Red Chapel

last update: 19.07.2008
 

Barque shrines (Way-Stations) of the Opet-Festival on the South Wall

 

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.

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

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Copyright: Dr. Karl H. Leser (Iufaa)