happy, as there are so many temples in Gûrneh. The tomb of Sety Ist in the valley (No. 17) is perhaps the largest and finest of all the royal sepulchres, and although this mortuary temple is not so large as those of later kings-for example, those of Rameses IInd and Rameses IIIrd-it was a more imposing structure than any built by previous kings. At the present time the entire court in front of the main temple, which was entered through the usual pylons, is destroyed, and thus the building has lost more than half its extent. The temple, however, possesses in beauty and elegance what it lacks in size, and the visitor will not fail to appreciate its graceful proportions. It was built towards the close of the reign of Sety Ist, and was never finished by him, being completed by his son Rameses IInd. Rameses Ist, the father of Sety Ist, had reigned for so short a time that he had made for himself only a small tomb (No. 16) and had erected no mortuary temple. Sety Ist therefore included his name in the inscriptions in this temple, and his figure is to be seen here and there upon the walls. Rameses IInd showed his filial piety in completing the temple, though probably he was only using funds specially left by Sety Ist for that purpose. The names of Kings Merenptah and Septah have been inscribed here; but no later king touched the temple, which must have soon fallen into disuse. At the time of writing the temple is much encumbered by fallen stones, but the Antiquities Department proposes to clear them away within the next few years. On certain days the vendors of small antiquities are authorised to ply their trade at a bench in front of the temple ; and visitors are again reminded that only those who bear a brass badge exposed upon their arm are licensed, and that it is against the rule, made for the comfort of visitors, for these merchants to offer their goods to tourists upon the pathways or highroads.

We first enter the colonnade in front of the temple. Upon the façade, along the lower row, the figures of the provinces of Egypt, each in the form of the Nile god Hapi, are seen bearing the produce of the country towards the main door. Above this, to the right of the middle doorway (1), there is a large figure of Rameses IInd, who decorated the whole of this wall, sacrificing to Amen-Ra seated within a shrine. Behind the god there are standing figures of Mut, Khonsu, hawk-headed, and the king again. Beyond this (2) the king dances before Min. We now enter the northernmost of the three doors, and find ourselves in a large roofless hall, which originally contained ten columns, the back portion being divided into several chambers. These columns

and dividing walls are now destroyed, and one sees but a large open area, on the surrounding walls of which Rameses IInd is shown offering to various gods. We pass through the door on our left and enter a small chamber. On the left wall (3) Rameses IInd is seen dancing before Min, behind whom stands the goddess Ament. Between the king and the god there are two tall stands upon which are two sacrificial vessels and a bunch of lotus flowers. We now pass through this chamber into the central Hypostyle Hall, the decorations of which were almost completed by Sety Ist. Just to the north of the main doorway (4) that king is led forward by Mentu and Tum, the former giving him the symbol of life. Next to this (5) he receives the symbol of many jubilees from a seated figure of Amen-Ra, behind whom is Khonsu. On the opposite side of the doorway (6) Rameses kneels before the seated figures of Amen-Ra and the deified Sety Ist. Behind the king is Mut, who raises her arms to bless him. Along the upper part of the south wall (7) Sety Ist makes an offering to Amen-Ra, while the vulture goddess of Nekheb hovers above him. Next (8) a now headless figure of the king is shown leading cattle to sacrifice to Min. Then (9) with arms raised he presents the harvest (represented by four stacks of corn decorated with feathers) to the now headless figures of Amen-Ra and Mut. Next (10) the king, again headless, offers flowers to Min and Isis. Then (11) he sacrifices to Amen-Ra, Mut, and Khonsu; and at the end of the wall, lower down (12), he is suckled by Mut, the mother goddess. In the third room on the north of the hall, on the left wall (13), Sety pours out a libation to Osiris, Isis, and Horus; on the end wall (14) he burns incense and pours out a libation to Amen-Ra, Mut, and Khonsu, who are in a shrine; and on the right wall (15) he makes an offering to Osiris enthroned, behind whom are Isis, Hathor, and Nephthys. We now enter the second, or middle, room on the south side of the hall. On the left wall (16) the jackal-headed Wepwet makes an offering to the enthroned and deified Sety Ist, behind whom is the goddess of the Theban nome. On the end wall (17) the enthroned figure of Sety is purified with holy water by Horus - Supporter-of-his-Mother (p. 199) and Thoth. On the right wall (18) the former offers to Sety who is enthroned with the goddess Maat. Passing into the next room we see on the left wall (19) the figure of Thoth standing before the sacred barque in which the image of Sety was carried at the memorial ceremonies. On the end wall (20) Sety is seen enthroned between Amen-Ra and Mut, the patrons of Thebes, on the

one side, and Ptah and Sekhmet, the patrons of Memphis, on the other. On the left wall (21) Horus-Supporter-of-his-Mother makes an offering to the soul of Sety, behind whom is a goddess, on whose head is the name of this temple.

We now pass out into the front gallery and enter the temple again by the southernmost of the three main doors, which leads us into a two-pillared hall dedicated to the worship of Rameses Ist. On the right wall (22) Rameses IInd is seen kneeling before AmenRa, who gives him the symbol of jubilees. Behind the king is Mut; and behind Amen is Khonsu and the deceased Rameses Ist. Three sanctuaries lead off this hall. In the two side ones are reliefs showing Rameses before the gods. In the middle sanctuary we see Sety on either side offering to the sacred barques of AmenRa. On the end wall (23) Sety is twice seen, in the guise of Osiris, in a hawk-topped shrine. The back chambers of the temple are much ruined and do not repay a visit.

CHAPTER X

THE TWO MORTUARY TEMPLES OF DÊR EL BAHRI

ALTHOUGH the smaller of the two temples at Dêr el Bahri is

not often visited, the large temple is to be regarded as one of the finest ruins in Egypt. It is built against the cliffs at the western end of a bay not far north-west of the Ramesseum. There is a rest-house near the temple at which visitors travelling under the arrangements of Thos. Cook & Son, or those staying at the Winter Palace Hotel or Luxor Hotel, may take their lunch. At the gates of the rest-house the vendors of small antiquities are authorised to sell their goods to the tourists (see p. 258). It is usual for parties of tourists to visit the Tombs of the Kings in the morning, to lunch at this rest-house, and then to visit Dêr el Bahri in the afternoon; but those who have the time to spare will find it best to combine the excursion to this temple with something less fatiguing than a visit to the royal valley. The name Dêr el Bahri, "The Northern Monastery," has reference to the Christian monastery erected on the site of the large temple in about the seventh century A.D. In ancient days this district was known as Zesret, "the Holy," and the two temples were called Zesreti, "The two Holy [Places]."

THE MORTUARY TEMPLE OF NEBHAPETRA

King Nebhapetra Mentuhotep (XIth dynasty), who is generally known as Mentuhotep IIIrd but is perhaps to be regarded as Mentuhotep IInd, reigned for forty-six years from B.C. 2076 to 2030; and we have here his tomb and funeral temple. In causing his body to be buried here Nebhapetra was following the example of his predecessor Nebhotep Mentuhotep Ist, whose tomb,' now filled up, was discovered not long ago just near the house which stands in front of the temple which we are about to describe. This tomb does not seem to have had a mortuary temple attached to it; but 1 Called Bab el Hosan by the natives.