Abydos Temple

Abydos was the cult centre of Osiris and one of the holiest places in Egypt, a burial ground for the earliest kings and a pilgrimage destination for two thousand years after that. The temple Seti I built here in the thirteenth century BC is the reason to make the journey: it has seven sanctuaries rather than the usual one, an unusual L-shaped plan, and above all relief carving in raised limestone of a delicacy not matched anywhere else, with much of the original paint surviving in the inner chambers. In a side corridor is the Abydos King List, a chronological sequence of seventy-six royal names that has been central to establishing Egyptian chronology. Behind the temple lies the Osireion, a strange subterranean structure of massive granite piers standing in groundwater.

What you actually see

• Seti I's raised relief - the finest carving of its kind in Egypt, much still painted.
• Seven sanctuaries - an unusual plan with a chapel for each of seven gods.
• The Abydos King List - seventy-six royal names in sequence.
• The Osireion - massive granite piers standing in groundwater behind.

When to go

October to April. Three hours on site; three hours of driving each way from Luxor makes it a full day, usually combined with Dendera. Mornings for the inner chambers before groups arrive.

Honest expectations

The drive is long and the road ordinary. The Osireion is flooded and can only be looked at from above. Inner chambers are dim and flash photography is not permitted. Day trips from Luxor are rushed; the temple deserves more time than most tours give it.

Nearby

Dendera is downriver toward Qena; Sohag lies further north.