AscendingPassage.com HOME PAGE.
See the: Egyptian Secrets Library.
The Temple of Soleb
Built just south of the Third Nile Cataract, by Pharaoh Amenhotep III (18th Dynasty) in honor of the god Amun-Re and to Nebmaatre - which was simply another name for Pharaoh Amenhotep as the lord of Nubia, Soleb (Sulb) temple was over 400 feet long, and the entire enclosure was about 700 by 800 feet. Today foundations and a few columns remain. Two red granite lions from Soleb are now in the British Museum.
Soleb, lithograph by Ernst Weidenbach, 1845
Excerpt from: Travels in Nubia by John Lewis Burckhardt
A Journey along the Banks of the Nile
Published in 1819. Adapted for AscendingPassage.com, 2006.
CHAPTER IX -- The Temple of Soleb
March 15th, 1813.
Instead of proceeding across the desert to Waouy, we followed
the river; in one hour and a half from the place where we slept
we arrived opposite to Soleb, a fine village on the west
bank. There I saw the ruins of a large temple which it had been my
intention to visit, after crossing the river at Tinareh.
The ruins of Soleb,
by Francis Firth, c.1862
I offered
some peasants, who were watering the fields upon an island opposite
Soleb, all the Dhourra (grain) remaining in my provision sack, to carry me
over and back again, which, I think, was as much as offering a
guinea for a similar service to a London waterman; but there was no
Ramous boat, nor any of those goat-skins which when inflated often
serve as a conveyance on the Nile; and as I did not think it
prudent to trust to my arms only in swimming over, I was obliged
pursue my route without gratifying my curiosity. The temple
appeared to have been of the size of the largest of those found in
Egypt; the body of it seemed to be entire, with ten or twelve large
pillars of the pronaos.
The columns at Soleb,
by Francis Firth, c.1862
I hope some other traveler will be more fortunate than myself in being able to
examine this ruin, which I believe to be the most southern specimen
of Egyptian architecture; for I was credibly informed that no
ancient buildings whatever are to be found in the southern parts of
Mahass or in Dóngola.
Which, of course, is not true, but it made him feel better.
The god Amon-Re and
Pharaoh Amenhotep III at Soleb Temple.
by Ernst Weidenbach, 1842-5.
The Temple at Soleb
excerpt from: Travels in Nubia
by John Lewis Burckhardt, published in 1819
For Beautiful Jewelry of Nepal and Tibet
See: JewelryTibet.com.
art at Soleb Temple.
by Ernst Weidenbach, 1842-5.
See a list of chapters
Ascending Passage Home Page
Library of Egyptian Secrets
