Soleb
The Nubian Villages
Soleb is an ancient town in Nubia, today’s Sudan. The site is located north of the third cataract of the Nile, on the western side of the Nile roughly around 700km, northward of Khartoum, known now as a Nubian village. It was discovered and described by Karl Richard Lepsius in 1844.
In Soleb village stand the remains of a beautiful temple, built by Amenhotep III (c. 1386-1353 BCE) was the ninth king of the 18th dynasty of Egypt.
The temple most probably was built by the architect Amenhotep
son of Hapu, who is shown repeating the Pharaoh’s gestures during the Sed-Festival depicted in the first courtyard. The temple is dedicated to the god Amun-Re, built and the deified image of Amenhotep III, Nebmaatre Lord of Nubia who bears the throne name of the pharaoh
from Nubian sandstone, which brought from the near queries.
The temple plan conforms to the Egyptian tradition with a peri-style court and a hypostyle hall leading
to the sanctuaries. But, as in several other temples in Egypt, there is a second peristyle court. Another exterior pylon was added in front of the dromos leading to the sacred area. is was the gate by which one entered the temple, at the time surrounded by a great enclosure wall.
Subsequently, the succeeding pharaoh Akhenaten changed the dedication to suit his own beliefs and the temple was briefly devoted to the cult of Aten before the restoration of the worship of Amun by Tutankhamun.
