The Mortuary Temple of Mentuhotep II on the West Bank at Luxor

To the family tomb of Mentuhotep II 11 houses, the king of Egypt, who united in the end of the first argument, in the West Bank of Luxor (Thebes) is an anomaly. It is built deep in the age pyramid of Egypt, and includes many elements of the pyramids. You may even have meta-hierarchy. The name of this temple "(Mentuhotep cult) sites shine for good luck.
In many respects, the compound of the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II, was a great historical approach, so it is not surprising that many of the teams that have achieved at the site. Was the first temple at Thebes Bank-to-house for the worship of Hathor, and predicted the theological concept of the "temples of millions of years", which gained popularity in the New Kingdom. While Lord Dufferin, who discovered a temple on the second half of the 19th, had Henry Edward Naville, "said Henry Hall was the first modern scientists to examine the site between 1903 and 1907. Egypt, which was supported by the Exploration Fund. Between 1911 and 1931, the site was further investigated by a team from the Metropolitan Museum in New York, directed by Herbert Winlock. However, none of these groups have completed their excavations, the site has not been thoroughly investigated until the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo, under the supervision of Dieter Arnold, carved between 1968 and 1971.
Mentuhotep II, select a location on a rocky hill in modern Deir el-Bahri, where some of their predecessors of the transition to build their tombs the first row. Row is a term in Arabic means "row", and these graves were so named row of columns along the interfaces. Most Egyptologists agree that the only compound Mentuhotep II combines architectural elements from the tomb of both staff and hierarchical, despite the lack of agreement appears to the original look of his grave.
The complex consists of the valley temple, the ruins, which lies under the fields on the edge of the Nile Valley, possibly on the ruins of a temple of Ramses IV valley and the road traffic, stands the mortuary temple, a partial cut in the cliff rock, and the burial chamber under the ground. Winlock believed that the structure went through three stages of construction, while Arnold thought he was in four phases. Resort is generally east to west, but slightly tilted to the north.


Although not much is known of the valley temple and the road, and unlike most of his counterparts in the Old Kingdom, was open and the statues of Osiris, and found King along side at irregular intervals. And ends at the main temple complex in a large yard surrounded by a wall of limestone.
In the backyard (West end) stood in the stands the huge mortuary temple. Interface is low, colonnaded room is the porch built with blocks of limestone. This porch, which has two rows of columns, divided into two parts of the slope leading to the second balcony. In origin, where they were decorating the balcony of the walls with scenes from the battle.
Such as temples here at a later time, and the second level is accessed by the slope of large blocks of limestone Ma grove of banana trees and tamarind grown in parallel on both sides. Such balcony can be divided into three sections, consisting of an outer layer of the balcony of the room with columns surrounding the clinic in the northern, southern and eastern side, with a core group in the middle of the corridor.
Under the outer door on this level, and the low level consists of two rows of columns of limestone. Often referred to as elements of a room "above. In the face of these columns were decorated with scenes of Mentuhotep II and various gods, and was inscribed with the text in low relief. The walls of limestone from the back of the room in all parts of the columns were slightly sloping interior decoration of the mobile home and abroad , which indicates that once the interface is composed of the corridor outside. This and other evidence has led scientists to believe that the Egyptian hall of columns, was built at a later time.
An entry in the east wing of the portico columns of the room, located on the main axis of the complex as a whole, and lead to an internal corridor. Can be subjected to this treatment, at least in terms of architecture in ancient Egypt, is defined as the roof of a partially operating around the edges of structure, and was supported by pillars. Often find clinics that surround an open courtyard, but in this case surrounding an inner core. In the meantime, is still 140 ambulatory octagonal pillars arranged in two rows on the west (rear) side, and three rows in each of the other parties. The ambulance was dark by the axes in the outer wall near the balcony outside.
Within the corridor was Egyptologists central core, which is believed to have been a symbolic replica of the hill primitive. We believe that it was very difficult in the mud more or less a cube, and probably surrounded by blocks of limestone. It may spread to the upper terrace, or through the upper corridor. This is the subject of much debate.
Naville, the first investigator of the temple, believed to be the nucleus of the pyramid was built on the rocks under the ground. There are a number of different points of view contrary to this hypothesis. For example, Arnold Naville rejected the argument to a large extent because there simply were not evidence to support that. Not tapered ruins of the pyramid, and are not covered, and therefore believes that this structure, more or less flat roof of a rectangle with stylized representation of the primitive hill. Stadelmann gives the expected change in Arnold with a pile of sand with trees. This would combine the beliefs of Osiris with Tel primitive.
Debate on these issues is not only affected by the absence of remnants of this structure the upper terrace, but also documentary sources of the conflict. For example, the papyrus Abbott certainly refers to the structure and shape of a pyramid. Arnold also found two fragments of inscriptions that contain the name of the structure and seems to escape is the form of a pyramid. We also find other similar references to his name in any other place. American Egyptologist L. Bull saw the name of the obelisk as a "truncated pyramid, projected through another structure. Obelisk seems to be a sun tells us that Paul", and usually run two rays of light on each side. "Inscription on a gravestone from the 12th Dynasty Tutu, the temple is indeed the represented by hieroglyphic sign of the pyramid. About the New Kingdom temple is writing on the walls of the balcony with concern the obelisk, which ended in pyrami.
Despite this, most Egyptologists seem to believe that the superstructure did not take the form of high pyramid. For example, in the Papyrus Abbott, other graves which are obviously not been named as the pyramids and the pyramids. Therefore, we believe that Egyptologists on the ruins of the cemetery and the burial took the form of a pile or pyramid, or more likely, the tradition of the ancient royal tombs, and it is linked strongly with the pyramid at this time that was used in the puzzle of the pyramid to represent all those graves. But for us it is important to note that this controversy has not ended completely. Perhaps the new archaeological discoveries that established a day of rest.
On the western side of the balcony on the second floor is a row of graves found in six shaft carved in the rock. These tombs were built on what appears in the temple when he opened the expansion project to the west. Underground sections built of blocks of limestone, with false doors and worship statues. Appears to have been buried a woman of the royal family in these graves. Interestingly, all of these young women were killed, mostly in almost twenty years and the youngest only five. Egyptologists speculate that they have all died around the same time, because of an accident or epidemic. Only four of them titled Royal campus. Arnold believes that others may have been priestesses of Hathor, although Callender argues that marriage were prepared for diplomats Mentuhotep II in order to stabilize and unite the country after years of chaos in the First Intermediate Period.
Between the spouse, are especially noteworthy. One, a Nubian, whose importance is clear evidence of a wooden coffin decorated, and was named Aashait (Ashait). Kauit and other (Kawit), and the coffin of limestone with large patterns well, and now in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo.
Westward expansion made some time after the initial construction of the funerary temple. The expansion will include an open courtyard Baptist, Egypt was the first great hall of columns, a small church to different gods, and carved stone temple, referred to Speos. Sandstone was used in the construction of the courtyard was surrounded by the south and east and north sides by octagonal columns. There were also 82 pillars in the hall of columns. Hall of columns and walls of limestone apartment built of sandstone.
The Temple of Luxor on the western edge of the compound in the hall long jump with a statue in a niche far behind. Here, in the floor is made of sandstone, while the walls of limestone. There was a ramp leading down to the altar of limestone in the rear (western part), which is opposite the mihrab and the huge statue of the king .. This altar seems to have been the focus of the entire complex of the Temple, according to Mark Weiner. This room also was originally the back door. Among many other things found in Speos, a seated statue of the god Amun discovered. However, in a chapel located off the eastern corner of the courtyard of the West was also the cult of the gods Amun many important, including, Mont, Osiris and Hathor, who was found on the statue, which currently resides at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.
In the heart of the pavement of the courtyard of the columns in the west of this addition is a basement down the aisle, I dressed limestone abruptly quits for the remainder made up of rugged rocky walls. It leads to what is known in the king's burial chamber. Naville investigated in the corridor, and the burial chamber in 1906, Arnold returned to school in 1971. Ports along the corridor, which was held some of the walls, six hundred and wooden figures that were once part of the model shops, bakeries and boats. The burial chamber is about 12 meters from the entrance foyer. He's made of granite, and had a roof of the saddle. In fact, in a room is divided into two parts, with a chapel surmounted by a slab of marble, granite and large one, and entered from a double wooden door, and the occupation of the majority. Naville concluded that this room was a symbolic burial of the king, "Ka", or spirit, because it found no coffin here, but now most of the Egyptologists disagree with his conclusions. They now believe that the marble room, and possibly a King coffin.

One reason for this is that in 1899, the famous discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamun, Howard Carter, or rather, his horse, literally found a new puzzle in the compound of Mentuhotep II. While he was driving his car through the courtyard in front of the initial compound, and found his horse. It came down to see if it's a horse and discovered the entrance part of the complex underground tomb. Because of the way they made the discovery, not unlike most of the future and found in Egypt, and the crew of the name of Carter from the infrastructure of the door, Husan, which means "the door on horseback, or on the door."
It began as a post open trench that quickly turned into the corridor. Some seventeen meters deep, Carter discovered a sealed section of brick wall twelve feet thick. And behind this barrier a simple path is still the West that eventually become to the north. At this point, the archeologists found a crater on the ground. Although only two meters deep, showing that the remainder of the wooden box inscribed with the name of the ruler. More from the bottom of the entrance, opened the second axis in the burial chamber of ownership.
Here, Carter's team found the ruins of the empty coffin of wood, without registration, ceramics and bones of animals for slaughter. However, the most important is the discovery of the now famous statue of multiple colors of Mentuhotep II of the sandstone, wrapped in linen, and wore a crown of Lower Egypt on his head. This is also now in the Museum of Antiquities in Egypt. Perhaps because of this statue, Arnold believes that the underground section is symbolic (a coffin), and may relate to festivals dam Mentuhotep II. Apparently, Arnold and many others now believe that the burial chamber in the upper part of this temple is truly the king.