The foundation deposits and temple rites
Before building any temple in ancient Egypt, there were a set of religious procedures and rites that were carried out first before construction began.
When the king or queen orders the construction of a temple for a god or gods, the appropriate place is chosen first; then the ritual practice begins, the establishment of the temple, and this is done on a night when the moon is crescent in one of the winter months.
The temple building rites are a set of rituals practiced during varying periods before the establishment of the temple and during its construction until its opening. Simply these rituals were performed at night to determine the directions according to the locations of the stars appearing in the sky, in which the king with the help of (Seshat) the goddess of writing by hammering pegs in the main corners The four of the temple to determine its area and tighten the rope, tie it and install it in these pegs.
It is about laying the cornerstone of the temple, defining the design and dimensions of the temple, and linking entrances and exits to the locations of the stars.
One of the oldest texts referring to these rites was inscribed on a granite door jamb belonging to King Khasekhemwe of the Second Dynasty.
The Metropolitan Museum mission also discovered in the excavations of the foundation deposits of the Temple of the Holy of Holies of Amun known as the Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahari in 1923 on a cylindrical bowl made of alabaster dating back to the reign of Queen Hatshepsut and bearing hieroglyphic writing on both the body of the cylindrical vessel and its lid, which are foundational inscriptions that record one of the important rituals and rituals In the establishment of the temple, a tug-of-war ritual.
And if we discussed these rituals, we noticed that there are ten basic rituals for the construction process, which may differ from one temple to another in some rituals, but there are essential rituals that do not change, which are
tug-of-war filament
Where the king and with him the priestess of the goddess Seshat determine the area of ​​the temple and put four lists in the corners of the temple, starting from north to south and then from east to west, and they are connected by rope as previously mentioned
The ritual of casting plaster over the designated area for the construction of the temple from
purification order
Rite numbers of foundation digging
Sand pouring rite on foundation pits
Making the base brick is done by placing the clay inside a rectangle that takes the shape and size of the brick and then leaves it to dry.
Placing foundation deposits that include grains, oils, fruits, bull thighs, and pottery in the foundation pits that were excavated before in the corners of the temple, in addition to placing them also under the external doors and walls of the temple and obelisks and in separate places of the temple in the belief that they expel evil spirits and bring good spirits
The ritual of Bata, i.e., digging the ground to lay the foundations and start construction, begins with laying the foundation stone that the king previously made.
Completely cleansing the temple after completing its construction.
The ritual of giving the house to its master was performed at the dawn of the Egyptian New Year’s Eve in the flood season. The temple was presented to the God or gods prepared for it. This was done in a procession led by the king and the statue of the intended God, and some of the main deities heading towards the temple. And before God enters the temple, the king knocks on the temple door, perhaps to expel evil spirits, and then the statue of God is placed in the Holy of Holies after the celebration.
Offering offerings and sacrifices to God, which usually includes
The thigh of a whole bull and goose or only its head.