The domain of Mut is located at the south of the great temple of Karnak, perpendicular to the axis of the Xth pylon to which it was joined in antiquity by a avenue flanked on both sides by sphinxes with ram's heads. The processional avenue which went from Luxor toward Karnak turned off to the East in order to pass before the entry of the goddess's domain. An alter of rest for barque of Mut and Khonsu stood besides to this place. On the other side of the avenue was the temple of Amon-Khamutef.
This avenue is under restoration (view 60).
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Plan of the temple of Mut, from "The encyclopaedia of ancient Egypt architecture"
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The walled enclosure of the domain, built by Nectanebo, presents itself currently rather like a trapezoidal slope of 250x350 m. which circumscribes a domain where there is only a door for access. Of the one here, situated at the north, only the base from Ptolemaic times (Ptolemy II and III) remains, along with some sculpted blocks (view 76b).
And this is how it offers itself as a view to the buildings of the domain of Mut, probably once sumptuous, and which is now hardly recognisable because of the overgrown land. One has difficulty in imagining that this walled enclosure contained at least six sanctuaries.
Immediately in line with the entrance, one sees on the ground the remains of the small avenue built by Taharqa (XXVth Dynasty), which leads to the actual entrance of the temple of the goddess Mut (view 11).
From a possible Middle Kingdom foundation, a more imposing building was built to the 18th Dynasty (by Hatchepsut?). It was Amenhotep III (Amenophis) who will rebuild this temple of Mut in sandstone. He furnished it with hundreds (it is thought 720 or 730, one for every day of the year, morning and evening) of statues of the goddess Mut in her leonine shape of Sekhmet (view 8, 9). Later Ramesses II was to restore the building.
Let's enter !
After having cast a glance on the ground to the left of the door of the enclosure on a colossus, pathetically broken (view 10), one discovers the remains of a large "alabaster" stela of Ramesses II on which his marriage to a Hittite princess is reported (view 56, 57, 58).
One first of all passes a pylon. In the thickness of the door is a representation of the god Bes (view 7).
One then enters into a first court (view 1, 2, 3) centred also by a colonnade of the Kushite period, of which all faces were preceded with statues of Sekhmet (view 4, 5, 6).
The second court is in line with the first, with a doorway currently reduced to nearly nothing. This second court, smaller than the first, contained around its periphery columns of square section. Behind these, against the wall, are again numerous Sekhmets and before them (smaller than before) sat the statues of Pharaohs (view 18, view 19, 20, 40, 41).
One of the Sekhmet statues carries on her head a kind of round mortar made up of uraei side by side (view 15, 16). One notices the variation of the headgear of the goddess from one statue to another.
This very particular statue also carries a Pharaoh's cartouches that I identify as Sheshonq I (Meryimen) / Hedjkhepere-Setepenre (view 14, 14b, 13, 13b)
It thus dates to (or wrongfully to) the XXIInd so-called Libyan Dynasty, and more precisely from years 945-924 BC.
Other copies of the goddess are still in good condition, with sometimes the sema-tawy represented on the archaic low cuboid seat (view 21, 22), or another wearing by the solar disk (view 23, 24).
They embody the triple aspect of Mut – Sekhmet – Eye of Re, which the goddess could take.
One then enters (to enter is a very big word, because there nearly nothing standing any more) in the most intimate parts of the temple. One discovers the remains of a stela whose arch portrayed the figures of the Theban triad Amon, Mut and Khonsu (view 25, 26).
Also, one can admire what remains of a group of baboons in worship before the rising sun (view 36).
The periphery of the external wall of the sanctuary, is again lined with statues of Sekhmet (view 27, 29, 33, 34,).
One arrives thus at the sacred lake (Isheru) in the shape of a horse-shoe which surrounds the temple on three sides (view 30, 31). As an historical footnote, it contained fish and some fished there…
On the other side of the lake, towards the west, one finds the remains of the temple of Ramesses III (view 28, 31, 32).
Very much destroyed, there one finds mention of the king's campaigns in the Near-east. In front of it are two headless colossi.
On turning around, the levelled walls allow us to see, one behind the other, the second and first courts, as well as of the varied column bases (view 37, 38, 39).
Now let's go into the zone of the temple of Amenophis III, which of what remains of the pylon indicates the entrance (view 46).
This temple is placed in the northeast corner of the walled enclosure, and it was dedicated to Amon-Re. It is very poorly studied to date.
Some cryosphinxes are a reminder of the god Amon for whom the building was intended (view 54, 55)
Straight away, the eye is attracted to two Osirian colossi. The first, in pitiable state, is half buried (view 51).
The second is interesting (view 50). As one approaches it (view 49) one can decipher the cartouches (view 48). One immediately notices that the inscription has been overwritten.
As to the origin, the Pharaoh was Djehutymes / Menkheperure, therefore Thutmosis IV (1386-1349 BC). In the over-inscription of the top of the cartouche (view 77) one recognises a picture of Ma'at and Re, which seems to indicate Nebmaatre / Amenhotep III, but the layout isn't correct, and the second cartouche (view 78) remains a mystery.
One can however be sure that this building dates, contrary to what is advanced, from before Amenhotep III.
It was also either enlarged or restored by Nectanebo I (380–362 BC) since his cartouches appear on a rest of architrave: Nakhtnebef / Kheperkare (view 47).
On the other hand I don't know who are half buried on these two photos (view 44, 45).
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View 74
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| View 69 |
Once past the pylon, one sees the following areas levelled.
After a colonnaded court, one sees the remains of the hypostyle hall (view 68) with its bases with fluted shafts and one approaches base pieces, the Holy of holies (view 63, 64, 65).
One finds various representations on the ground, sometimes with colourful reliefs (view 70, 73), of groups of gods (view 71, 75, 67), a rather rare effigy of Anubis (view 66), another of Mut in her form of vulture (view 69), etc...
A famous scene: the one of a circumcision (view 74).
The last area at the bottom and on the left (view 62), although of small size, includes again two very visible columns (view 61).
Good, the guards lose patience… A good tip and everybody is happy.
It only remains to leave the temple and to head by the avenue of Mut toward the Xth pylon of Karnak (view 60).
Original page created by Thierry Benderitter
© Copyright OsirisNet 2007
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| NB : The walled enclosure of Mut is currently forbidden to the public because of excavations |
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Bibliographic Summary
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-AUFRERE S, GOLVIN
JC, GOYON JC : L'Égypte restituée, T1, Errance,
1991
-ARNOLD D : The encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt Architecture, I.B. Tauris,
2003
-WILKINSON R H : The complete temples of Ancient Egypt, Thames and
Hudson, 2000
-CLAYTON P : Chronique des Pharaons, Casterman, 1995
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