Wednesday, October 5, 2016

The third courtyard of Hatshepsut's Temple ( Court & The Solar Cult Complex & North-western Hall of Offerings ) .. Part ( 8 )

Notice : The illustration below the text


Ascending the ramp, we reach the upper court . A colonnade formerly ran along the face of this court, on the upper level .




It consisted of two rows, the front one of twenty-two Osirid statues of Hatshepsut, subsequently converted into square pillars by Tuthmosis III, the back row of the same number of sixteen-sided columns . This is now in almost complete ruin .



Beyond it we pass through the magnificent granite trilithon portal, on which the cartouche of Tuthmosis III has everywhere replaced that of its original builder, Hatshepsut .



And enter the wreck of a large court or hall with the remains of a double row of columns round it .



Across the court, we are faced by a set of wall niches, with the door leading to the sanctuary in the middle . To these we shall return .



Meanwhile we turn to the right, and enter, by a door in the north-east corner of the court, a small vestibule, once adorned by three sixteen-sided columns .



On the inside of the doorway, left side, is a relief of Hatshepsut ( replaced by a figure of Tuthmosis II ), standing between Harakhte and Amûn .



In a niche on the wall opposite the door, the end-wall has a figure of Amûn, defaced but not irretrievably .



And the side-walls have scenes of Hatshepsut at table, with the erased figure of a priest at the other side . Here, most unusually, Hatshepsut's figure has escaped mutilation . A well-rendered vulture of El-Kâb over-shadows her .



We now pass by a door on the left into the Altar Court of this series of chambers . The centre of the court is occupied by a large limestone altar, dedicated by Hatshepsut to Harakhte of Heliopolis . It was approached by ten steps from the west side, so that the officiating priest faced the sun whom he was worshipping .



On the right hand ( north ) of the altar, there is a small funerary chapel, which was apparently dedicated to the worship of Hatshepsut's ancestors ( Anubis or Tuthmosis I ) . Hatshepsut's figure here was erased by Tuthmosis III, and the figures of all the gods were erased by Akhenaten, so that comparatively little is left of the figure-work in the fine relief . Tuthmosis I survives on the end wall of the first chamber ; and on the north wall of the little chamber leading off this, there are well-preserved and coloured figures of Tuthmosis I and his mother Sensonb ; while on the wall opposite is a figure of Hatshepsut's mother, Ahmôse .



We re-enter the open court and pass along to its western end, where a door on the right admits us to the Hall of Amûn, or North-western Hall of Offerings .



In this hall Amûn is identified with Min, as is often the case . The reliefs, which mostly represented Hatshepsut offering gifts to Min-Amûn or Amûn, have been cruelly mutilated ; but one figure of Tuthmosis III, with his characteristic profile, survives .





Part ( 9 ) .. Coming SoOoOon .....
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