on the inside, 12.5 meters wide and ten meters long on the outside and is up to 1.4 meters long. Both the facade and the entrance are undecorated.
In the chapel Left Next to the front door you can see the two feet of a large figure of the god Bes. On the following one East wall there are two scenes: on the left you can see a male figure, the king or governor, worshiping Bes. Further to the right, King Amasis, followed by Djed-chons-ef-anch, prays in front of two gods with a sacrificial structure in between.
At the Back wall, to the left of the exit, two registers can be made out: in the upper one there is a goddess, the god Nefertum and Bes, below the name rings of six of the “nine arches” peoples, the enemies of Egypt. In our case, from right to left, these are the Hanebu (Mediterranean peoples), Schutiu, Tehenu (Libyans), Sechetiu-m, Iuniu-Setet and Pedjetiu-Setet. There are still individual paint residues on the name rings with the tied arms.
The representations to the western walls are in poor condition. On the western entrance wall there were once seven women, goddesses or musicians, in front of the god Bes. The following side wall has been completely destroyed. On the right back wall are the feet of the king worshiping three deities. Another large representation of the Bes follows. On the right Door jamb there are remains of scenes of two male figures standing opposite one another, perhaps that of the king before a deity or that of two deities.
On the east, the left, Door reveal the exit door shows the remains of the scene of the sacrificing king in front of three deities, one of them female. This is followed by two transverse halls, the second with half-columns on the northern entrance walls. The second transverse hall now leads directly to the so-called first chapel.
First chapel of the Amasis
The so-called 4 first chapel(28 ° 21 '25 "N.28 ° 50 ′ 47 "E) is dedicated to King Amasis, who can be seen here in various worship scenes. This chapel has colors that are still quite well preserved on the recessed relief.
The chapel consists of two halls one behind the other and is 16.8 meters long on the outside and 8.1 meters over everything or 5.8 meters without the eastern side chamber, inside 16.3 meters long, 4.5 meters wide and is still standing 2.10 meters high. Immediately behind the entrance on the left is the access to a small side chamber without any inscriptions.
The door jamb on the facade this chapel are decorated, albeit poorly preserved. On the left outer post is the king Amasis, as he sacrifices to the ram-headed battle and fertility god Herischef (Harsaphes), and on the right post, as he sacrifices to the falcon-headed Horus.
In the interior of the chapel, only the lower register is essentially preserved, there are only a few remains of the upper register. Originally the chapel was about 4 meters high. The upper part could be reconstructed from the finds in the rubble. The chapel had a domed ceiling with geometric patterns. cheker-Friese, this is a knot motif that symbolizes the knots on reed mats that early temples were made of.
At the left Entrance wall of the first hall is the lion god Mihōs (Mahes). The falcon-headed Horus follows on the left side wall. The text by the latter god mentions the governor of the Shebenchons oasis, brother of Djed-chons-ef-anch. Behind the door to the side chamber you can see King Amasis offering wine in front of an offering table and ten deities: Amun-Horus, Mut, Chons, Hathor, Semataui-das-Kind ("Who unites the two countries"), Chons-Thot, Nehemʿawat ( the “mistress of the city”, consort of Thoth), Maat, Month-Re and Buto (Udjat).
On the right The entrance wall shows the already mentioned shebenchons at the incense offering, as he follows King Amasis with the Atef crown. On the right wall Amasis, in front of him a sacrificial table, offers a white bread offering to thirteen gods: Mihōs, goddess of fertility Bastet - mother of Mihō -, Amun, courage, Chons-the-child, Herischef, Hathor, Thot, Nehemʿawat, Amun, courage , Anubis and Isis. The posts to the second hall are designed in the same way: on the right the king prays with a lower Egyptian crown in front of Bastet, on the left with an upper Egyptian crown in front of Isis. Behind both scenes there is an upright snake in the corner with its head up. The door reveals are undecorated.
On the inner post of the second hall a goddess can be seen in front of a god, the right one shows courage in front of Amun. The deities on the other, on the left, cannot be determined. At the left wall In the second hall again King Amasis, behind him probably Month-Re and Maat, in front of him a sacrificial table, sacrifices to eight deities: Mahes, Bastet, Herischef, Hathor, Semataui-das-Kind, Nephthys, Sopdu, god of the eastern desert, and Sopdet , Goddess of the Nile flood. The opposite wall is similar: King Amasis offers bread to eight gods: Osiris of TA-wbechet, Isis, Nephthys, Horsaisis (Horus), Seschat, Thoth, Nehemʿawat and Ha, god of the western desert.
At the Back wall are shown on the left Horus before Amun and Mut and on the right Herischef before Month and Maat. The text column between the two scenes comes from Djed-chons-ef-anch, son of Petesis, brother of Shebenchons and second prophet of Amun.
Sheikh el-Badawī's tomb
About 350 meters to the east and outside of the excavation area is a populated area made of adobe bricks 5 Dome tomb of Sheikh el-Badawī(28 ° 21 ′ 21 ″ N.28 ° 51 ′ 0 ″ E), Arabic:مقام الشيخ البدوي, Maqam al-Sheikh al-Badawī. Wrapped in a large cloth, it contains the cenotaph of the honored man buried in the earth, who, as his name suggests, was a Bedouin or descended from Bedouins.
kitchen
Restaurants can be found in el-Bāwīṭī or ʿAin et-Tibnīya. On the way to ʿAin et-Tibnīya is the Ahmed Safari Camp, where you can also stop.
accommodation
Accommodation is usually chosen in el-Bāwīṭī or ʿAin et-Tibnīya.
trips
With the purchased ticket you can visit several sites within a radius of el-Bāwīṭī visit, which you should of course visit because the ticket is only valid for one day. These are the "museum" in el-Bāwīṭī, the burial ground of Qārat Qaṣr Salīm, Qārat Ḥilwa and the Alexander Temple ʿAin et-Tibnīya. The most comfortable excursion is with an all-terrain vehicle or by bike. But you can also walk. In any case, you have a distance of almost 20 kilometers.
literature
- : Baḥria Oasis, vol. I.. Cairo: Government Press, 1942, Pp. 150-171, Figs. 116-121, panels XLII-LXII. Some finds from the first chapel are described in Volume 2, 1950, pp. 21-24.
- : The catalog divin de ‘Ayn el-Mouftella: jeux de miroir autour de“ celui qui est dans ce temple ”. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), vol.104 (2004), Pp. 327-357.
- : Les chapelles saïtes de Taoubekhet à Ayn el-Mouftella, dans l’oasis de Bahariya: edition, traduction et commentaire. Le Caire: Institut français d’archéologie orientale, 2018, Baḥariya; 2.
Web links
- Bahariya, Excavation information from the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale
Individual evidence
- ↑Fakhry, Ahmed: Baḥria Oasis, vol. I., Pp. 158, 160.
- ↑Personal communication dated November 24, 2017.
- ↑: Comments on the map of my trip to the Little Oasis in the Libyan Desert. In:Journal of the Society for Geography in Berlin, Vol.20 (1885), Pp. 110–160, map on panel II. On p. 136 Ascherson mentions "Wall remains of a temple near the northwest tip of the palm forest Qaçr-Bauīti", in the map section "Surroundings of Bauītī" he found "Ruins of an Egyptian temple" about 1 km northwest of the tomb of Sheikh el-Badawī .
- ↑: Through the Libyan desert to the Amonsoasis. Bielefeld [et al.]: Velhagen & Klasing, 1904, Land and people: monographs on geography; 19th, P. 148, fig. 101 on p. 135.
- ↑: Ayn el Mouftella: Osiris dans le Château de l’Or (Mission IFAO à Bahariya, 2002-2004). In:Goyon, Jean-Claude et al. (Ed.): Proceedings of the Ninth International Congress of Egyptologists: Grenoble, 6-12 September 2004; Vol.2. Leuven [and others]: Peeters, 2007, Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta; 150, Pp. 1061-1070.
- ↑With an erect penis.
