Egypt, Thebes: history, attractions, photo

Thebes is an ancient city located in Upper Egypt, not far from modern Luxor. The Egyptians in ancient times called their capital "West", which means "ruling" ("ruling city"), but the Greeks called it "Thebes" or "Thebes" (do not confuse with Thebes in Greece). Homer mentions "the hundred curtained Thebes." Palaces (el-Uksur) called it the Arabs. The same ancient Thebans in their texts often referred to their homeland as "Nyut", which means simply "the city".

First mentions

When did the city of Thebes (Egypt) originate? Its history goes back centuries. In the texts relating to the III millennium BC. The first mention of the city was preserved. The first of them belong to the time of the reign of Pharaoh Mikerin (Menkaure), who lived approximately in the XXVI century BC. E. But the flowering of this city was preceded by a long history.

Amona Cultural Center

In the XXI century BC. E. Thebes unite the whole country and become the capital of Egypt, albeit for a short time. This happened during the reign of the XI Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. In this era in the city began the active construction of monumental sanctuaries to deceased kings and gods. Amon, a local god, has acquired the status of a state. Thebes became the religious and political center of the whole power. The state included a significant territory of modern Sudan. The borders reached Libya in the west. At that time, most of the pharaohs for construction in this city directed a significant part of the resources of ancient Egypt and its numerous external possessions. The center of Amun's culture was the Thebes of Egypt. Here the largest churches were built in honor of this ancient god.

The Center of the Theocratic State and the Monastic Movement

After the revival of the city of Memphis, which became the capital of Egypt in the XIV century. BC. The ancient Thebes (Egypt) preserved the role of the largest religious and cultural center of the country even through the centuries, up to the time of the Romans. In the early I millennium BC. It is the center of the theocratic state that was created in the south of Egypt by the priests of Amun after the collapse of the New Kingdom. It occurred after two uprisings (first in 205-199, then in 199-186 BC) against the Ptolemies, the Hellenistic dynasty. With the spread of Christianity in the first centuries AD. E. The area of Thebes became one of the largest centers of the monastic movement.

City on two banks of the Nile

The Romans destroyed, demolished and plundered many of the buildings of Thebes. Only scientists and archaeologists from Napoleon's retinue managed to awaken the city from a dream. Thebes in ancient times were located on the two banks of the Nile: the eastern and western. Let's first talk about the eastern.

The old capital of Egypt on the east bank of this river was divided into two parts by a canal: in the south grew the city of Luxor, and in the north the village of Karnak is located. On this bank of the river stood two majestic temples - Luxor (in the photo below) and Karnak, which were connected by avenues of sphinxes.

With magnificent houses of nobility, palaces, artificial lakes and gardens of rare trees adjoined magnificent temple complexes. Gilded needles of obelisks, colossal statues of kings, peaks of temple towers pylons have pierced the lapis lazuli sky. Window openings of wealthy houses, lined with green and turquoise faience tiles, looked through the lush green of date palms, sycamore and tamarisk. The skin, the vessels with wine, lapis lazuli, so beloved by the Egyptians, works of art brought here the conquered peoples of Syria. From Africa came caravans with black wood, ivory, gold and incense.

On the west bank of the Nile was the residence of the king, as well as a huge necropolis, which is located in the amphitheater of the rocks. Above it towered the Western peak (Dehenet), which is now called "El Qurn." Meritseger - the serpent goddess ("loving silence"), the ruler of this mountain - guarded the peace of the dead. She protected, according to the legends, not only the burials located in the Valley of the Tsars and the Valley of the Kings, but also the tombs of ordinary townspeople and nobles. If you are going to go here on an excursion, it is better to take with you a headdress, comfortable shoes and a camera. Use a video camera when visiting the Valley of the Pharaohs is prohibited.

Valley of the Pharaohs (Valley of the Kings)

Thebes (Egypt) are famous for the valley of kings. The photo is not able to convey all its splendor, preserved today only partially. The patroness of the Valley of the Kings, as we have already said, was the goddess Meritseger. This place was chosen by Pharaoh Thutmose I (from the XXVI dynasty) for his future burial. He, along with Ineni, the court architect, hoped that the tomb in the rocks is better than the pyramids open to all eyes, protected from plunderers. In order to introduce into even greater error the hunters for profit, in the distance from the tombs temples of the dead were laid. In the Valley of the Pharaohs there are 42 tombs. Of these, almost all belong to the pharaohs. Unlike the rulers of the Old Kingdom, whose capital was in Memphis, the Pharaohs from Thebes of the New Kingdom did not build the pyramids. The tombs were carved into the rocks. They tried to hide from prying eyes as carefully as possible. They buried the entrances into the tombs with large stones, immured them. However, these tricks could not save them from ruin.

Such a form of burials for 500 years remained unchanged and only slightly improved. All the tombs were built in a similar way. An inclined corridor, the length of which was 200 meters, was made in a limestone mountain. He went steeply down to a depth of 100 meters. At the end of the corridor there were 3 or 4 rooms. The ceilings and walls of rooms and corridors cover colored drawings, which have not lost their brightness to this day. They talk about the deeds and lives of the deceased. Secret falling doors led to the burial chamber. The main entrance was masked by earth embankments and hills.

Of the tombs discovered to date, the most notable are the tombs of Amenhotep II, Thutmose III, Horemheb, Tutankhamun, Seti I, Race I, Merenptah and others. Almost all of them were plundered in antiquity. Only the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 was discovered in complete safety by Howard Carter, an English archaeologist. Tutankhamun died at the age of 19 and was not historically significant Pharaoh, however the tomb was filled with decorations, gold and various treasures.

Valley of the Tsars

Thebes (Egypt) is not only the Valley of the Kings. Many other burials can be found on the territory of this city. For example, here is the Valley of the Queens. It should be said that not only the queens were buried in this valley. Here they found peace, except the mothers and wives of the pharaohs, and the Egyptian princes, who died early. Archaeologists in this necropolis managed to find more than 70 tombs. They resemble with their external appearance the tomb of the Valley of the Pharaohs, but their size is somewhat smaller.

The capital of ancient Egypt, Thebes, is the place where you can see the painted tomb of Nefertari, the wife of Ramses II. This tomb is very curious. Her wall paintings, from walls to the ceiling, illustrate the "Book of the Dead." The vault, made in the form of a starry sky, overshadows the burial chamber. This tomb after restoration (in 1995) was opened again for a visit. However, access is limited: groups of 10 people are allowed visitors and only for 10 minutes. Only 150 people have time to inspect it for a day.

The paintings also adorn the walls of the tombs of the sons of Ramesses III, Haemoas and Amenherhepheus, who died early. Paints of wall paintings are so intense that they are painted only today.

Valley of the nobility (Valley of the Grandees)

Many ancient monuments can be found in a country like Egypt. Thebes is no exception. They were the burial place not only of numerous pharaohs and their wives. Also here were buried many courtiers, high-ranking dignitaries and priests who wanted to stay and after death next to their rulers. Tombs form the Valley of the nobility - a huge necropolis, located along the eastern slope of the mountains. It consists, in fact, of 5 cemeteries that are grouped around the massifs of the rocks of El-Tarif, El-Hoch, Kurneth Muray, Asasif, Dra Abu el-Naga and Sheikh Abd al-Qurnah.

Most of these tombs of the city of Thebes (Egypt) date back to the reign of the pharaohs of the eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties. Even to the Ancient Kingdom belong the first graves of the Valley. Here they buried in the Middle Kingdom of the Theban rules, that is, the viceroys of the pharaoh who ruled over Wauset. Pharaohs of the 17th Dynasty in the second period of transition chose the place of their burials for Dra Abu el-Naga. The rulers of the New Kingdom moved their necropolis to the Valley of the Kings, leaving the eastern part of the highlands to their approximate officials.

The tombs of the nobles, of course, were not as huge as the tombs of the pharaohs by which Egypt is famous (Thebes). They consisted, as a rule, of several parts - the walls bounded by the open courtyard, the sanctuary and the burial chamber, which goes underground. Entrance to the courtyard, beginning with the XIX dynasty, was made in the form of a pylon, that is, a gigantic gate that was an integral part of the architecture of the churches that adorned the city of Thebes (Egypt) and other cities of this ancient state. The funeral stelae were installed in the courtyard. In the sanctuaries were statues of the owner of the tomb. The funeral cult of the deceased was sent here - various sacred texts were read, sacrifices of his vital energy were made, which, it was believed, is one of the components of the human essence. The upper part of the facade was lined with tomb cones. It was walled in the thickness of the walls on the "cap" clay "carnations" -cylinders. Special seals on their outer side bear the name of the owner of the tomb, as well as his posthumous and earthly titles.

The paintings and reliefs of the tombs of nobles are rightfully considered to be the masterpieces of the art of Egypt. Most often, the walls of the tombs of nobles were decorated with scenes from their lives. The main idea of such paintings was the reflection of the main events in the life of one or another dignitary, as well as the prosperity that he managed to achieve. This was not done for boasting. The Egyptians believed that everything that was imprinted on the walls of the burial vault would surround the dead and give him joy in the afterlife of the deceased. The most interesting tombs are located in the necropolis of Sheikh Abd al-Qurna. On the walls of some tombs there are drawings of funerary celebrations with dancers and musicians, court scenes, peasants for works. On the left wall, in most cases, depicts the life of the deceased, and on the rest - the ceremony of his burial. The valley of the nobility eventually became the burial place of many people. To date, officially more than 500 tombs have been officially opened.

Colossi of Memnon

Every tourist on the border of the lifeless sands of the desert and wheat fields is greeted by Colossi of Memnon in the city of Thebes (Egypt). Excursions here are also very popular. These are giant statues of the local pharaoh Amenhotep III. Once the two sitting figures, whose height was 18 meters, guarded the entrance to the posthumous temple of this pharaoh, not preserved today. They found Greco-Roman graffiti, which dates back to the time of the reign of Emperor Hadrian. These colossi at one time were known for the fact that one of them at the dawn issued a plaintive groan. It was believed that the Ethiopian Memnon, who died at the hands of Achilles during the Trojan War, Eos, the goddess of the morning dawn, who was his mother, was so welcomed. After the restoration, carried out in 199 g. E. The sounds stopped.

Ramesseum

This does not end with local attractions. Thebes (Egypt) is a city that has much to offer tourists. Among other things - a giant funeral temple dedicated to the god Amon, who ordered the construction of Ramses II. Today this temple is called Ramesseum. It has survived to the present day in a severely damaged state. This temple was erected on the western shore of the city of Thebes (Egypt) by the architect Penra and in ancient times by the monumentality of design and scale surpassed such monuments that were built by the pharaohs of the XVIII dynasty.

Entrance to the territory of the ensemble is now a giant pylon, made of sandstone. Its surface was covered with painted reliefs. Scenes of wars with the Hittites of Ramses II were depicted on bas-reliefs. The first yard is behind the pylon. Its southern wall is simultaneously the facade of the palace located here. The staircase led to the second courtyard, which is located above the first. The giant statue of Ramses, 20 meters high and weighing about 1 thousand tons, stood on either side of this staircase.

The reception hall with 16 columns occupied the central part of the palace. From here one could get to the throne room and the personal chambers of the king. Behind the palace was a women's home. The second courtyard of Ramesseum served as an approach to the funerary temple. The yard was decorated with porticoes. The column hall had 48 columns. The coloring of their capitals has been perfectly preserved. She imitated a thicket of papyrus, which was considered a reed of eternal youth. Pantries and the main sanctuary, the cult part of the temple, were behind the column hall. The famous library was located in the Ramesseum. Diodorus called her a hospital for the soul. In addition, there was a large school of scribes. Archaeologists under the floors of the temple found a mine with the burial of a priest of the Middle Kingdom. Magical wands, several papyri and masks found in the burial chamber of the tomb.

Medinet-Abu

The capital of Egypt - Thebes - as you have already noticed, this is the burial place of many noble persons of antiquity. Let's describe one more such place. Medinet-Abu was once only a quarry, intended for the construction of temples and tombs. Ramesses III, taking Ramesseum as a model, decided to build his posthumous temple in the Medinet-Abu region. At the entrance to the pylons are depicted the victories over the enemies of this pharaoh. To the right of the entrance gate, within the garrison walls, one can see a temple dedicated to the deities of antiquity. To the left rise the tombs of the wives of the god Amon.

All these attractions are worth a visit if you go on a trip to Egypt (Thebes). It's one thing to read their description, it's quite another to see with your own eyes. Of course, it's worth visiting Egypt. Thebes especially like the lovers of antiquity and the mysteries of history.