We return, therefore, through the southern buildings
of the great temple to the Hypostyle Hall, from the middle of the north wall of
which a paved path leads to the temple of Ptah .
Before reaching the Hypostyle Hall, the remains of a temple of Taharqa
may be noticed on the right hand, between the north-west end of the sacred lake
and the wall of the great temple .
Passing into the pathway already mentioned, we notice on our left ( west
) hand, first the remains of a shrine built for King Psammetichus III and his
daughter, Queen Ankh-nes-nefer-ib-Rê ( 26th dynasty ) by their major-domo
Peteneit . The doorway shows Psammetichus III and Ankh-nes-nefer-ib-Rê in the
presence of Amûn .
A four-columned hall stands before the sanctuary, and in it Ahmôse II
may be seen with Queen Nitocris . Farther to the north is a shrine in mud-brick
of no interest .
Close to the left-hand side of the path, a little
farther on, is a shrine of Prince Sheshonq, of the time of Ahmôse II, and
farther on still a shrine of Osiris of Taharqa ( 25th dynasty ) .The
figure of this Pharaoh, along with that of the Princess Shepenôpet ( the
daughter of King Osorkon III ), is to be seen on the walls .
We
now reach the temple of Ptah and Hathor, which is entered by no fewer than five
gateways, of which the first is Ptolemaic, the second of Queen Hatshepsut (
cartouches erased, probably by Tuthmosis III ), the third Ptolemaic, the fourth
again of Queen Hatshepsut ( cartouches again erased ), and the fifth gate which
is Ptolemaic, leads into a little four-columned court, with screen-walls
between the columns, which have elaborately carved open-flower capitals .
Beyond this colonnade is the pylon, erected by Tuthmosis III, but
bearing also the cartouches of Ramses III and Ptolemy Euergetes . This leads to
a court which had two columns at its rear, forming a king of vestibule to the
sanctuary .
In this court are three altars, of which the middle one is due to
Tuthmosis III, the one on the southern side to Amenemhêt I, showing that a
Middle Kingdom sanctuary must have existed here at one time, while the third is
uninscribed .
The reliefs show Ptolemaic royalties in some cases, in others Tuthmosis
III, with the gods of the Theban triad, and with Ptah and Hathor . In the upper
register of the north wall Ptolemy XI worships Ptah, Hathor, and Imhôtep, the
ancient architect of Zoser ( 3rd dynasty ), who was deified, and
extremely popular as the god of medicine in Ptolemaic times .
The sanctuary has reliefs of Tuthmosis III, and a headless statue of
Ptah . In the chamber to the right hand of the sanctuary ( south ) stands a
famous black granite statue of Sekhmet, about whose supposed malevolent powers
an infinite amount of nonsense has been talked and written . It was smashed by
a native who attributed his bad luck to its evil influence ; but it has been
restored, and neurotic tourists still continue to make fools of themselves in
its presence ………… LoL hehehehe, though not so ridiculously as was not
infrequently the case a few years ago .
Apart from this nonsense, however, the temple of Ptah
has a distinct literary interest of its own, for it was here that Pesiûr, the
Mayor of Thebes, in company with the king's butler Nesamûn, had his famous
interview with three of the members of the deputation of necropolis workmen in
which he ' spake unadvisedly with his lips ', and got himself into trouble with
the commission which was investigating his charges of tomb-robbery in the
Theban necropolis .
Temple Of Montu .. The Karnak Temple Complex .. Part ( 23 ) .. Coming SoOoOon .....
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So ivenhis subordinate position in the relief, I guess Psammetichus III was only prince at the time ?
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