122
ICOMOS–IAU Thematic Study on Astronomical Heritage
Location NILE VALLEY (EGYPT) Alexandria
Site
Category
Period
Bibliotheca
Library
Ptolemaic
Alexandria Buto Behebit el Haggar San el Haggar Giza Abu Ghurob Saqqara Saqqara Saqqara Dashur & Meidun
Serapeum Uadjet temple Iseum Ancient Tanis Pyramids Solar temples Zoser precinct Pyramids Noble tombs Pyramids of …
Sanctuary 4&6 6 6&7 6&7 6 6 3, 6 & 7 4 6
El-Fayoum El-Fayoum El-Fayoum Hermopolis Area Tell el Amarna Athribis Abydos Abydos Dandara Luxor (Thebes) Western Thebes
6 6 6 6&7 6&7 5 (6?) 6 4, 5 & 6 4, 5, 6 & 7 4, 6 & 7 3&5
Western Thebes
Seila pyramid Various sites Qsar Qarum Various sites Atun temples Ancient site Umm el Qab Temples Hathor temple Karnak temple Valley of the Kings Deir el Bahari
Western Thebes Western Thebes Western Thebes Western Thebes Esna Kom el Ahmar Edfu Aswan
Deir el Bahari El Assasif Ramesseum Medinet Habu Khnum temple Hieraconpolis Horus temple Elephantine
3&5 3 &5 4, 5 & 6 4&6 5 6 4&6 6
Philae Island Abu Simbel (SUDAN) Kerma
Isis temple Main temple
6&7 6
Scant remains, including possible lecture hall Ptolemaic Foundations and crypts New Kingdom In situ Festival List of Thutmose III Ptolemaic Huge building in ruins Late Period Precinct of the Amun temple 4th Dynasty See Case Study 8.4 5th Dynasty Earliest temples dedicated to the Sun 3rd Dynasty Pyramid, sanctuaries and ‘serdab’ 5th & 6th Dynasties Pyramid texts in burial chambers Old Kingdom Festival lists. Calendar dates. 4th Dynasty Earliest true pyramids built by King Snefru 4th Dynasty Earliest building cardinally oriented Ptolemaic/Roman Temples oriented to New Year’s Eve Ptolemaic Solar hierophany at Sobek temple Various epochs Lunar God city. Lunar alignments? 18th Dynasty Solar temples with cosmic landscape Ptolemaic Zodiacs. Stretching-of-the-cord images Early dynastic Earliest astronomically aligned structures New Kingdom Cosmology of Nut; List of the Kings Ptolemaic/Roman See Case Study 8.3 Several periods See Case Study 8.2 New Kingdom Several celestial diagrams and stellar clocks 11th & 18th Temples of Mentuhotep II and Hatshepsut Dynasties 18th Dynasty Senenmut’s tomb; see Case Study 8.1 Late period Tombs of Mentuemhat and Padamenope. 19th Dynasty Impressive celestial diagram 20th Dynasty Festival calendar; well-preserved temple. Roman Hypostyle hall with astronomical ceiling Early dynasties Earlier-period monuments Ptolemaic The best preserved temple in Egypt Several periods Legendary origin of the Flooding. Nilometers Ptolemaic Impressive grouping of temples 19th Dynasty Solar-illumination phenomenon
Ancient site
6
Several periods
Kawa
Amun temple
6&7
25th Dynasty
5, 6 & 7 4, 6 & 7 6 (7?)
Kingdom of Kush Kingdom of Kush Kingdom of Kush
Earliest astronomical relationships in Sudan A possible local twin of Karnak; dais room See Case Study 8.5 Temples and pyramids; ‘observatory’ Huge sacred precinct; still to be studied
6 4, 6 & 7 6 5 6 6
New Kingdom MK and NK Late Period Roman Late Period Early Neolithic
Egyptian tradition far away from home Temple of Hathor; several steles Temple of Amun Latest celestial diagram Peculiar stretching of the cord image Hypothetical solar and stellar alignments
Area of Napata Barkal & Nuri Meroe Ancient site Butana Region Musawwarat OASES & DESERTS Timna Hathor temple Sinai Serabit Siwa Oasis Oracle temple Dakhla Oasis Deir el Haggar Kharga Oasis Hibis temple Nabta Playa Ancient site
6&7
Brief description
Table 8.0.2. A preliminary list of ancient Egyptian sites that contain significant astronomical heritage. Those that are included within an existing World Heritage Site are shown in italics. The categories are those listed in the section ‘Astronomical/archaeoastronomical context’ above.