DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4656#0010
THE TEMPLE OF THE KINGS.
village of Arabah ; the one next the temple is now
clear and visible. There is nothing left of the massive
pylon that divided the two courts except the founda-
tions. The court from wall to wall, N. to S., is
52* 10 m. across the pylon, and 51'90 across the
temple front; and from pylon to temple 42*50. The
diagonals are, from top left to bottom right 66-75 m.,
and from top right to bottom left 67-10. The side
walls of the court draw together towards the W.,
whereas the sides of the temple draw together the
other way, tending to meet to the E., giving the plan
a somewhat wasp-waistcd appearance, the waist being
at E. wall of the temple. The whole courtyard very
nearly corresponds in size to the main part of the
temple, including the two columned courts and the
chapels. These measurements are so close that one
must believe the correspondence is intentional, the
axis of the courtyard being 42 • 50 E. to W., and the
axis inside of the columned courts and chapels being
likewise 42- 50 E. to W.
It may be noticed here that the N. wall of the
Hypostyle courts and chapels is not in a continuous
line ; the chapel wall stands 20 cm. back (or further
to the N.) than the wall of the Hypostyle court; and
the N. wall of the N.W. chamber of the temple stands
back again 25 cm., so that the side of the corner
chamber is 45 cm. back from the whole line of the
N. wall from temple pylon to the hypostyle hall.
The E. front of the temple is approached by an
inclined plane of stone 5 metres wide, with two
parallel series of shallow steps cut in it. This slope
leads on to a terrace which is 1 metre above the
courtyard level, and at the level of the first hypostyle
hall: on it stand twelve square pillars, the average
dimensions of which are 1 • 50 m. X I"35 m., standing
on bases 2-15 m. X 2-10 m. and I metre high. These
pillars probably supported a projection of the main
roof, but no architraves or roof beams remain. The
pillars are not built of solid blocks, some courses have
three and some four separate blocks in each course :
the bases stand 2-60 m. from the temple wall. They
are arranged in two sets of six, on either side of the
main doorway; but they are spaced without any
regard to the position of the other doorways in the
wall ; neither are they really square with the middle
door, as the left hand column is nearer the axis of the
door than the right hand one. The other pillars come
sometimes in front of a door, sometimes opposite one
of its corners. One can only imagine that the pillars
were thought of, and built, after the big doors had
been blocked up. The average interval between the
bases is 1 • 80. The interval opposite the doorway is
2-75. The pillar at the S. end is 2-15 from the side
wall; but the pillar at the N. end is 2-5 from its side
wall. At the S. end of the terrace is a door high up
in the S. wall of the court; there were probably steps
leading up to it off the terrace and courtyard, enabling
anyone to get out of the court without going back
through the pylon gate or through the temple.
The E. main wall is 51-90 m. long and 3*65 m.
thick, pierced by seven doorways ; the middle one is
3-65 m. wide, the other six are spaced more or less
symmetrically, three on cither side of the middle
door; their average width is 2-50 m. and height
5-20 m. These doorways were afterwards built up,
leaving only the next door to the N. of the main
door completely open ; while a very small door 1 -40
wide was left in the blocking up of the N. door of all.
The blocking of the door spaces is 2 "20 thick, leaving
a recess on the inner side 1*45 deep. The inner
surface of the stones was left rough. Two sorts of
limestone have been used ; the main wall is grey
limestone, but the filling is a lighter stone, and some
of the top courses of the main wall on the S. side are
of the same lighter stone. The doors were filled in
before the large inscriptions and figures were cut on
the outer wall. The construction of the wall is
peculiar, and will be noticed further on.
11. The First Hypostyle Hall.—This hall is
51-95 m. X 11" 5 m., and is divided from the second
hall by a wall 2-60 thick pierced by seven doorways,
which correspond fairly closely with the position of
the doors in the main E. wall. The measurements
were obtained by laying the chain from the S.E.
corner in each court, and reading off at each corner of
each door consecutively ; it can thus be seen clearly
by the figures where the irregularities come. These
doors in what we may call the middle wall are all
larger than the doors in the E. wall, and their width
is more variable. The middle one is the only excep-
tion ; this is 3-40 m. as against 3-65 m. of the E.
middle door. Of the six side doors in the E. wall
the largest is 2-70 and the smallest 2 • 50 (measure-
ments being taken across the widest part not between
the door posts) ; but in the central wall the largest of
the six side doors is 3-5 and the smallest is 2-55.
Over each door is a cartouche, supported by uraei
standing out from a cornice that runs the whole
length of the wall. The roof is carried by twenty-four
lotus-headed columns, 7-5 m. high, 4-40 m. in cir-
cumference at the swell of the shaft, standing on
village of Arabah ; the one next the temple is now
clear and visible. There is nothing left of the massive
pylon that divided the two courts except the founda-
tions. The court from wall to wall, N. to S., is
52* 10 m. across the pylon, and 51'90 across the
temple front; and from pylon to temple 42*50. The
diagonals are, from top left to bottom right 66-75 m.,
and from top right to bottom left 67-10. The side
walls of the court draw together towards the W.,
whereas the sides of the temple draw together the
other way, tending to meet to the E., giving the plan
a somewhat wasp-waistcd appearance, the waist being
at E. wall of the temple. The whole courtyard very
nearly corresponds in size to the main part of the
temple, including the two columned courts and the
chapels. These measurements are so close that one
must believe the correspondence is intentional, the
axis of the courtyard being 42 • 50 E. to W., and the
axis inside of the columned courts and chapels being
likewise 42- 50 E. to W.
It may be noticed here that the N. wall of the
Hypostyle courts and chapels is not in a continuous
line ; the chapel wall stands 20 cm. back (or further
to the N.) than the wall of the Hypostyle court; and
the N. wall of the N.W. chamber of the temple stands
back again 25 cm., so that the side of the corner
chamber is 45 cm. back from the whole line of the
N. wall from temple pylon to the hypostyle hall.
The E. front of the temple is approached by an
inclined plane of stone 5 metres wide, with two
parallel series of shallow steps cut in it. This slope
leads on to a terrace which is 1 metre above the
courtyard level, and at the level of the first hypostyle
hall: on it stand twelve square pillars, the average
dimensions of which are 1 • 50 m. X I"35 m., standing
on bases 2-15 m. X 2-10 m. and I metre high. These
pillars probably supported a projection of the main
roof, but no architraves or roof beams remain. The
pillars are not built of solid blocks, some courses have
three and some four separate blocks in each course :
the bases stand 2-60 m. from the temple wall. They
are arranged in two sets of six, on either side of the
main doorway; but they are spaced without any
regard to the position of the other doorways in the
wall ; neither are they really square with the middle
door, as the left hand column is nearer the axis of the
door than the right hand one. The other pillars come
sometimes in front of a door, sometimes opposite one
of its corners. One can only imagine that the pillars
were thought of, and built, after the big doors had
been blocked up. The average interval between the
bases is 1 • 80. The interval opposite the doorway is
2-75. The pillar at the S. end is 2-15 from the side
wall; but the pillar at the N. end is 2-5 from its side
wall. At the S. end of the terrace is a door high up
in the S. wall of the court; there were probably steps
leading up to it off the terrace and courtyard, enabling
anyone to get out of the court without going back
through the pylon gate or through the temple.
The E. main wall is 51-90 m. long and 3*65 m.
thick, pierced by seven doorways ; the middle one is
3-65 m. wide, the other six are spaced more or less
symmetrically, three on cither side of the middle
door; their average width is 2-50 m. and height
5-20 m. These doorways were afterwards built up,
leaving only the next door to the N. of the main
door completely open ; while a very small door 1 -40
wide was left in the blocking up of the N. door of all.
The blocking of the door spaces is 2 "20 thick, leaving
a recess on the inner side 1*45 deep. The inner
surface of the stones was left rough. Two sorts of
limestone have been used ; the main wall is grey
limestone, but the filling is a lighter stone, and some
of the top courses of the main wall on the S. side are
of the same lighter stone. The doors were filled in
before the large inscriptions and figures were cut on
the outer wall. The construction of the wall is
peculiar, and will be noticed further on.
11. The First Hypostyle Hall.—This hall is
51-95 m. X 11" 5 m., and is divided from the second
hall by a wall 2-60 thick pierced by seven doorways,
which correspond fairly closely with the position of
the doors in the main E. wall. The measurements
were obtained by laying the chain from the S.E.
corner in each court, and reading off at each corner of
each door consecutively ; it can thus be seen clearly
by the figures where the irregularities come. These
doors in what we may call the middle wall are all
larger than the doors in the E. wall, and their width
is more variable. The middle one is the only excep-
tion ; this is 3-40 m. as against 3-65 m. of the E.
middle door. Of the six side doors in the E. wall
the largest is 2-70 and the smallest 2 • 50 (measure-
ments being taken across the widest part not between
the door posts) ; but in the central wall the largest of
the six side doors is 3-5 and the smallest is 2-55.
Over each door is a cartouche, supported by uraei
standing out from a cornice that runs the whole
length of the wall. The roof is carried by twenty-four
lotus-headed columns, 7-5 m. high, 4-40 m. in cir-
cumference at the swell of the shaft, standing on