Mortuary Temple of Pharaoh Senwosret III

The Mortuary Temple of Pharaoh Senwosret III has a pathway leading from the Wah-Sut Settlement to the Temple’s Cult Entrance Gate. The Mortuary Temple was a purpose-built building; erected and maintained on the instructions of the Pharaoh during Pharaoh’s lifetime. After Senwosret’s death, the Mortuary Temple became the place to venerate the deceased Pharaoh and ensure that their name was remembered for, “Millions of Years”.

The Cult of the Pharaoh would be established here before the death of the Pharaoh and usually all the Priests would be picked by Pharaoh directly.

The Priests dedicated to the Cult would be responsible for the well-being of the Pharaoh’s Soul which was represented within the Temple by his Ka Statue or a Statue which represented his Soul. This would include the waking, bathing, dressing, feeding, praying for, and singing to the Statue which represented Pharaoh’s Soul during the day, and the putting to bed of the “Pharaoh” at night. All this was completed to appease and venerate Pharaoh’s Soul and asking for Pharaoh to intervene on behalf of Egypt with the Deities.

Pharaoh’s hidden Tomb was found at the base and leading off inside the cliffs. It was surrounded by a T-shaped mud brick wall and had an interior room which held a Red Granite Sarcophagus. The Tomb was robbed of some building materials as well as their grave goods, the robbers were State sanctioned, and the Robbery occurred only a matter of years after Pharaoh’s body was placed inside.