waset_main.jpg
Upper: The Sceptre's Niwt of...
Waset
General Urbs 3 Featured June 20 , 2008
The New Kingdom capital of Egypt, more widely-known as Thebes.
The site of modern-day 'El Aksur' - Luxor.
I shall dance when I sail north, when Waset is with me and the domain of Amun is all around me.
...
Bring me into your city, Amun, for I love it.
I love your city more than bread and beer, Amun, more than clothing and ointments.
The soil of your place is dearer to me than the unguents of another land.

Book of the Dead of the New Kingdom (Assmann)

As with other Egyptian cities, Waset was considered by its inhabitants first and foremost a temple founded on the primeval mound of creation. It was the divine dwelling place of the god Amun and because of this, its citizens had a special relationship with their city and the place of their birth. It was their home, the place they aspired to return to and the place in which they wished to be buried.

As a city, Waset seems to have emerged from obscurity during the Old Kingdom which makes its history relatively recent in comparison to older cities like Abu. It gained prominence when the rulers of Dynasty XI adopted Waset as their base and administrative centre. It would be the rulers of the succeeding dynasty who established Waset as the capital of Upper Egypt. The city reached its apogee in the New Kingdom and although no longer Egypt's capital, the city retained political and religious significance thereafter. It was not until the Late Period that the city's importance declined.

Royal burials on Waset's west bank began to occur in Dynasty XI culminating in the royal necropolises of the New Kingdom period. The west bank is home to the gravesites of ruler, offical and workman alike. The Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens saw the burials of rulers such as Ramesses II, Merenptah, Tiye, Ay, Seti I and Horemheb. The private tombs of Yuya and Thuyu, Bay and others are also located on the west bank along with the Deir el-Medina workers' necropolis. Mortuary temples abound; one of the most famous being that of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri. Also on the west bank palaces were constructed - the most notable of which was Amenhotep III's residential palace at Malkata (Malqata).

Waset is also home to Karnak or jpt-swt,'the most select of places', a temple complex dedicated to the cult of Amun-Re. Two kilometres distant and dedicated to the divine triad of Amun, Mut and Khons, is the temple complex of Luxor known at the time as the 'Southern Harem,' together with Karnak, provided one of the reasons for the city's importance. Using the vehicle of Amun's visit to his wife Mut who it was believed resided in Luxor, the yearly sacred Festival of Opet begun in Karnak and culminating in Luxor would see the deified king re-emerge from the brink of chaos rebirthed as the son of Amun-Re, a symbolic gesture that ascribed divine status on the king and, because of it, ensured the continued existence and heka of the Egyptian state.

Waset
Use the map to access places of interest

Things to do in Waset
Try your luck in the Malkata Palace Scavenger Hunt


Sources
Ian Shaw and Paul Nicholson, The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, The British Museum Press, 1995 London
Lanny Bell, The New Kingdom Divine Temple: The Example of Luxor, ed. Byron E. Shafer, Cornell University Press, 1997
Rosalie David, The Ancient Egyptians ~ Beliefs and Practices, Sussex Academic Press, 1998
Jan Assmann, The Search for God in Ancient Egypt, Cornell University Press, 2001
The Theban Mapping Project http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/

Credits
Nekhenyheru Aha Mortuary Temple of Merenptah Baenre-merynetjeru
Sankhkare Thutmose The Temple of Luxor



Notable Residents
Senbit Anedjib
Hapshetsut Nebet
MerytMaihes Osorkson
Amaunet Nebet
Maat-ka-Re Hatshepsut
Khnum Mentuhotep
Sementawy Horemheb

apep.gif
Hapshetsut Nebet (content)
Seti Yuya (design)


city_builder.jpg





The Articles of Waset:
Sort by: Featured Date | Date | Title
Ancient Egyptian Religion 3: Temples and Priests Feb 9, 2010
Maps of Upper and Lower Egypt Feb 9, 2010
The Ancient Egyptian Sepats (Nomes) Feb 9, 2010
Quest for Eternal Life Feb 9, 2010
Valley of the Kings - A Remembrance Feb 9, 2010
The Temple Building in Ancient Egypt Feb 9, 2010
Amun Asha Renu; Creator God of Waset Feb 9, 2010
Horemheb's Heir? Feb 9, 2010
A Walk Through the Temple of Amun Feb 9, 2010
Merneptah's Mortuary Temple Feb 9, 2010
The Precinct of Mut at Ipet-Isut Feb 9, 2010
The Festival of Opet at Waset Feb 9, 2010
On Thebes - Herodotus Book II Feb 9, 2010
Hatshepsutīs Red Chapel at Karnak Feb 9, 2010
Female Priestesses in Ancient Egypt Feb 9, 2010
Per Ankh - The House of Life Feb 9, 2010
Godīs Wife of Amun; The Divine Adoratrice Feb 9, 2010
King Tutankhamen's Tomb Feb 9, 2010
The Ancient Egyptian Calendar Feb 9, 2010
Ancient Egyptian Religion 1: Ma'at and the Eternal Return Feb 9, 2010
Next 4Bottom
Write an article for Waset...


The Discussions of Waset:



Copyright 2002-2009 AncientWorlds LLC | Code of Conduct and Terms of Service | Contact Us! | The AncientWorlds Staff