Abydos was the reputed burial-place of Osiris, one of the most sacred
gods of ancient Egypt. According to Strabo, it formerly held the next
rank to Thebes, and judging from its ruins, Wilkinson thinks it yielded
to few cities in upper Egypt in size and magnificence. Going toward it
from Girgeh, says Thompson, “we came upon a mound of sand and dust, and
broken bricks and pottery, strewed over with bleaching human bones, and
ascending this for several rods, and to an elevation of about sixty
feet, we came out upon the massive blocks of stone that form the _roof_
of the old temple-palace of Memnon. Here, crawling upon our hands and
knees, we got under the roof far enough to see that it covers two large
halls supported by rows of massive columns, whose capitals are in the
form of the lotus bud, still distinctly preserved. The walls, as far as
could be seen, are covered with sculptures, among which the ibis
frequently recurs; there are also ceremonial processions and battle
scenes, such as are usually depicted in the sculptures of Egyptian
temples. No doubt, if this temple should be excavated, it would be one
of the most remarkable monuments in Egypt. It dates back nearly fourteen
hundred years before Christ. The formation of the roof was peculiar.
Large blocks of stone were laid endwise from one row of columns to the
other, and then an arch was hollowed out of this solid masonry, still
leaving a roof two feet in thickness at its center. The stones were so
nicely adjusted, that they fitted closely without cement. The ceiling
was studded with stars, and with sculptures beautifully colored. I have
not seen in Egypt more exquisite workmanship. Yet the visitor is doomed
to disappointment through the great difficulty of access to the temple,
in consequence of the drifting in of the sand from the desert and the
neighboring mountains. Near by is another temple, also inaccessible, the
temple of Osiris, built by the great Remeses, and enriched with
alabaster walls, some fragments of which may yet be found. The
neighboring mountains are filled with tombs, some of which are nearly
four thousand years old. Everything indicates that here was the site of
a great city, a city of wealth, population and power, enriched with
trophies of conquest and monuments of religion. But these buried temples
alone remain, and the Arabs, who now squat in their rags upon the top of
the splendid sanctuary of Osiris, have given to the place the expressive
name of ‘_The Buried_.’”