TEMPLE OF MILLIONS OF YEARS

The main temple at Abydos was built by Seti ^I (1318-1304 B.C.), and was reworked and completed by his son, Ramses II, who completed most of the decorative bas-reliefs. Long before them, other monarchs had built temples to Osiris on the same site. Together with the Osirion Cenotaph, they form part of a coherent complex dedicated to the cult of Osiris, enclosed by mud-brick walls and accessed via a main pylon to the northeast, or a secondary pylon to the southwest, now overlooking the desert.

First pylon and courtyard, second pylon and courtyard. Nothing remains of these first two courtyards, apart from their architectural foundations. At the far end of the second courtyard is the first portico, preceded by twelve square columns. In this portico are 2 openings and 5 niches; in fact, Sety^I had opened 7 doors and Ramses II had 5 filled in. They led to the five inner chapels.

First and second hypostyle halls, chapels. 24 columns support the ceiling of the first hall, opening onto the second through seven doors. 36 columns support the ceiling of the second hypostyle hall, formerly an offering room, which is divided into two levels. The second level houses 7 chapels, arranged side by side. The central chapel is wider than the others and was dedicated to Amun; to its left, the chapel of Ré, Ptah and the monarch; to its right, the chapels of Osiris, which gives access to other rooms that span the width of the temple, Isis and Horus.

Logistical" rooms. Two doors in the second hypostyle hall lead to two rooms used to store sacred barks, five rooms containing the treasury, and a set of 5 rooms that served as a sacred slaughterhouse; note that jars are sealed to the floor and that gutters were dug to facilitate the draining of blood.

A staircase leads to a promontory outside the temple, giving access to the Osirion-cenotaph.

Osirian festivals have always been celebrated at Abydos, featuring the confrontation between the two brothers Set and Osiris, Isis's search for the body parts of her brother and husband, and the reconstitution of the body. To this day, some visitors to Abydos worship the Osirian cult.