Sunday, June 6, 2010

Medinet habu, June 6th 2010

The Temple of Medinet Habu at sunset.4.6.10


Medinet Habu is the name commonly given to the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses 111
an important New Kingdom period structure in the location of the same name on the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt. Aside from its intrinsic size and architectural and artistic importance, the temple is probably best known as the source of inscribed reliefs depicting the advent and defeat of the Sea Peoples during the reign of Ramesses III


The temple, some 150 m long, is of orthodox design, and resembles closely the nearby mortuary temple of Ramesses II (the Ramesseum). The temple precinct measures approximately 700 ft (210 m). by 1,000 ft (300 m) and contains more than 75,350 sq ft (7,000 m2) of decorated wall reliefs.[1] Its walls are relatively well preserved and it is surrounded by a massive mudbrick enclosure, which may have been fortified. The original entrance is through a fortified gate-house, known as a migdol (a common architectural feature of Asiatic fortresses of the time).

Just inside the enclosure, to the south, are chapels of Amenirdis I, Shepenupet II and Nitiqret, all of whom had the title of Divine Adoratrice of Amun.

The first pylon leads into an open courtyard, lined with colossal statues of Ramesses III as Osiris on one side, and uncarved columns on the other. The second pylon leads into a peristyle hall, again featuring columns in the shape of Ramesses. This leads up a ramp that leads (through a columned portico) to the third pylon and then into the large hypostyle hall (which has lost its roof). Reliefs and actual heads of foreign captives were also found placed within the temple perhaps in an attempt to symbolise the king's control over Syria and Nubia.

In Coptic times, there was a church inside the temple structure, which has since been removed. Some of the carvings in the main wall of the temple have been altered by coptic carvings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medinet_Habu_%28temple%29
I can see I need to go inside the temple again no one has any decent photos of this temple.


What is left of the tomb robbers houses the area had more than 1000 houses all have been taken down some say they will make a museum of the remainder these have no tombs under them

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more than 150 tombs have been discovered since the demolition of these houses
this is just one small area that stretched for some 3 kilometers along the mountain range known as Thebes. there is 10 tombs in this photo. and of course there is nothing inside even the wall paintings have been cut out and sold , so some people do have genuine Pharaohs pieces.


The blog will take at least two days as there are more than 50 photos to show plus photos of the excavations on the perimeter wall to drain off the water table why they are unearthing the footings of the structure is a mystery, in some parts the footings of the temple are 6meters underground, this first shot is of the old entrance gate the work here is done and filled back in
It shows what a sham the Egyptians make of getting pharaonic pieces back from museums abroad, when they cant even look after what they have
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Here the excavation crew have deemed it OK to set fire to 3500 year old mud brick wall part of the outer perimeter wall of the temple Just as much history in the outer wall as the temple itself

This is part of the corner stones of the main stone wall of the temple. behind this wall once lay the priests bathing pool that has long gone and there has been no attempt to dig the old structure out, but here they are digging. There is a time when all the neighboring houses will be destroyed all part of UNESCO 1970s plan that there will be no buildings 700 meters of any ancient tomb or temple. they have had the money to relocate all these people. so why did they not take the properties down before digging this trench so near the temple walls.
From what I see the temple was built on bedrock. So any trench that is built weather its 1 or 50 meters from the wall the water will find its way to that lower point. but after all these are Egyptians and do what they want or think whats best at the time its not their money and if the job is not right they will plead poverty and get more to do the Job again.

This photo shows how the soil excavated from the hole its piled up against the temple wall


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Now the main entrance into the Temple of Ramses 111


This is the first enclosure of the temple, inaccessible! so make do with a shot through the rails.
The first photo was taken the day before. I scrambled up a pile of earth to get this shot over the gate.

This is the tower where it is said the plot was hatched to kill the pharaoh Ramses 11


Part of the outer wall buttresses ,


Medinet habu temple

Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu. http://www.bibleplaces.com/medinethabu.htm
My photos from the hot air balloon showing the whole structure of the temple and its huge mud brick outer walls






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