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Guide to the Antiquities of Upper Egypt from Abydos to the Sudan Frontier.
Chapter 23: From Philae to Kalabsheh (pp.490-514)
THE village of Dabod lies about ten miles
above the barrage. The temple stood originally a short distance back
from the river, with a strip of cultivated land in front of it. The
barrage, however, has raised the water in the winter so that it covers
the main part of the temple. To the north of the temple there is a
fair-sized village rising on the hillside, and to the south there are a
few houses. Behind it the scenery is very magnificent ; jagged points
of dark rock protrude from smooth drifts of vividly yellow sand, while
in the distance the hills gather together into a series of ranges. The
palms still stand in the water in front of the temple, but these will
not last for long.
Fig.1: Map of section of the Nile in Upper Egypt containing the sites discussed.
The ancient Egyptian name for Dabod is not
known with any certainty, but one is tempted to see in it the Abaton.
which occurs so frequently in the inscriptions at Philae and elsewhere.
This word in Egyptian reads 'Et-u’byt, and Dabod might well be the
modern rendering. In Greek times 'Et-u'byt was named Abaton, and it is
generally identified with Philai : but this is not certain. A stele of
Amenemhat II, now at Berlin, was found here, which shows that the town
was in existence as early as the XIIth dynasty. It was then probably a
military outpost in connection with the garrison at Aswan. The King of
Nubia who is responsible for the building of the temple is named "The
King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Rantaa-Setepenneteru, Son of the Sun
Azkharamen, Living for ever, beloved of Isis."
Ptolemy VII,
who seems to have lived just after Azkharamen's reign, added a Greek
inscription on one of the temple walls. The temple was embellished by
Ptolemy Euergetes II, and in later times Augustus and Tiberius added
some reliefs. Diocletian ceded Dabod with the main part of Lower Nubia
to the Nubae, whom he brought from the Oasis of El Khargeh to act as a
(p.491) buffer state between Egypt and Ethiopia, and more especially to
defend the lower Nile from the attacks of the Blemmyes. The temple was
still unfinished at that date, and the introduction of Christianity
into the country prevented its completion. In 1868 an earthquake
shattered the vestibule and other parts of the building, and since then
there have been other falls of masonry. The temple, however, has now
been repaired and restored.
The most important deity to the inhabitants of Dabod
was, of course, Isis; and in the temple she is represented generally in
connection with Osiris-Unnefer and Harpocrates. Other deities were
worshipped in the temple, including Khnum, Amen-Ra, Mut, and Hathor.
Amen-Ra is, in one place, called "Lord of the Throne of the Two Lands
in Bigeh, Bull finding his place in Abaton."
The temple
buildings were made up as follows: On the edge of the river there was a
terrace or quay, from which a paved way led to the front gate,
which was built into the enclosing wall of the courtyard. Beyond this
gate a second and a third were passed through, though these seem to
have had only an ornamental value. The main building was then reached.
Along its face there was a portico, the roof of which was supported by
four columns connected by screen walls. A doorway in the middle led
into the hall, and from this another door opened into an antechamber,
in the back wall of which a third door led into the sanctuary. From the
antechamber a door on either side opened into a long narrow chamber,
that on the north side being intended for the keeping of the sacred
utensils, and that on the south side for a vestry. The priests could
approach the latter by way of a narrow passage which ran along the
south side of the building, and they would thus avoid passing through
the public parts of the temple. From this side of the temple a stairway
ascended to the roof.
On the south of the portico a wing
was added at a later date, but it is now much ruined. The quay is now
under water in winter; in summer ten tiers of masonry blocks sometimes
can be seen, and one is able to make out the stairway which was built
into the stonework. The pavement around the temple has all been dug
away by the natives during the last century, and the thresholds of the
doorways and floors of the chambers are high above the level of the
ground outside, the foundations thus being entirely exposed. The first
gateway is ornamented with the usual cornice and disk. The granite
pivot on which the door swung is still in situ. The threshold of the
second gateway is of granite.
(p.192) On the upper part of
this building there is a much-damaged Greek inscription giving the name
of Ptolemy VIIth and Queen Cleopatra. The third doorway has lately
collapsed, and lies in a confused heap on the ground. The portico of
the temple has also fallen, and fragments of the capitals of the
columns, never finished by the sculptor, are to be seen on the ground.
On the standing front wall of the temple "Autocrator Caesar" is
represented worshipping Isis, Osiris-Unnefer, Khnum, and a lion-headed
god whose name is not readable. As one enters the roofless pronaos the
reliefs on the inner sides of the doorway are seen to represent Horus
and Thoth pouring a vessel of holy water over the approaching
worshipper, while behind them "the Chief Reader-priest, the Chief
Scribe of the North and South," the demi-god Imhotep, sees that the
necessary ritual is said.
Fig.3: Lithograph of the front of the Temple of Dabod by David Roberts, published in 1842.
The walls of the hall are covered
with reliefs, some of them much damaged, showing the Nubian King
Azkheramen adoring the gods of Dabod. Passing into the antechamber one
finds there a large naos of pink granite, lately restored to its place.
It is inscribed with what appear to be the names of Ptolemy Euergetes
II, but the inscription is very hard to read. The remainder of the
temple is uninscribed, but these innermost rooms are the best
preserved, the walls and roof being more or less intact, whereas in the
front rooms the outer walls used to lean in all directions. In the room
on the north side of the antechamber, i.e. that in which the ceremonial
objects of value were kept, there is a man-hole in the floor, opening
into a narrow passage, which leads up a flight of steps into a secret
chamber constructed in the thickness of the wall. It was evidently the
treasure-room of the temple, in which the more valuable objects were
hidden.
The quarries from which the stone for the building of
the temple was cut are situated about a mile to the west, amongst the
rocky hillocks and smooth sand-drifts of the desert. They are not
extensive, and they have no inscriptions of any kind upon them. A walk
up to them, however, repays the visitor, as the view is extremely fine
from the higher ground.
In the high ground to the north-west
of the temple there are a few tombs cut into the hillside, but now
covered again with sand. They are said not to be inscribed, and one,
into which the writer penetrated, was quite devoid of decoration. To
the south of the temple, beyond a sandy valley, there are a number of
tombs of a very poor kind, mostly untouched. They are marked by small
mounds of stone ; while here and there some broken pottery of
(p.493) Roman date and a few white bones show where the inquisitive
native has ransacked one of the graves. Some of these tombs are
somewhat curious in form. Three or four coffin-shaped basins have been
neatly cut into a flat-surfaced outcrop of rock, and, when the body was
placed inside, each was covered by a heap of rough stones.
From Dabod to Tafeh
A
short distance above Dabod lies the village of Dinui, situated amidst
the rugged granite rocks. In summer and autumn, when the water is low,
there is to be seen something of the remains of an ancient temple and
town. Fragments of a column of sandstone and its capital, a block of
granite, and a masonry wall projecting into the river still exist.
These ruins probably mark the site of the Roman Parembole, which is
stated to be sixteen Roman miles above Syene, that place being reckoned
as beginning three Roman miles below Philaei. Thus Parembole is
thirteen Roman miles above Philae, which would place it somewhere about
here, or a little farther south.
The antiquities on the west
side of the river are few in number. In the village of Dimri there are
traces of a quay wall, and the substructure of a small temple of Roman
date ; but very little of it now remains. One large block of hewn stone
has a curious legend attached to it. During the Mameluke occupation of
this country there lived a woman named Gamr ("Moon"), who acquired
great wealth, which she buried before she died. It is the opinion of
some that the treasure is to be found in a valley named after her Wady
Gamar. But others consider that the treasure lies inside or under this
stone. They say that the stone gives out such peculiar noises during
the night that the people who live near it are sometimes unable to
sleep ; and they regard this as an indication of the existence of the
treasure. The noises are variously described as being like the grinding
of a mill, like a sakiyeh or water-wheel, and like a cock crowing!
On
the island of Morgos, some way above Dimri, there are some Morgos.
ruins of crude brick, which are probably the remains of a Christian
monastery of the name, it may be supposed, of Markos. A main building
can be discerned rising amidst the granite boulders, and there are
outbuildings at the southern end of the island. Much Roman and Coptic
pottery lies about.
A mile or so south of Morgos there are a
number of groups of (p.494) tumbled granite rocks, which in winter
become islands, but at low water are joined to the main land. On one of
these rocks the present writer found a fine Greek inscription, dating
from the reign of Hadrian. The houses on the rocks above it form the
north end of the hamlet of Wesiyeh, which is part of the village of
Dehmid. Somewhere in this neighbourhood was the Roman station of
Tzitzi, which was fourteen Roman miles north of Tafeh. About 500 yards
south of this inscription the granite rocks abruptly cease, and the
sandstone reappears. Some 200 yards south of the point at which the
change takes place, and near the southern houses of Wesiyeh, a group of
hieroglyphical inscriptions of considerable size was also found. The
inscriptions are of some length, and are cut on the sides of the
shelving sandstone rocks. They relate to early wars in Lower Nubia ;
and are of great historical value.
Near the southernmost end
of Dehmid there stands the hamlet of Sheymeh, and on the south side of
the mouth of a rocky valley which lies just to the south of this hamlet
there is another group of inscriptions. The most important of these
gives the third year of a king who seems to be Amenemhat Ilnd. The
cartouche of Senusert 1st is also inscribed here, and there are various
names of officials.
On the east bank the village of Dehmid is
separated from the following village, named Umberakab, by a wide valley
in which there is a small plundered cemetery. On the rocks at the south
side of the mouth of this valley there are two long inscriptions cut in
large size. The second of these gives the cartouche of an unknown king,
probably of the XIII-XVII dynasty, whose name seems to read Hakara or
Wazkara, and it refers to one of his nobles. The other inscription
calls on persons who read it to offer a prayer for this same noble.
Near here the writer obtained from a native's house a stele which gives
the cartouche of Amenemhat II. At Umberakab there is a modern pottery
manufactory, which supplies a large part of Nubia.
WADY HEDID AND KERTASSI
The
group of ancient sites which seems to have connected the ancient Tzitzi
with Taphis, commences at the village of Wady Hedid and extends to the
village of Kertassi, some two miles farther to the south. In winter the
houses of Wady Hedid, built (p.495) on the low sandstone rocks,
are lapped by the river ; and the wadys are filled with water for some
distance back, having thus the appearance of tributary streams. The
village stands at the mouth of one of these wadys, and another larger
creek separates this neighbourhood from that of Kertassi.
The
temple of Kertassi stands on a plateau of rock, fortunately above the
highest level of the water. It overlooks the river, and is a landmark
for some miles in either direction. The ruin outlined against the sky,
with its delicate columns rising from the rocks, forms a picture of the
greatest charm. The fortress, which is some distance farther to the
south, stands in water in winter ; and when the barrage is raised it
will disappear during that season.
Unfortunately there is no
mention of the original name of this historic site in the inscriptions.
The name Tzitzi may perhaps correspond to the -tassi in the word
Kertassi, the ker- being a prefix. There are no antiquities of any kind
which can be dated to a period earlier than that of the Ptolemies, and
it does not seem to have been a place of any importance until the
quarries were first worked here. These quarries were extensive, and
from them the stone for building Philae temple was mainly obtained. The
tombs at Wady Hedid are Ptolemaic in character, but now that the water
has flooded all but the plundered graves on the higher levels, one is
unable to say at what date the town was founded. In Roman times there
was a garrison here, and the place was largely peopled by Greek
quarrymen.
Amongst the houses towards the north end of this
village, just Wady at the mouth of a narrow valley, there stands a
column of sand- Hedid. stone with an unpretentious fluted capital, and
near it are the bases of three other columns. This evidently is the
ruin of a small temple, and between it and the water there is a large
quantity of broken stones which seems to form the remains of the
ancient town. The site stands low and will be lost when the water is
raised.
Fig.4a (top): The temple at Kertassi, in a
photograph by Bonfils, ca. 1875. The relief head of the goddess Hathor
can be seen on a column at right.
Fig.4b (bottom): Color lithograph by David Roberts of the Kertassi temple, from 1842.
The
quarries lie to the north, west, and south of the temple, the last
being the most extensive. These extend along the river's edge and also
back on the high levels of the rocks for nearly a mile. The
inscriptions and graffiti, however, are confined to a fine cpiarry
which lies about half-way between the temple and the fortress. This
quarry is entered by a narrow passage cut through the rock just as in
the case of the quarries at Gebel Silsileh. On the sides of the passage
there are some votive stelae, two of which are dedicated to Osiris. A
hawk is also engraved on the stone here.
On the west wall of
this quarry, there are a large number of Greek inscriptions,
Egypto-Roman figures, etc. There is here a shrine or niche in which the
statue of a deity may have been placed; the front is worked in the form
of an Egyptian doorway, with uraei and the sun's disk above, and
pillars up either side. To the right and left of this there is a Roman
bust cut in high relief, the face being in each case damaged. The togas
and hands, however, are well preserved. These busts probably
represented a certain Gaius Dioscuros Julius Macrinus, who records, in
a Greek inscription, that he held the office of Priest of the Carrying
of the Stones {Gomos) under Severus, Caracalla, Maximinus, and
Philippus Arabus, for a total period of about fifty years, in which he
had spent about L300 sterling from his own pocket.
The
main part of the quarry wall is covered with upwards of fifty Greek
inscriptions, each having some six or eight lines of well-cut Greek
letters, and each being enclosed in a rectangle with a triangular tag
at either end. There is also one inscription in demotic. These
inscriptions are ex votos, of the time of Antoninus Pius, Marcus
Aurelius, Severus, Caracalla, and Gordian, and are addressed to Isis,
Sruptikhis, and Pursepmunis. They were mostly engraved by the priests
presiding over the carriage of the stones, and one of them mentions
that no stones were cut by a certain Orses. Philae is referred to as
being the temple for which the stones were intended. The gods
Sruptikhis and Pursepmunis are of Nubian origin, and seem to have been
patrons of Kertassi, the latter being identified also with Osiris. On
the lower part of the wall there are several (p.497) figures of Isis,
etc., cut in relief, some being represented full face.
The
fortress of Kertassi is situated on the edge of the river. nearly a
mile south of the temple. It is a large rectangular enclosure
surrounded by a strong masonry wall, still rising in parts to a height
of some twenty feet. The main gateway is on the north side, and there
are other entrances on the south and west. The former has the usual
concave cornice, and on the sides are a few scratchings, including one
of the figure of Isis. The enclosure wall is constructed of two skins
of masonry with a space between formerly filled with rough stones, and
is a valuable specimen of this type of building. Inside the wall,
against its north side there is a solid mass of masonry, which may have
formed some kind of tower ; and at about the centre of the enclosure
there is another solid construction, which in all probability was the
main tower or citadel. In 1812 Legh saw, in the south-east corner of
the enclosure, a small "temple of Isis," possessing "six beautiful
columns of 3 feet diameter"; but this has now vanished. On the west
side of the fort one may trace the line of the ancient moat. Within
this enclosure the village of Kertassi was built, but when the barrage
was made the place was flooded, and the village was reconstructed at a
higher level. In summer, when the site is dry, the enclosure is found
to be full of broken stones, ruins of houses, and fragments of the
original construction: but in winter only the walls and gateway are to
be seen.
TAFEH
Tafeh
is one of the most beautifully situated villages on the Nile. At this
point the hills fall back somewhat, leaving a bay about a mile and a
half across. To the south the magnificent granite rocks of the Bab el
Kalabsheh shut in the view, and to the north and west the lower
sandstone rocks confine the scene. Along the ridges at the back of the
bay the houses of the village rise, and here a whitewashed mosque
stands out conspicuously against the blue sky. On the lower level there
is a profusion of palms and sycamore trees, which in winter rise from
the water, but in summer and autumn stand amidst crops of beans and
other vegetables. The various ruins stand at different parts of the
bay, and on the hills around ; and they are therefore partly flooded
when the water is high. The best time to see the place (p.498) is in
early November, when the reservoir is still empty and the weather
already cool. Tafeh is about thirty-one miles above the barrage, and it
is therefore by no means difficult of access.
The ancient name
of the place was Taphis, but this is not found in hieroglyphical form.
Its position is of considerable strategical importance, as it lies just
at the mouth of the Bab or Pass, where originally there were rapids. On
the east bank there was the Roman fort of Contra Taphis, which is given
in the Itinerary of Antoninus as ten Roman miles below Talmis or
Kalabsheh; and on the west bank the same list calls Taphis itself eight
Roman miles below Talmis. There are no ruins here which are to be dated
earlier than the Roman occupation, and all the existing buildings seem
to have been built at about the same time as the temples of Kertassi
and Kalabsheh. In AD 300 Taphis became part of the Kingdom of the
Blemmyes, who had conquered the Romans; but in the sixth century the
Christian Nubian king Silko penetrated as far as this town, defeating
the Blemmyes who were still living here. In later times the various
ruins were turned into monasteries and churches, and an early Arabic
MS. gives the general name as the Monastery of Ansoun, and refers to
the solid construction of the walls.
The ruins at Tafeh consist
of two temples, one of which has almost entirely disappeared, and a
large number of dwelling houses constructed of heavy masonry blocks. It
will be best to describe first the latter buildings. At the north-west
end of the bay there is a group of six of these houses. They each
consist of a powerful enclosure wall forming a rectangle, of which the
sides are generally some 55 feet in length; and a number of internal
chambers now ruined and more or less indistinguishable. The height of
these walls is still in parts 15 to 18 feet, and originally all the
walls must have been at least 18 feet high. The roofs, now fallen in,
were partly constructed of stone, and, as will be seen later, were
perhaps partly built of vaulted brickwork. Fragments of ornamented
doorways, etc. are lying about, the usual decoration being the winged
disk and row of uraii. This group of buildings is perhaps to be
regarded as the quarters of the governor of the place, since it
consists of the largest and best situated of the houses.
Between
here and the temple there are four or five enclosures, of which the
most northerly is the best preserved of all the buildings. Entering by
the doorway at the south-east corner one passes into a long entrance
hall, at the end of which another doorway leads into a small anteroom.
A passage (p.499) on the left-hand side leads to a second
anteroom, which again gives on to a chamber which may have been the
sleeping- or living-room. From the passage a doorway on the left side
leads up to the raised hall which occupies the middle of the building,
and was probably the reception-room. Perhaps this was also approached
from the entrance hall by a short flight of steps. The roofing was
mainly of stone, but the reception-room may have had a vaulted brick
roof.
It will be realised that these stone-built
rooms must ha\e been very cool in summer, and it is probably for this
reason that they were built in such a solid manner. The isolated
position of each building, and the lack of loop-holes or turrets, shows
that they were not constructed of such fine masonry for defensive
purposes. In time of war they would have been nothing else but traps
for the defenders. To the west of the temple two small enclosures
stand, and near to it there is another which may have been occupied by
the chief priest. Only the outer walls stand, and in one case there
seems to have been a cornice topping the wall about eight feet from the
ground. Here it is quite certain that the roofing must have been of
brick.
Fig.5: The Temple at Tafeh, from a drawing by Gau published in 1819. Portions of the stone house structures can be seen at right.
The
temple stands not far from the river, and early travellers speak
of a flight of steps which led to it from a quay, but this has
entirely disappeared. The little building is almost perfect, and only a
part of the west wall has fallen. It consists of a single chamber, the
roof of which is supported by six columns with floral capitals. On the
north side is a recess for the altar; while the main entrance is on the
south side, and is ornamented with an elaborate cornice. Originally
there was probably a portico on the south side, and the whole temple
stood on a platform which, under the main building, consists of six
tiers of masonry, making a height of ten feet from the ground. But
these foundations were, of course, not exposed. There are no
decorations on the temple walls. Another temple, still standing at the
south-west side of the bay in 1870, has now almost totally disappeared;
and the natives still speak casually of how it was broken up to supply
stone for their houses. Regarding this building they have a curious
story to tell, which relates how travellers returning to Tafeh from the
north see the temple standing as it used to do, but as they approach
nearer it vanishes.
Between the standing temple and the next
ruins to the south there is a wide space over which the ancient town
probably spread. Just under the towering granite rocks at the south of
the bay there are three more enclosures. The internal walls are ruined
and (p.500) pulled to pieces. From behind these ruins a rough, and now
almost entirely demolished, stairway led to the summit of the rocks.
Here, commanding perhaps the finest view in Egypt, stand the
well-preserved ruins of three buildings. The northern building consists
of a rectangular wall of good masonry, enclosing a space which was
apparently filled with earth and stones, thus forming a platform some
10 or 12 feet in height. Upon this basis rises a large chamber, the
walls of which are made of crude brick, the roof being vaulted. Set in
the brick wall at the south end there was a masonry doorway, which is
now broken and has fallen. The ornamentation on the fragments shows a
mixture of Roman and Egyptian architectural designs, and is a beautiful
piece of work.
A smaller doorway in the east wall led
into an anteroom also with a vaulted roof. The southern building has
its lower part also constructed of well-laid masonry blocks; but here
these rise higher than the floor-level of the chamber which is built
above. This chamber is of crude brick, and its roof was flat, being
supported by cross-beams. Around the walls runs a brick bench which
seems to have been faced with stone. The doorway in the north wall is
now destroyed, but fragments of its ornamental cornice can be seen.
Between these two buildings there is a smaller brick chamber which has
had a vaulted roof.
The broken ground upon which the
group of buildings stands has been levelled into a kind of platform, on
which there are traces of smaller buildings. The view from here is
indeed superb. To the north the town and temple of Tafeh is overlooked,
and beyond this the Nile is seen flowing towards the distant hills. To
the south and west the tumbled granite boulders and ragged hills extend
as far as the eye can see. To the east one looks sheer down on the
river as it winds between the sombre cliffs, and here and there one
catches a glimpse of a little bay in which stand a few palms or other
trees, looking wonderfully green against the purple-brown of the rocks.
Up here all the coolness of the north wind is felt; and it does not
require much effort of imagination to suppose that these buildings
formed the pleasure-house of the Roman governor of Tafeh—a copy, in
idea, perhaps, of the palace of Tiberius on the clifts of Capri. The
buildings were certainly not used as a fortress or even as
watch-towers, for they have no defensive walls, and do not command the
view towards the south which would be necessary.
Looking
again at the remains of the Roman town, one now sees how the natives of
Lower Nubia were enslaved and driven to (p.501) quarry the necessary
stone for the building of these cool houses in the plain, and this
pavilion on the cliffs. Gardens, no doubt, surrounded the houses; and
the Roman officers seem to have made every effort to render their life
comfortable in this distant post. Everywhere traces of elegant
ornamentation are found; and there must be many remains still
unexcavated. For the best part of the Roman occupation there was little
danger of attack at Taphis, the frontier being many miles to the south,
and there being several Roman stations between them. Thus the officers
could amuse themselves here as well as they were able so far from Rome.
The quarries from which the stone was obtained for the building
of the houses and temples lie at the west of the bay, but no
inscriptions were found there. Not far from this there is a medieEval
cemetery in which are many Cufic inscriptions. On the rocks at the
south of the village there are two short inscriptions of the Middle
Kingdom. On a rock some distance inland there is an inscription of
Taharka's reign.
FROM TAFEH TO KALABSHEH
Immediately
after leaving Tafeh one enters the pass known as Bab el Kalabsheh, and
the scenery for the next few miles is magnificent. At the mouth of the
pass there are some inscriptions on the rocks, but these are mostly
unreadable, having been lightly scratched on the scaling surface of the
granite.
A number of islands are presently passed, upon
the largest of which there are some ruined houses of modern times.
About half a mile south of these ruins, the village of Khartum lies at
the mouth of a valley on the west bank. A number of rocks forming
islands in winter, but being connected with the mainland in summer, lie
some distance in front of the village. On the largest of these groups
there are a few inscriptions. The most important of these states that
Isis of Philae owns the country for the thirty schoinoi between the two
wepwat, which in this case means "frontiers." A schoinos is usually
reckoned about 7 1/2 miles, and thus the thirty schoinoi give the exact
distance between the First and Second Cataracts. It would be
interesting to know at what date this statement was made: the
inscription is certainly Ptolemaic or Roman, of course.
Behind
the village of Khartum runs the road from Tafeh to Kalabsheh, where
there are some matters of interest for the archaeologist. One passes
through the village and over the sandy slope, turning, after less than
a mile, to the north and entering a rocky valley along which the
pathway runs. On a rock on the left side of the pathway there is a
small inscription dated in the eighteenth year of Taharka. Passing on
up this path one reaches, after about a mile and a half, an open space
in which stands a small Christian ruin known as the church of Sitteh
Kasmar. The walls of the church are constructed of rough stones, and
the roof was supported by four small pillars, of which the capitals are
Egyptian, and may have been taken from Tafeh. There is a recess for the
altar at the west end. Behind the church are four living rooms for the
priest in charge. The nearest road to the river is directly to the
east, but the road to Khartum is more easily followed.
KALABSHEH
The
town of Kalabsheh comprises a large number of villages, and spreads
itself over a considerable tract of country on either side of the
river. The temple is a magnificent building standing at the foot of the
hills, and can be seen for some distance before it is reached. The
water at its present winter level covers a part of the pier or terrace
of the temple, but the whole edifice will stand in deep water when the
barrage is raised. The temple of Bet el Wali stands higher up on the
hill-side to the north of Kalabsheh, at a point where there is a wide
wady running up into the desert. The space between the two temples is
covered by the ruins of the ancient town. The country is desolate here,
but the view from the hills above the temple is wonderful. On one side
the Nile is seen winding between the rugged hills, and on the other the
desert stretches away to the western horizon in a series of barren
hills and valleys.
The ancient Egyptian name for Kalabsheh was
Thelmes, and from this the Roman name of Thalmis, or Talmis, was
derived. From the fact that King Amenhotep II is shown in one part of
the mural reliefs of the large temple, it may be supposed that he was
the builder of the original temple: and the great activity of that king
elsewhere in Nubia gives colour to the supposition! A statue, bearing
the name of Thothmes III, was seen some years ago lying near the quay.
At Bet el Wali Rameses II records his victories over the people of
Upper Nubia. Ptolemy X (p.503) records his name in one of the buildings
near the great temple.
This latter building was erected in the
reign of Augustus, and was continued under the rule of Caligula,
Trajan, Severus, and others. A decree of Aurelius Besarion, military
governor of Ombos and Elephantine, AD 249, is inscribed on one of the
walls, and orders owners of swine to remove these animals from Talmis;
which suggests that the temple had fallen into disuse just previous to
that reform. There is a cursive Latin inscription in the temple dated
in the twelfth year of Nerva. The Roman withdrawal from Lower Nubia
about AD 300 left Talmis in the hands of the Blemmyes, who made it
their capital, remaining there until Silko, the Nubian king, conquered
them. Shortly afterwards the place became Christianised, and both
Kalabsheh temple and Bet el Wali were used as churches. It remained
thus until the end of the twelfth century, when the Christians were
converted to Muhammedanism at the point of the sword. Bet el Wali, as
is indicated by its name, "the house of the saint," was probably used
as a dwelling place by some "saint" of modern times.
The
inhabitants of Kalabsheh are stated by the travellers of fifty
years ago to have been quarrelsome and riotous. They never permitted a
tax-gatherer or conscript-catcher to enter the neighbourhood, and
travellers were greeted by them with curses or with angry demands for
money. They carried spears, shields, daggers, and other weapons, with
which they threatened their visitors on some occasions. Nowadays they
sometimes carry spears or daggers, but the custom is fast dying out, as
is also their turbulence; and visitors will find them as docile as the
inhabitants of the other Nubian towns.
The great god of Talmis
was Merul or Mclul, the Mandulis or Malulis of the Greeks. He belonged
entirely to Kalabsheh, and is never called anything else but "of
Talmis.” He is represented in various forms, but he is mainly regarded
either as a form of Osiris or as Harpocrates. In most cases he is
associated with the goddess Wazet, or Buto, Lady of Pe and Dep, the two
sacred cities of the Delta. He is always represented in a human form,
and he may be a deified hero, just as is Petisis of Dendur. A
Neo-Platonic hymn in the temple refers to his twin brother Breith. The
human sign is written at the end of his name, and not that of divine
beings. He does not seem to have been in existence as early as the
XlXth dynasty, for he is not mentioned in the Bet el Wali temple. In
this temple many other deities are mentioned, such as Amen-Ra, Khnum,
Min, Ptah, Horus, Isis, etc.
In the (p.504) Kalabsheh
temple the deities, besides Melul, are Osiris-Unnefer, Isis, Horus,
Hathor, Menthu-Harmachis, Amen-Ra, Mut, Min, Khnum, and many others.
Unnefer is perhaps the most important of these gods; he is sometimes
called "Prince of the Hawks." Isis and Horus are the next most
important deities. It is to be observed that Amenhotep II is
represented, in the single scene in which his name occurs, as
worshipping Min; and it may be that that god was of local importance in
the XVIII dynasty.
Fig.6: View of the Temple of Kalabsheh by David Roberts, published in 1842.
The
temple is intended to be approached from the river. Originally one's
vessel would draw up at a quay, some twenty feet high, constructed of
solid masonry. Mounting this one would find oneself on a broad terrace
extending to right and left along the river's edge. This has a breadth
of some sixty yards, and leads back to a second terrace or platform,
and upon this the front pylon of the temple rises, being slightly
deflected from the axis. Between the upper and lower terrace there is a
causeway six and a half yards wide and fifty-three yards long, running
out towards the river in the axis of the temple, and ending in a
rectangular platform, while at the west end a flight of steps leads up
to the temple.
Passing through the pylon one enters the
great hall, which originally was embellished with a colonnade on the
north, east, and south sides. From this hall one passes through a
doorway into the Hypostyle Hall, from which a doorway on the north and
south sides leads into a court, enclosed by a high wall, two metres
thick, which shuts in the western end of the temple. This may also be
entered from the west side of the great hall. From the Hypostyle Hall
one enters the vestibule, and passes on into the adytum, and finally
into the sanctuary, the doors of these three chambers being in the main
axis of the temple. A stairway leads from the south side of the
vestibule to the roof.
The whole temple is enclosed by
an enormous girdle wall, starting from either side of the front pylon,
and enclosing a large area. This wall is twelve feet thick, and is
constructed like that of the fortress at Kertassi, i.e. with two skins
of masonry, having a space between filled with loose stones. It rises
at an average distance of thirty feet from the inner wall. At the
south-west corner of the space thus enclosed there is a rock chapel,
which may have been intended as a "Birth-house." There was a portico in
front of the door of this chapel. At the north-cast corner of the
temple there was again a chapel.
As seen at the present day,
the temple is found to lie in a state of great dilapidation, although
the main walls are not ruined, and (p.505) the works recently carried
on there have rendered the building safe and tidy. The reliefs on the
walls, however, are not badly damaged, and still show much of their
original colouring. The stairway ascending to the roof from the
vestibule is well preserved, though the chambers to which it leads are
much damaged. The quay and terraces are all fairly perfect and are most
imposing. It has been thought that an earthquake is responsible for the
falling of the roof and columns, and if this is so it is a matter for
surprise that the walls of the temple are not more damaged also.
On another of the screen-walls to the north of the
doorway there is a Greek inscription in twenty-one lines, inscribed in
the sixth century A.D., by the orders' of Silko, a Christian king of
Nubia, who had descended the river as far as Kalabsheh and Tafeh in a
successful expedition against the Blemmyes.
Fig.7: Plan of the Temple of Kalabsheh.
The first part of the
inscription reads :
I, Silko, puissant king of the Nubians and all the Ethiopians,
I came twice as far as Talmis and Taphis.
I fought against the Blemmyes, and God granted me the victory.
I vanquiuhed them a second time three to one; and the first time
I fortified myself there with my troops.
I vanquished them, and they supplicated me.
I made peace with them, and they swore to me by their idols.
I trusted them, because they are a people of good faith.
Then I returned to my dominions in the Upper Country.
For I am a king.
Not only am I no follower in the train of other kings.
But I go before them.
Near
this inscription is a small picture of a man in Roman dress seated on a
horse, and receiving a wreath from a winged victory. Perhaps this is
intended to represent Silko. The inscription is written in very bad
Greek, but it is of great historical importance. Not far from this
inscription is one in Meinitic or Ethiopian Demotic. On the
screen-wall, next to that on which the Silko inscription occurs, is
written the decree of Aurelius Besarion, also called Amonius, referred
to above. On a door in (p.506) the south wall there is a Neo-Platonic
hymn in thirty-four Sotadaic verses, referring to Mandulis and his twin
brother Breith. In the Hypostyle Hall the reliefs are unfinished, and
many of the scenes lack their accompanying inscriptions. On the
screen-wall at the south-east side of the hall there is a fairly
well-preserved Christian painting of three Hebrew figures in the fiery
furnace, while an angel in the form of a child offers the central
figure a sword.
On the walls of the vestibule the Roman
Emperors are seen making offerings to the various gods. One may mount
the stairs to the roof which leads from the small chamber on the
south-east of this room. At their summit there is another short flight
of steps descending again into a chamber overlooking the vestibule. A
further, though somewhat dangerous, flight of steps, leads up to the
top of the gateway above the Hypostyle Hall. On returning to the lower
level, the adytum is entered, and here again the walls are covered with
scenes representing the Roman Pharaohs worshipping the gods.
Down
either side of the gateway leading into the sanctuary there are
inscriptions dedicated to Osiris of Abaton and Melul of Talmis. The
sanctuary is decorated with mural reliefs in much the same manner as in
the previous two rooms. The reliefs in these chambers are in many ways
interesting. The colouring is well preserved, and originally must have
been painfully crude. The figures are ill-formed, and the faces quite
negroid in character. The costumes of the Pharaohs and gods are
elaborate, and their headdresses multiform. The gods are often painted
black as though they were negroes, and it is with some surprise that
one sees the youthful Horus with skin of ebony.
The
rock chapel and other outbuildings are hardly worth a visit, having
nothing of particular interest, and requiring something of a climb over
the fallen stones before they can be reached. When the barrage is
raised the visitor will be able to sail at his ease through the
different halls and chambers of the temple. Most of (p.507) the
temple stands on the rock, and now that it has been strengthened it
will bear the strain of the water safelv.
THE TEMPLE OF BET ET WALI
The
temple of Bet el Wali, which was constructed by Ramesses II, is
situated on the hillside to the north-west of Kalabsheh. It is a
rock-cut shrine consisting of an outer court, a vestibule cut in the
rock, and a sanctuary. A pathway leads up to it through the north end
of Kalabsheh village, but the original dromos is lost. The visitor
first finds himself in the open court, The open only the two side walls
of which remain, and on these are the well-known historical scenes from
the life of Ramesses II. Turning to the south wall the first scene at
the east end shows the king in his chariot furiously charging down on
the flying host of Ethiopians, and shooting arrows from his bow into
their midst. Behind him in two chariots are the king's sons
Amenherunamf and Khaemuast, the latter being described as "the water of
the god coming forth in strength." Each of the princes has a driver in
the chariot with him, and the drawing of these is most spirited. The
negroes, who carry bows and arrows, dash back towards their camp
amongst the dom-palms ; two warriors lead along a wounded comrade ; the
women and children run hither and thither in panic ; and one woman
looks up, terrified, from her cooking.
The scene at the
west end of the wall shows the king seated under a canopy, while the
nobles and princes of Egypt bring the tribute of the Ethiopians to him.
Amongst these nobles is Amenemapt, son of Paser, who was also viceroy.
The tribute is shown in two lines. In the upper line are gold rings,
bags of precious objects, fruit, bows, leopard skins, shields, chairs,
fans, feathers, tusks, a lion, a gazelle, oxen, and finally a group of
negro soldiers with spears. In the lower line are prisoners, monkeys, a
leopard, a giraffe, bulls, one of which has its horns ornamented with a
head and hands, women with their children, one carrying two babies in a
basket on her back, a gazelle, an ostrich, and a leopard.
The
above scenes refer to one of the expeditions conducted by Ramesses II
against the Ethiopians, after his long wars in Asia Minor had been
brought to a satisfactory close. The tribute which he received from the
unfortunate negroes is most interesting, and such objects as the
ornamented chairs show that these tribes were not so uncivilised as one
might suppose. The Vicerov (p.508) Amenemapt no doubt carried out all
the arrangements for the expedition; and with the superior arms and
organisation of the Egyptian troops there was probably small chance of
defeat. The negro soldiers represented here before Ramesses show that
the Lower Nubians were as usual employed to fight their ancient enemies
from Kush.
On the north wall of the court the scenes refer to
the wars of the king in Asia Minor and Libya, and their representation
here was intended to show the natives that the Pharaoh was as powerful
at one end of the earth as at another. The first scene at the east end
of the wall shows the king, with axe raised, holding a group of Syrian
captives by the hair; while the Egyptian princes lead in other
prisoners, who are drawn in attitudes of the utmost despair and
exhaustion. In the next scene the king is attacking a Syrian fortress,
and is slaughtering a figure who appears at the top of the tower,
holding a broken bow; while one of the king's sons bursts in the door
with an axe. Dead warriors fall from the battlements, while other
figures supplicate the conqueror, making offerings to him as though he
were a god.
The following scene shows the king bending forward
from his chariot, which is being whirled along by a pair of galloping
horses. He is in the act of striking down his Syrian enemies, who are
flying before his onslaught. Then follows a scene in which Rameses is
represented putting to death a kneeling figure of a Libyan, while, as
an indication of the prisoner's utter humiliation, the king's pet dog
is shown biting him as he kneels. At a respectful distance various
princes and nobles of Egypt bow before the king. In the next portion
the king, seated under a canopy, with his tame lion at his feet,
receives the princes who bring in prisoners. Three forlorn old men are
dragged forward, walking on tiptoe, as though from fright. Below these
are other nobles bowing before the conqueror.
Through the west
wall of this court three doorways lead into the vestibule, and on the
east face of this wall, over the middle door, the king is seen dancing
before Amen-Ra, while at the sides he stands before Min, Khonsu, Horus,
&c. The vestibule is a rock-cut chamber, the roof of which is
supported by two stout fluted columns, each having four perpendicular
bands of inscription down it, giving the titles of the king. The middle
doorway of the three is the largest, and there is reason to suppose
that the other two were added somewhat later. On either side of the
doorway
into the sanctuary there is a niche in which sit three figures, those
on the south side perhaps being the king between Isis and Horus, and
those on the north the king between Khnum and Anukis, but all the
figures are much damaged.
On the sides of the central door as
one enters the vestibule the king is seen being embraced by Amen-Ka and
Mut (?). There is also the small figure of a kneeling man who is the
Viceroy of Ethiopia, Messuy. At the side of the north door is the
figure of the king entering the chamber, wearing the crown of Lower
Egypt : and at the side of the south door the king enters wearing the
double crown. Inside the vestibule the scene on the south side of the
east wall shows the king smiting a negro, representing his conquest of
Nubia. On the south wall the king offers incense and libations to Horus
and Selkis, the scorpion-goddess, while behind the king is another
goddess, whose name is erased, holding the symbols of the years of the
king's life. On the west wall, south of the doorway into the sanctuary,
is the niche mentioned above, and a scene showing the king offering the
symbol of Truth to Amen-Ra of Takens. North of the doorway is a similar
niche and a scene showing the king worshipping Amen-Ra. On the north
wall the king is seen offering to Khnum and Satis, while behind him
stands Anukis with the symbols of years.
On the north
end of the east wall the king smites a Syrian from "the Lands of the
North." Fiom the vestibule a door leads into the sanctuary, a rock-cut
The sanechamber at the west end of which was a niche in which three
tuary. statues sat. These are now quite destroyed, but no doubt
originally represented Rameses seated between two gods. The colouring
in this chamber is fairly well preserved, and is a contrast to the
crude painting in the Kalabsheh temple. On the south side of the
doorway Ramesses is seen embraced by Satis, and on the north side is a
defaced figure of the king embraced by Maket, who says to him, "I am
thy mother Maket, the Great Lady, Lady of Heaven, wife of all the
gods." On the south side of the east wall the king is suckled by Isis,
Lady of Takens; and on the north side of the east wall he is suckled by
Anukis, Lady of Elephantine. The south wall shows the king offering to
Horus and to Amen-Ra. On the north wall he is given "life" by Khnum,
and is supported by Satis ; and in the second scene he worships
Amen-Ra. On the sides of the niche in the west wall there are figures
of Min and Ptah, but the accompanying inscriptions are gone.
The
historical reliefs of this temple have been brought to public notice by
the casts which were taken from them by Bonomi at the expense of Mr.
Hay, and which were finally set up on the walls of the Fourth Egyptian
Room in the British Museum, being (p.510)coloured from notes made by
Bonomi. The remains of the brick domes which roofed the Christian
church may be noticed above the walls of the court.
The
ancient town lay mainly to the north of the temple of Kalabsheh, on the
hillside between that and Bet el Wali, and to the west of the former
temple on the steep slope of the hill. The houses were made of broken
sandstone blocks, and the remains consist only of large masses of these
blocks intermixed with broken pottery. There is a fortified wall of
broken stones which encloses the whole hillside behind this temple, and
this may have bounded the town*on the west side. There are also
indications of late settlements on the top of the hills. The modern
village is clustered around the great temple, but the rising of the
water will oblige the inhabitants to transfer their houses to higher
ground. To the north-west of the temple there are some quarries in
which are two Christian epitaphs, with the Pagan ending "Grieve not: no
one is immortal."
There seem to have been some tombs of
a late date cut into the rock at the back of Kalabsheh temple on the
hillside. At various points on the hilltops some distance back from the
river there are groups of very curious tombs, which, from the pottery
fragments in and around them, appear to date from late Roman times. The
tombs are constructed in the form of circular tumuli, having a diameter
of from six to ten feet. They stand about from one to two metres high,
and their sides in some cases slope sharply. They are neatly built of
broken stones tightly packed, and the outside surface is remarkably
smooth. In the centre of each tumulus there is a small chamber, either
rectangular or roughly circular, the sides and roof of which are formed
of larger slabs of unshaped stone. The body inside must have been
contracted. Stones seem to have been piled on top of this chamber,
bringing the top surface of the tumulus to a flat level. All these
graves have been plundered, and only a few broken bones and fragments
of Roman pottery remain. .Sometimes a number of these tumuli are built
so close to each other that one tomb overlaps another, and loses a
segment of its circle thereby. Tombs somewhat similar to these have
been found in the eastern desert, and it is quite possible that these
in question are to be attributed to the Blemmyes, who inhabited
Kalabsheh, as has already been said, during the late Roman
period.
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