An extensive study has been undertaken on the orientations of temples over the last few years by the Spanish archaeoastronomer Juan Belmonte and the Egyptian astronomer Mosalam Shaltout, under the aegis of the SCA.

Previously the comsensus in Egyptology was that temples were set with consideration to the Nile, and that none, or only very few, had astronomical orientations. The result of the study of Belmonte and Shaltout, presented in four papers (published on the Internet in PDF; and also in JHA) show that both the Nile and astronomy were considerations for a temple's location and orientation.

According to Belmonte and Shaltout, the astronomical orientations are in three main categories: (1) aimed at a star in the Big Dipper (as found in the 'Stretching of the Cord' ceremony), (2) Towards the rising sun at strategic times of the year, and (3) aimed at the rising of Sirius and/or Canopus.

There are few temples with a northerly orientation, mainly the temples of Dendera and Edfu. But since these have inscriptions as well as drawings related to the 'Stretching of the Cord' towards the Big Dipper, then their alignments are clearly supported by the temple builders themselves.

With regard to temples that are on the west bank of the Nile with their entrances facing eastwards, then inevitably they would face both the Nile as well as the horizon, and thus a celestial body rising. Temple within the amplitude (or azimuths) of the summer and winter solstice could have either solar or stellar alignments. Those outside these azimuths, only stellar alignments can be considered.

There is, AFAIK, no AE evidence that the temples were aligned towards the Nile. On the other hand the religious texts and the 'Stretching of the Cord' ceremony strongly imply an astronomical alignment towards the stars.

Here's Belmonte and Shaltout's 4th and last paper on this subject:

[www.m-shaltout.com]


I propose a discussion on this facinating yet complex issue.

1) Nile alignments? Astronomical alignments? Or both?...