Temple Palaces in Ancient Egypt

Temple of Rameses III -
Medinet Habu ..
By Steve F-E-Cameron
Own work, CC BY 3.0

This  distinct  type  of  palace  has  long  been  known  from Western Thebes. The best-preserved example was excavated to the south of the mortuary temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu. Foundations of similar buildings have been found on the southern side of  the Ramesseum and, more recently, in the southern court of the mortuary  temple of Sety I at Qurna and near that of Merenptah. These palaces were  built of mud brick against the southern sides of the temple courts, which,  as  is  typical  of  temple  components,  are  of  stone.  The  temple  palaces  exhibit  small-scale  versions  of  the  main  features  of  royal  palaces:  a  columned  reception  hall,  richly  decorated  and  painted;  a  throne  room  with two to four columns and a throne pedestal; rooms for sleeping and  rest  on  both  sides  of  the  throne  room;  and  behind  these  rooms,  small  apartments  for  attendants  (not  the  harem).  A  significant  feature  of  all  these palaces is the "Window of Appearance" in the  middle  of  the  palace  facade;  the  entrances  are  near  the  corners of the facade.

These  small  palaces  have  long  been  regarded  as  temporary  royal  residences  for  kings visiting  from their Delta  residences to participate in the Theban festivals. However, a close examination reveals that they could never have served as residences, even for a  short  stay. There  are  no  kitchens;  the bathrooms  have  no  functioning water drainage, and because the palaces are within the  sacred precincts, this sort of service utility must have been prohib- ited  on  grounds  of  ritual  purity.  Large  false  doors  carved  on  the  roof of the throne room in Medinet Habu and in the rear wall of the Quma  palace  indicate  that  these  buildings  were  intended  for  the  use of the king in the after-world. They were probably "inhabited"  by  portable  statues  of  the  deified  kings  which  appeared  in  the  "Window of Appearance" and were carried in the processions and  feasts of the necropolis.

Similar  palaces  are  attested  by  decorated  architectural  fragments that are beside other temples near important cult centers.  At Memphis a rather large  and  sumptuous  temple  palace  of  Merenptah was uncovered, part of the larger complex of temples  and  palaces  of  the  Memphite  residence.  At  Tell  el-Yehudiyya,  glazed tiles of a palace of Ramesses III were found. The powerless  kings of the twenty-first and twenty-second dynasties took over the  temple palace of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu and transformed it  into  an  official  state  palace.  They  probably  lived  in  the  eastern  High  Gate,  which  was  large  enough  for  their  modest  rituals  and  state appearances.  It was not until the twenty-sixth dynasty, under the Saite kings,  that sumptuous palaces were again built. Regrettably, the palaces  of the residence at Sais have wholly disappeared, but at Buto parts  of a large palace have recently been excavated. The best-preserved  palace  of  this  period  was  that  of  Apries  at  Memphis;  today,  however, only towering substructures and casemates bear witness  to the glorious palaces of this ancient capital.

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