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Gebel el-Silsila or Gebel Silsileh (Egyptian: Khenyt[1], Kheny or Khenu) is 65 km north of Aswan, where the cliffs on both sides of the Nile narrow. The name Kheny (or sometimes Khenu) means "The Place of Rowing". It was used as a quarry site from at least the 18th Dynasty to Greco-Roman times.
Sandstone Quarry[edit]
During the 18th dynasty the Egyptians switched from limestone to sandstone. At this time the quarries at Gebelein were not yielding as much limestone as before. Gebel el-Silsila became a source of sandstone. [2] The use of this stone allowed for the use of larger architraves. [2]
Many of the talatats used by Akhenaten were quarried from here, and used in buildings at Luxor and Amarna. A stela from the early part of Akhenaten's reign shows the king offering to Amun beneath the winged sun-disk. The inscription records that stone was cut for the great Benben of Harakhty in Thebes. [3] Akhenaten's sculptor Bek oversaw the opening of a stone quarry here.
Shrines, Chapels and Temples[edit]
The site contains many shrines erected by officials who would have been in charge of quarrying the stone. Senenmut's shrine is noteworthy because the inscriptions show a change in the status of Hatshepsut. She is said to be the "King's First-born Daughter" and she is depicted as a pharaoh in a striding fashion. Another official from that time is User, vizier. A shrine at this site records User's family, including his father Amethu called Ahmose. [4]
On the west bank are rock cut shrines for Horemheb, Seti I, Ramesses II and Merenptah. The rock-cut temple of Horemheb is referred to as the Great Speos and may have been created in a former sandstone quarry. The temple is dedicated to seven deities, including Amun, the local god Sobek and Horemheb himself. [2]
The three rock-cut chapels belonging to Seti I, Ramesses II and Merenptah are located to the south of Horemheb's Great Speos. [2]
Remains of the Temple of Kheny have been unearthed at Gebel el Silsila, uncovering the temple foundations and blockwork. The ruins are one of the few remnants of the settlement of Kheny or Khenu, the ancient Egyptian name, meaning “Rowing Place”, for Gebel el-Silsila.[5]
24°38′N 32°56′E / 24.633°N 32.933°E
References[edit]
- ^ Kitchen, Kenneth A., Pharaoh Triumphant: The Life and Times of Ramesses II, King of Egypt, Aris & Phillips. 1983 ISBN 978-0856682155
- ^ a b c d Wilkinson, Richard H., The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Thames and Hudson, 2000, pg 40, 65 and 208, ISBN 0-500-05100-3
- ^ Tyldesley, Joyce. Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen. Penguin. 1998. pg 56, ISBN 0-670-86998-8
- ^ O'Connor, David and Cline, Eric H. Thutmose III: A New Biography University of Michigan Press. 2006, pg 48, 74 ISBN 978-04721146721
- ^ "Long-Lost Egyptian Temple Found : DNews". DNews. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
Category:Archaeological sites in Egypt
Category:Roman sites in Egypt
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