EGYPTIAN
ARCHAEOLOGY
A new temple: the mahat of Nebhepetre at Abydos Excavations in 2014 revealed the well-preserved ruins of a previously unknown cult building of the Eleventh Dynasty king Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II at Abydos. Work by Ayman Damarany, Yasir Abd el-Raziq, Ashraf Okasha, Josef Wegner, Kevin Cahail and Jennifer Wegner provides an initial look at this building, identified as a royal mahat chapel. During the summer of 2014 an opportunity arose to conduct the initial excavations of a previously unknown temple at Abydos. It came to the attention of the Ministry of State for Antiquities that a decorated royal building was located beneath the modern town of el-Arabah.An examination of the area was commenced with support of MSA chairman Dr Mamdouh el-Damaty, Ali al-Asfar, as well as Gamal Abd el-Naser and Ashraf Okasha of the Sohag and Baliana inspectorates.The excavation has revealed the well-preserved, standing ruins of a limestone chapel of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II, a king of the Eleventh Dynasty. This building,
Left: map of Abydos with the location and orientation of the Nebhepetre chapel, and possible location of the canal for conveyance of the Abydene gods on boats. Centre: position of the chapel relative to temple of Seti I. Right: schematic plan showing the chapel as currently known.
identified in its dedication inscription as a royal mahat chapel, offers important new insights into the landscape and religious rituals of Abydos at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. The chapel of Nebhepetre lies just beyond the north-west corner of the temple temenos of Seti I.The building is extremely close to the chapel of Ramses I, parts of which are still visible on the surface. The Nebhepetre chapel is now the earliest identified cult building in an area of Abydos that evidently 3