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Red Chapel |
last update: 19.07.2008 |
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Barque shrines (Way-Stations) of the Opet-Festival on the South Wall |
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This page shows several quartzite blocks which depict barque shrines (=
way-stations) built between Karnak- and Luxor-Temple. Hatshepsut had
built totally six way-stations which served during the Opet procession
as a resting place of the holy barque of Amun and a place for
purification rites. Thereby, the route from Karnak- to Luxor-Temple on
the east bank had been fixed for the following decades.
For the return the barque "Userhat-Amun" was used - some kind of a floating temple. Later, since the times of Tutankhamun for both ways the river Nile was used. |
| The routes of the processions and among them that of the Opet-Festival are shown on the map above prepared by Bell (1986). The first way-station of Hatshepsut was built at position 11 directly beside the temple of Mut and that of Ka-mut-ef. |
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The blocks of the Red Chapel show 5 of the 6 way-stations because the
block which had shown the 2nd way-station had not been found up to now. However, the name is mentioned in the
presentation of the procession from the 2. to the 3. station:
"The 2. station of Maat-ka-Ra who is strong at the monuments in the House of Amun". All blocks are placed in the 2nd registers above the basis of grano-diorite blocks. The way-stations are numbered in the relief according to their position on the way from Karnak- to Luxor-Temple. The last block of the procession to the temple of Luxor is missing. |
| The way back across the river Nile and the arrival at the temple at Karnak is shown in register 5. |
| The way from the temple at Karnak to the temple of Luxor: | |
| the departure at the temple of Karnak is shown on block - | south side block 226 |
| the 1st way-station is shown on block - | south side block 300 |
| the procession from way-station 1 to 2 is shown on - | south side block 26 |
| the arrival of the barque and the 3rd way-station are shown on - | south side block 305 |
| the 4th way-station is shown on - | south side block 135 |
| the 5th way-station is shown on - | south side block 169 |
| the arrival of the barque and the 6th way-station are shown on - | south side block 170 |
| The way back: | |
| the barque "Userhat-Amun" is shown on - | south side block 104 |
| the royal barque with Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III is shown on - | south side block 171 |
| the barque of Amun leaving the Great Festival Hall, is shown on - | south side block 176 |
| the barque of Amun in the Chapel of Alabaster, "Mn-mnw", is shown on - | south side block 102 |
| music and dancing to honor Amun is shown on - | south side block 66 |
| the return of the clergy into the temple of Amun is shown on - | south side block 130 |