Unfortunately the two sanctuaries are in a poor state of preservation. The reliefs on the inside of the temple, which date to Ptolemaic times, are finer than the crude sunken reliefs on the outer walls of the temple, which date to Roman times.
The wall reliefs are well preserved they show all the Ptolemaic rulers who contributed to the decoration of the temple: Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy IX, Ptolemy XII. Many show elaborate palm frond and flower capitals. Attention is drawn to the elegance of the capitals, and their variety of decorative motives. The Great Hypostyle Hall has 10 columns supporting a roof that is decorated with flying vultures along the two main aisles, and astronomical figures beneath the architrave. It has eight columns on each side and an altar near the center. The triads are depicted on the lower parts of the wall.
The righ hand tower shows scenes relating to the triad headed by Sobek with Hathor as his wife, and Khonsu as their son. The left hand tower, which is mostly destroyed, depicted scenes relating to the triad headed by Horus the Elder with Isis as his wife and Horus, ?son of isis?, as his son. In addition to the main temple there is a Birth House and a Shrine to Hathor, both of which date to Roman period. There is evidence that construction and building continued for some four hundred years, the latest Roman emperor featured being Macrinus (AD 217). Two separate doorways extend its entire length, past the halls and antechambers, ultimately leading to two sanctuaries, one to Horus and the other to Sobek. This statue stands as clear evidence about the magnificence of art of ancient Egypt.The Double Temple is built on a traditional plan but there is an invisible division down the middle. A composite scepter consisting of three different scepters: life, prosperity, and stability.He is holding in his hands three scepters: He is represented with a side lock of hair (sign of childhood), wearing a uraeus on his forehead, turned-up beard and a collar which is characteristic of Hathor. The statue represents Khonsu in his second form (almost mummy-form). It has been suggested that the deity carries Tut-ankh-Amun’s facial features because the young pharaoh restored the cult of the various deities and re-opened their temples which were closed by Akhenaton. It dates back to the reign of Tutankhamen as it bears the facial features of this young pharaoh. The statue is made out of the gray granite and was found at Karnak. In this aspect, both Khonsu and Horus were shown in later periods standing on crocodiles.Įgypt art, description of the statue Egyptian art, the statue of god Khonsu
The title “Khonsu the child” is to be understood as a form that corresponds with the young solar deity Horus who was considered as a god of protection. With Shu who supported the sky and with the royal deity Horus.įorm Khonsu’s association with Horus have derived the symbols of authority (crook & flail) and the falcon’s head which he received in most of his scenes while the moon disk on his head was sometimes replaced by the sum disk. Khonsu was connected with two other divine sons:.Thot as both of them was considered as moon gods.Sobek and Hathor as his parents in the triad of Kom-ombu.Amon-Ra & Mut as his parents in the Theban Triad.Khonsu was associated with the following deities: His association with other gods and goddesses The typical representation of Khonsu shows him as a man with the head of a hawk (falcon) and on his head he wears the crescent surmounted by the moon (lunar) disk.Īnother representation shows him in an almost mummy-form with the side lock of hair (sign of childhood) and over his head, there is the crescent surmounted by the lunar disk. The scenes on the walls of this temple show the different king’s who shared in the construction of this temple worshipping Khonsu and his parents “Amon-Ra and Mut”.