Abydos. Exploring the Ancient Marvel of Abydos. Abydos is The cult temple of Seti I, which is the largest of the extant Abydos temples. It was built of limestone and sandstone blocks to an unusual L-shaped plan, and it has seven sanctuaries instead of the usual one (or three). This temple was built in Dynasty XIX by Seti 1, the decoration of the courtyards, and the first hypostyle hall was completed by his son Ramses II. The temple is entered through the now ruined first pylon which would have fronted a quay linking the temple with the Nile River to the east. A courtyard with battle scenes of Rameses II on the remaining walls and two 'wells' or ablution tanks for the ritual purification of the priests can be seen. The niches once contained Osired statues of Rameses Il on the walls of the portico. The second pylon, hardly bigger than the first was fronted by a portico depicting some of the children of the king. The second courtyard was also decorated by Rameses II. It has a doorway in its southwest corner which gives access to a complex of administration buildings and magazines. It includes an audience hall with a dais for the king's throne which took up space in the long arm of the L-shape. Near the entrance to these buildings, a stela of Rameses II offering to Ptah is set up. Also in the second courtyard is a statue of a king sitting in a shrine. Cult of Osiris and Pilgrimage Center Abydos transitioned into a focal point for the cult of Osiris during the 5th dynasty. The city became a pilgrimage destination for devout Egyptians seeking burial in proximity to Osiris’s tomb. Thousands of stelae bearing inscriptions were erected in Abydos by those unable to afford
Abydos. Exploring the Ancient Marvel of Abydos. Abydos is The cult temple of Seti I, which is the largest of the extant Abydos temples. It was built of limestone and sandstone blocks to an unusual L-shaped plan, and it has seven sanctuaries instead of the usual one (or three). This temple was built in Dynasty
