Temples

The ancient Egyptians believed that temples were the homes of the gods and goddesses.

Every temple was dedicated to a god or goddess and he or she was worshipped there by the

temple priests and the pharaoh.

Temple of Luxor, Egypt

The large temple buildings were made of stone so that they would last forever. Their walls were covered with scenes that were carved onto the

stone then brightly painted. These scenes showed the pharaoh fighting in battles and performing

rituals with the gods and goddesses.

Six main parts of ancient Egyptian temple

The pylon The courtyard

The hypostyle hall The second hall The sanctuary The sacred lake

The pylon was the large gate at the front of the temple. The walls of the pylon were decorated

with carved and painted scenes of the pharaoh, gods and goddesses. In front of the pylon were obelisks and large statues of the

pharaoh.

Pylon at the temple of Luxor, Egypt

Pylon at the temple of Edfu, Egypt

ObeliskAn obelisk was a tall,

narrow block of stone with a pyramid shape at the tip. The

pyramid was often covered in metal to

reflect the rays of the sun. The tip of an

obelisk represented the land on which the first rays of the sun fell (the 'primeval

mound').

Statues of Ramesses II at the temple of Luxor, Egypt

There were often

statues of the pharaoh placed in front of

temples. This statue is of the pharaoh

RamessesII. Pharaohs wanted to have statues of themselves in front of the temples to show that they were close to the gods and goddesses.

CourtyardThe courtyard was a

large open room without a roof. The outer walls showed

scenes of the pharaoh in battle. The inner walls

showed the pharaoh making offerings to the gods and goddesses.

People were only allowed to enter the temple courtyard on

festival days.

Wall Relief

The walls of the courtyard were decorated with carved and painted scenes. This scene shows a person with a table of offerings that have been

brought to the temple.

hypostyle hall

The hypostyle hall was a large room with columns. Most of the room was dark except for

the centre aisle which was lit by small windows cut into the roof.

This hall represented a marsh in the beginning of time. It was filled with columns that looked like

papyrus plants. In the dark corners, the columns look like papyrus plants with closed flowers.

In the centre where the light shined in, the columns look like papyrus plants blooming in the sun. Scenes of religious rituals were carved

into the walls.

Only the important priests and the pharaoh were allowed to enter the hypostyle hall. This room would

have been used for performing religious rituals.

Falcon-headed sphinx

There were often statues in the hypostyle hall. This statue of a falcon-headed sphinx was found in the hypostyle hall at the temple of Abu Simbel.

This column was carved to look like a papyrus plant with a closed

flower. The papyrus plant was common in ancient Egypt, and the ancient Egyptians often showed

the papyrus in their art.

The papyrus plant was important to the ancient Egyptians because it

was used to make papyrus scrolls. The papyrus plant was

also the symbol of Lower Egypt. In fact, the name for Lower Egypt

in hieroglyphs was shown as several papyrus plants growing

out of the ground.

The second hall

The second hall was filled with columns and was very dark. Only the high priests and the

pharaoh could ever enter this part of the temple.

The walls of the second hall were decorated with carved and painted scenes showing the

pharaoh with gods and goddesses.

Offering statue

It was important for the pharaoh to honour the

gods and goddesses so that they would protect him. The pharaoh took

part in many rituals in the temple. This statue shows

the pharaoh Seti II holding a ram, the animal connected with the god

Amun.

The sanctuary

The sanctuary was the most special and important part of the temple. It was a very dark and mysterious place. Only the high priests and

the pharaoh could ever enter the sanctuary.

In the middle of the sanctuary stood the shrine where the statue of the god or goddess was

kept. The ancient Egyptians believed that sometimes during rituals the god or goddess

would enter the statue.

The walls of the sanctuary were decorated with scenes of the gods and goddesses.

Shrine

Shrines were used to hold the statues of gods and goddesses. The statue of the god or goddess was taken out of the shrine every day and washed,

dressed and fed by the high priests. This shrine would have had doors made of

either gold or wood covered in gold.

Incense burner

The ancient Egyptians believed that the smell of incense pleased the gods and goddesses.

Burning incense was usually part of rituals which took place in the temple.

Bark

A 'bark' was a special kind of boat. A bark was used to carry the statue of the god or goddess when it was taken outside the temple on festival

days. This is a statue of a queen sitting on a bark.

The priests who worked in the temples performed

rituals, and took care of temple business. The

high priests had special duties such as taking care of the statue of the god

or goddess.

This high priest was named 'Roy'. He is holding an

object called a sistrum in front of him. The sistrum

was a musical instrument used in religious rituals.

The sacred lake

The sacred lake was a pool of water next to the temple. It represented the world before time

began. The priests used water from the sacred lake to perform rituals in the temple.