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Dear Friends,
Ramses III Temple - Medinet Habu
Medinet Habu (Habu’s Town) is the Arabic name of the huge Mortuary Temple of Ramses III. – 20th Dynasty - Second only to that of Karnak.
It was modeled on the Ramesseum. The temple has extensive grounds and is worth walking around if you have time. The small temple to the right as you go in is particularly nice. The Nilometer had water in it the last time I was there.
Qasr el Aguz – (Thoth Chapel) - Habu
The temple Qasr el-Agiz or Agur (Old man’s Palace/Castle) is dedicated to the God Thoth. It is in Medinet Habu and is only a short walk south.
It is now a small walled temple surrounded by village houses. There is a particular section inside that has some very nice wall carvings and colorings. The Chapel or Temple dates from Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II and is composed of three successive oblong rooms, two of which are decorated, the room of the offerings and The Sanctuary. The room of the offerings is only partially decorated and the majority of the scenes are simply painted.
The actual purpose of this building is unsure but it was once thought to be an oracular building. The identity of the god is Thoth but the name of Djeme also appears to be connected. In the sanctuary there is a depiction of Amun of Djeme. In the decorations of this monument it is Ptolemy VIII (c. 182BC–116BC), who is portrayed. The names Thoth and Djehuty (image below) relate to the same god. Thoth is the Greek name for Djehuty. The temple is dedicated to Thoth-ibis, a special form of Thoth referred to in the liturgies of the cult of Djeme.
He also carries the usual epithets of Lord of Khmun (Hermopolis) and Lord of the Divine Words. In the temple the god is always represented with a human body and the head of an ibis, sometimes crowned with the lunar disk, sometimes with a crown similar to the atef crown. The major difference is that that this variation does not cover the top of head, but rests on it, and usually resting on the horns of a ram
The Principal Goddess depicted with Thoth is Nehemauait. She wears on her head an architectural sistrum, which allows us to differentiate her from Mut and Hathor. While in the royal scenes, it is Queen Cleopatra who accompanies Ptolemy and plays the role of a Goddess.