Speos of Horemheb in Egypt

Speos of Horemheb

Across the river from Silsila is the Speos of Horemheb. This is a rock-hewn chapel with five openings formed by four pillars. A ramp of steps once accessed the chapel from the river. Inside there is a vaulted hall that leads to the sanctuary. In the sanctuary are seven statues, including that of Amun (in the center) and the Pharaoh Horemheb. The southwest wall has a scene of Horemheb being suckled by the goddess Taweret, represented as a hippopotamus. She is the god of the Nile, and was worshipped here perhaps more than anywhere else, as this part of the Nile was thought by the Egyptians to be its origin. The decorations were finished by Ramses II.

South of the Speos is a stelae with inscriptions about offerings from Ramses III, Ramses V and Shoshenq I to the gods of Thebes, Heliopolis and Memphis. There are small chapels beyond which are actually tombs commemorating the Nile.

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