Abydos , The most sacred city in all of Egypt

      The most sacred city in all of Egypt, located on the West Bank of the Nile near modern Sohag, Abydos was a center for reli-gious activity for centuries, from Egypt’s Predynastic period to Christian times. Abydos was the earliest and most important cult center for worship of Osiris when the god became popular toward the end of the Old Kingdom. According to the mythology, Osiris’s body was cut into pieces and spread over Egypt, and legend had it that Osiris’s head (some sources claim it was his phallus) was buried at Abydos.

      The earliest buildings at Abydos are the tombs of Egypt’s Predynastic and Early Dynastic rulers. The first pharaohs came from a town nearby—its precise location is unknown—and were buried at Abydos. Today the oldest remains are from the temple of Osiris-Khentimentiu, dedicated to an ancient jackal god associated with Osiris. Khentimentiu means “foremost of the westerners” (the west was reserved for the dead) and stresses Osiris’s role as a protective
funerary god.

    Excavations have unearthed Early Dynastic royal tombs and several wooden boats. A mud-brick tomb of the First Dynasty king, Djer, was thought to be the tomb of Osiris in ancient times. This may have contributed to the growing popularity of the cult of Osiris. The most impressive monument to Osiris at Abydos is the Osireion, a chapel constructed of huge granite blocks and believed to be his false tomb, or cenotaph. In the Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 b.c.), people made pilgrimages to Abydos and many left stele, or offering tablets, for Osiris inscribed with their names and prayers. 

    Abydos was the center for the “mysteries”—passion plays revolving around the life of Osiris. Abydos became a place of pilgrimage, both real and symbolic. A chorus sang prayers, and the audience lit lamps to represent Isis’s search for the pieces of her husband’s body. Osiris was the first mummy and was believed to be the first one to resurrect. He became the king of the Netherworld: Anyone seeking to enter needed Osiris’s permission. Besides being the god of the dead, Osiris also represented the fertility of the land. Tomb paintings often show him with green skin

and his arms crossed over his chest in the form of a mummy. The symbol of Osiris at Abydos was a pole covered with an animal skin and two plumes, which was also associated with Anubis (see Imiut).

 The Second Dynasty kings Peribsen and Khasekhemwy constructed their tombs at Abydos to be near the burial place of Osiris.

   Today, the greatest monument at Abydos is the Temple of Seti I, the father of Ramses II. No Egyp-tian temple can match the carvings and the colors in the temple of Seti I, the first ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty (1295–1186 b.c.). It is so well preserved that visitors can study the ancient religious ceremonies pictured on the walls of the seven chapels.

    Pylons that once stood in front of the temple are now gone, so the approach is from the broad stairs leading to the entrance. Inside, seven aisles lead to seven chapels, each dedicated to a different god, one of which is Seti I. At the entrance to each chapel is a carving of Seti I and the god to whom that chapel is dedicated. The Chapel of Osiris is the third from the right, and here one can see the ancient rituals of the Osiris Cult as performed by the king. Seti is shown as the officiating high priest who is being purified with holy oil. Seti approaches the sanctuary dressed in a simple kilt, carrying an incense pipe and an oil lamp to illuminate the sacred darkness of the sanctuary. The king, chanting prayers, approaches the shrine of Osiris; he unbolts the doors of the sacred shrine; the god, in the form of a cult statue, is greeted with morning hymns and offered food and wine, and incense is burned. The statue of the god is anointed with precious oil and dressed in the finest linen. More prayers are offered, and the god is returned to his shrine. The king withdraws, bowing, and sweeps away his footprints. This ritual is repeated in each of the other six chapels that are dedicated to Horus, Isis (wife of Osiris and mother of Horus), Amun-Re (the great god of Thebes), Re-Horakhty (Horus of the Horizon), Ptah (the creator god), and Seti I. In the chapel of Seti I, the king performs the ceremonies in front of a cult statue of himself.

 Source : ( Egyptian Mythology , Pat Remler )