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Deir el-Medina, Luxor

Deir el-Medina is an ancient Egyptian village which was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th dynasties of the New Kingdom of Egypt (ca. 1550–1080 BCE).

The settlement's ancient name was Set maat "The Place of Truth", and the workmen who lived there were called "Servants in the Place of Truth".

At the time when the world's press was concentrating on Howard Carter's discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, a team led by Bernard Bruyère began to excavate the site. This work has resulted in one of the most thoroughly documented accounts of community life in the ancient world that spans almost four hundred years. There is no comparable site in which the organisation, social interactions, working and living conditions of a community can be studied in such detail.

The site is located on the west bank of the Nile, across the river from modern-day Luxor. The village is laid out in a small natural amphitheatre, within easy walking distance of the Valley of the Kings to the north, funerary temples to the east and south-east, with the Valley of the Queens to the west. The village may have been built apart from the wider population in order to preserve secrecy in view of sensitive nature of the work carried out in the tombs.

Entrance to the valley south of Deir el-Medina
The site is located on the west bank of the Nile, across the river from modern-day Luxor.


Deir el-Medina seen from the southwest
The village is laid out in a small natural amphitheatre, within easy walking distance of the Valley of the Kings to the north, funerary temples to the east and south-east, with the Valley of the Queens to the west.


Deir el-Medina seen from the southwest
The size of the habitations varied, with an average floor space of 70 m2 (753 sq ft), but the same construction methods were used throughout the village.

  • Walls were made of mudbrick, built on top of stone foundations.
  • Mud was applied to the walls, which were then painted white on the external surfaces, while some of the inner surfaces were whitewashed up to a height of around one metre (3 ft).

Deir el-Medina seen from the west
The settlement was home to a mixed population of Egyptians, Nubians and Asiatics who were employed as labourers, (stone-cutters, plasterers, water-carriers), as well as those involved in the administration and decoration of the royal tombs and temples.

  • The artisans and the village were organised into two groups, left and right gangs who worked on opposite sides of the tomb walls similar to a ship's crew, with a foreman for each who supervised the village and its work.

Model of a house in Deir el-Medina
Houses consisted of four to five rooms, comprising an entrance, main room, two smaller rooms, kitchen with cellar and staircase leading to the roof.

  • A wooden front door might have carried the occupants' name.
  • The full glare of the sun was avoided by situating the windows high up on the walls.
  • The main room contained a mudbrick platform with steps which may have been used as a shrine or a birthing bed.
  • Nearly all houses contained niches for statues and small altars.
  • See more at Ancient Egypt: Architecture - Wikipedia.

Temple of Deir el-Medina

Temple of Deir el-Medina seen from the southwest
The Temple of Deir el-Medina is located at the eastern end of the village.

  • It was dedicated to the goddesses Hathor and Maat.

Going around the wall that surrounds the Temple
The Temple of Deir el-Medina is surrounded by a high mud-brick wall. Its complex includes the sites of several New Kingdom temples and small chapels built by the inhabitants of Deir el-Medina.

  • The outer walls acted as protective barriers for the temple complex.
  • They shielded the sacred space from external elements, including natural forces (such as wind, sand, and sun) and potential threats.
  • These walls enclosed the temple precinct, creating a distinct boundary between the sacred and secular realms.

Temple Gate
The gate was built and decorated by Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos (80-58, 55-51 BC). The gate features scenes of the king offering sacrifices to various deities.

  • The outer walls represented the boundary between the mundane world and the divine realm.
  • Crossing this threshold signified entering a sacred space, where rituals, ceremonies, and communication with the gods occurred.
  • The separation reinforced the idea that the temple was a bridge connecting the earthly and celestial planes.

Facade of the Temple of Deir el-Medina
The building itself is small, but it is one of the best-preserved examples of a temple from this period still standing today.

  • The temple itself was built and decorated in the 3rd century BC.
  • Work was started during the reign of Ptolemy IV Philopator (222-205 BC) and then was continued for the next 60 years under Ptolemy VI Philometor (180-164, 163-145 BC) and Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II (170-164, 145-116 BC).

Plan of the Temple of Deir el-Medina
Plan Legend:

  1. Entrance
  2. Hypostyle Hall
  3. Vestibule
  4. Western Chapel
  5. Chapel of Hathor
  6. Eastern Chapel

Temple entrance door (Plan No. 1)
Each temple door symbolized a transition from the mundane world to the sacred realm.

  • Passing through the door marked an initiatory path.
  • Crossing the temple threshold represented a spiritual passage, connecting the earthly and divine planes.

Hipostyle Hall (Plan No. 2) seen from south to north
The temple itself is entered through a Hypostyle Hall with two papyrus columns.

  • The name "Hypostyle" refers to its architectural pattern — a space with a roof supported by columns.
  • The two papyrus columns symbolize the primeval papyrus swamp from which the self-created deity Atum emerged at the dawn of creation.
  • The hall served as a sacred space for rituals, ceremonies, and communication with the gods.

Hipostyle Hall (Plan No. 2) seen from north to south
Ancient Egyptian creation myths describe the emergence of the world from primordial waters.

  • These waters symbolized the chaotic, unformed, and infinite state before creation.
  • The primeval swamp represented this pre-creation condition—an expanse of undifferentiated water.
  • The temple complex itself was a microcosm of the ordered cosmos rising from chaos.
  • See more at Ancient Egyptian creation myths - Wikipedia.

Curtain Wall
The curtain wall is covered with reliefs depicting the king making offerings to various gods. Below is the eastern face of the curtain wall - Ptolemy VI Philometor facing Amun-Ra and Hathor.

  • Reliefs, hieroglyphs, and sculptures adorned the curtain walls. These artistic elements conveyed religious narratives, celebrated deities, and honored pharaohs.
  • The walls acted as a canvas for divine stories, connecting worshippers to the temple’s spiritual significance.

Vestibule (Plan No. 3)
The Vestibule, beyond the Hypostyle Hall, is defined by a pair of columns, pillars and curtain walls. Workers work on scaffolding in preservation work.

  • The vestibule was typically a small chamber located just before the main sanctuary.
  • Before entering the inner sanctum, priests and worshippers underwent ritual purification in the vestibule. They would cleanse themselves physically and spiritually, ensuring their readiness to approach the deity.
  • The vestibule was where offerings were presented to the gods. Priests conducted preliminary rituals, invoking divine presence and seeking blessings. It was a place for communication with the divine, bridging the earthly and celestial realms.
  • Beyond the vestibule lay the holy of holies, housing the god’s image or symbol. The vestibule acted as a protective buffer, shielding the inner sanctum’s sacredness from casual visitors.

Hathor Column
Hathor Column between the Hypostyle Hall (right) and the Vestibule (left) on the east wall.

  • The Hathor column took the form of a fetish-like emblem resembling a pole. At the top of the column, there was a representation of Hathor’s head or face. These columns were used in temples dedicated to female deities, especially Hathor herself.
  • These Hathor columns with representations on four sides relate to an understanding of Hathor as a cosmic and powerful goddess, her face directed to the four corners of the earth.

East wall of the Vestibule (Plan No. 3)
View of the reliefs on the east wall of the Vestibule.

  • The upper register: Osiris, Isis-Hathor, Horus, Nephthys-Maat (from right to left, facing right).
  • The lower register: Amun-Re, Mut, Khonsu, Montu, Tjenenyet (from right to left, facing right).
  • In both registers the gods are worshipped by Ptolemy VI Philometor (facing left, on the far right).

West wall of the Vestibule (Plan No. 3)
On the left is the square Hathor column and in the foreground the stairs leading from the left side of the Hypostyle Hall to the roof of the temple.


Detail of the west wall of the Vestibule (Plan No. 3)
View of the reliefs on the west wall of the Vestibule.

  • The upper register from the right: Nun, Nut, Heh, Hauhet, Kek, Kauket and Hathor, all holding symbols of life, receive the worship of Ptolemy VI Philometor.

Decorated ceiling in the Vestibule (Plan No. 3)
The decorated ceiling in the Vestibule preserves ancient colours. Mineral based pigments were used to decorate the reliefs.

  • Painted ceilings in temples were believed to magically ensure the performance of important ceremonies.
  • They reinforced the memory of royal deeds and connected the earthly realm with the divine.
  • These vibrant depictions served as a visual link between worshippers and the gods.

Eastern Chapel (Plan No. 6) entrance
The doorway on the right leads to the Eastern Chapel dedicated to Amun-Ra-Osiris.

  • East was important to the ancient Egyptians because east is where the sun rises. The rising sun symbolized Ra, the powerful Sun God.
  • As the sun’s rays descended from the sky to the earth, they were seen as the creative force that erased darkness and renewed creation. Ra’s emergence each morning was akin to a divine rebirth, signifying life and vitality.

Eastern Chapel (Plan No. 6) interior
The reliefs show the king in front of various deities including Hathor, Isis, Nepthys, Horus, Anubis, Mut, Amun and others.

  • The sunrise was part of daily rituals.
  • Temples housed statues of deities, and priests performed hymns, prayers, and rituals to ensure the gods’ goodwill toward the people.
  • These communal gatherings reinforced the traditional understanding of the world’s operation through divine will.

Hathor Chapel (Plan No. 5) entrance
The central chapel was dedicated to Hathor by Ptolemy IV Philopator. The lintel over the central chapel door has seven heads of Hathor.

  • The most important part of the temple was the sanctuary, which typically contained a cult image, a statue of its god.
  • Temple ground plans usually centered on an axis running on a slight incline from the sanctuary down to the temple entrance.
  • The elevated, enclosed sanctuary was equated with the sacred hill where the world was created in Egyptian myth and with the burial chamber of a tomb, where the god's ba, or spirit, came to inhabit its cult image just as a human ba came to inhabit its mummy.
  • This crucial place, the Egyptians believed, had to be insulated from the impure outside world.
  • Therefore, as one moved toward the sanctuary the amount of outside light decreased and restrictions on who could enter increased.
  • See more at Egyptian temple: Design and decoration - Wikipedia.

Hathor Chapel (Plan No. 5) interior
The wall reliefs show Hathor receiving offerings from Ptolemy IV Philopator, his sister Arsinoe, and Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator (145 BC), who continued the decoration of the chapel.

  • The temple's inner chambers centered on the sanctuary of the temple's primary god, which typically lay along the axis near the back of the temple building.
  • The sanctuary was the focus of temple ritual, the place where the divine presence manifested most strongly.
  • In most temples, the focus was the cult image: a statue of the temple god which that god's ba was believed to inhabit while interacting with humans.
  • The sanctuary in these temples contained either a naos, a cabinet-like shrine that housed the divine image, or a model barque containing the image within its cabin, which was used to carry the image during festival processions.
  • To emphasize the sanctuary's sacred nature, it was kept in total darkness.
  • See more at Egyptian temple: Inner chambers - Wikipedia.

Goddess Hathor
Hathor was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. She played a wide variety of roles and held significant importance in the Egyptian pantheon.

  • Hathor was associated with the sky and heavens. She was often depicted as a woman with cow’s horns and a sun disk, symbolizing her celestial aspect.
  • She was the mother or consort of the sky god Horus and the sun god Ra. Both Horus and Ra were connected with kingship, making Hathor the symbolic mother of earthly representatives, the pharaohs.
  • Hathor acted as the Eye of Ra, Ra’s feminine counterpart. In this form, she had a vengeful aspect that protected Ra from his enemies.
  • Hathor represented joy, love, music, dance, sexuality, and maternal care. She was the consort of several male deities and the mother of their sons.
  • Hathor crossed boundaries between worlds, assisting deceased souls in their transition to the afterlife.
  • See more at Hathor - Wikipedia.

Western Chapel (Plan No. 4) entrance
The doorway on the left leads into a long and narrow chapel. It is dedicated to Amun-Sokar-Osiris.

  • The west was important to the ancient Egyptians because the west is where the sun sets.
  • For the ancient Egyptians, the west, specifically the desert west of the Nile, was associated with the afterlife.
  • The sun, a central deity, was believed to die each day in the western horizon, only to be reborn in the east the following morning.
  • Consequently, the west symbolized the journey of the soul after death, where it would traverse to the otherworldly realms.

Western Chapel (Plan No. 4) interior
The goddess Maat leads a figure of the deceased king (Ptolemy VI Philometor) towards the Hall of Judgment.

  • The well-carved wall reliefs depict scenes from the judgement of the dead. Similar scenes are usually found on tomb walls or on papyrus scrolls. The carved figures, although Ptolemaic, are well proportioned and well modelled.
  • Above the king, forty-two judges sit, ready to pronounce their verdict on his fate. Horus and Anubis weigh the deceased's heart. The heart is balanced on a scale against the feather of Maat. The ibis-headed Thoth stands to the right and records the result.

Goddess Maat
Maat, also known as Maʽat, was a central goddess in ancient Egyptian religion.

  • Maat represented truth, cosmic balance, and justice. Her name encompassed ideas of order, harmony, morality, and law. The ostrich feather symbolized her commitment to truth.
  • Maat regulated the stars, seasons, and the actions of both mortals and deities. She ensured that order emerged from chaos during creation. Her counterpart was Isfet, representing injustice, chaos, and evil.
  • In the Duat (the Egyptian underworld), Maat’s feather determined the fate of souls. During the Weighing of the Heart, the departed’s heart was weighed against her feather. If the heart was lighter (free from wrongdoing), the soul reached paradise.
  • See more at Maat - Wikipedia.

Weighing of the Heart
The ancient Egyptians believed in a unique afterlife system where the body and soul were separated and judged. In the Hall of the Two Truths, the god Osiris, ruler of the underworld, presided over this judgment.

  • The assessment centered around the heart of the deceased. The heart was weighed against the feather of Maat, the goddess of justice and balance. If the heart was pure and free from wrongdoing, the deceased would attain eternal peace in the afterlife. However, if the heart was heavy with transgressions, it would be devoured by the monstrous Ammut, resulting in eternal death.
  • The feather of Maat symbolized truth, justice, and harmony in the universe. The ritual ensured that the deceased were judged fairly and that the cosmic balance was maintained.
  • See more at Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs: Judgment of the dead - Wikipedia.

Leaving the Temple of Deir el-Medina

Ostraca Crater
The Ostraca Crater is located east of the Temple of Deir el-Medina.

  • Ostraca were fragments of limestone or ceramics extracted from quarries or tombs during excavation.
  • This was the case in Deir el-Medina, where discarded pieces of limestone, which were not necessary to treat previously, were laminated to make them suitable for writing.
  • They were used both to write texts and to draw, for apprentices and people already trained, for simple sketches of projects and for completed works.
  • The Medical Ostraca of Deir el-Medina are a collection of ostraca containing notes of medical importance. These ostraca were written in the New Kingdom Egyptian village of Deir el-Medina during the 18th and 19th Dynasties (c.1550 – c.1190 BCE). Unlike other sources of medical literature from the period, these ostraca are notes written by and concerning the artisans of Deir el-Medina, rather than physicians or royalty. Thus, they offer a unique view of the common experience of medicine in Ancient Egypt.
  • See more at Medical Ostraca of Deir el-Medina - Wikipedia.

Deir el-Medina seen from the east

Tombs

Tomb of Inherkhau (TT359)
The Theban Tomb TT359 is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian workman Inherkhau, who was Foreman of the Lord of the Two Lands in the Place of Truth during the reigns of Ramesses III and Ramesses IV. He also owned Tomb TT299.

  • The outer chamber of the tomb contains offering scenes with Inherkau, his wife and their son Kenna. Scenes include depictions of the Book of Gates, the Book of the Dead, and two rows of Kings, Queens and Princes.
  • In the inner chamber scenes including Inherkau and his son Harmin are included. The chamber also contains a scene at a doorway depicting Ahmose-Nefertari and Amenhotep I (Berlin Museum 2060-1). Other items from the tomb include a lucarne-stela now in the Oriental Institute in Chicago (no. 403) and a coffin likely belonging to Inherkau's wife.
  • See more at TT359 - Wikipedia.

Ra slays Apep in the Tomb of Inherkhau (TT359)
The sun god Ra, in the form of Great Cat, slays the snake Apep.

  • Apep (Ancient Greek: Apophis) was the ancient Egyptian deity who embodied darkness and disorder, and was thus the opponent of light and Maat (order/truth). Ra was the bringer of light and hence the biggest opposer of Apep.
  • Storytellers said that every day Apep must lie below the horizon and not persist in the mortal kingdom. This appropriately made him a part of the underworld.
  • The Coffin Texts imply that Apep used a magical gaze to overwhelm Ra and his entourage. Ra was assisted by a number of defenders who travelled with him, including Set and possibly the Eye of Ra.
  • Apep's movements were thought to cause earthquakes, and his battles with Set may have been meant to explain the origin of thunderstorms.
  • In one account, Ra himself defeats Apep in the form of a cat.
  • Photograph by Hajor, distributed under a CC-BY 3.0 license.
  • See more at Apep - Wikipedia.

Tomb of Sennedjem (TT1)
TT1 is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian official Sennedjem and members of his family.

  • The walls and ceiling of the burial chamber, an area of 40 square metres (430 sq ft), are entirely covered with paintings.
  • They are well preserved and are considered among the most beautiful of the necropolis and, at all events, the best known.
  • As is typical of Deir el-Medina, the scenes are devoted largely to religious and mythological themes, in this case vignettes from the Book of the Dead.
  • See more at TT1 - Wikipedia.

Painting of Aaru in the Tomb of Sennedjem (TT1)

  • Aaru (Ancient Egyptian: 'reeds'), or the Field of Reeds, is the name for heavenly paradise in Egyptian mythology. Ruled over by Osiris, the location has been described as the ka of the Nile Delta.
  • Ancient Egyptians believed that the soul resided in the heart, and that each individual would therefore undergo a "Weighing of the Heart" in the afterlife; each human heart is weighed on a giant scale against an ostrich feather, which represents the concept of the goddess Maat.
  • All souls that successfully balance the scales will be allowed to start a long and perilous journey to Aaru, where they will exist in peace and pleasure for eternity.
  • Conversely, hearts that are heavy with evil will tumble from the scale pan and fall into the crocodilian jaws of the goddess Ammit. Any souls that are subject to Ammit's "second death" are doomed to restlessness in the Duat.
  • Qualifying souls undergo a long journey and face many perils before finally reaching Aaru. Once they arrive, they enter through a series of gates — the exact number of gates varies across sources, with given figures alternating between 15 gates and 21 gates. They are uniformly described as being guarded by deities and evil demons, and if the deceased passed through these final gates, they would be rowed across the water to the shores of the Field of Reeds.
  • Aaru was usually placed in the east, where the Sun rises, and has been described as comprising boundless reed fields, like those of the Nile Delta. Consequently, this ideal hunting and farming ground enabled qualified souls to live for eternity; more precisely, Aaru was envisaged as a series of islands covered in fields of reeds. The part where Osiris later dwelt is sometimes known as the "field of offerings"
  • See more at Aaru - Wikipedia.

Sennedjem plows his fields in the Tomb of Sennedjem (TT1)

Sennedjem plows his fields with a pair of oxen, used as beasts of burden and a source of food, a depiction of Aaru.
  • Egyptians hoped to perform their jobs and partake in their hobbies in the afterlife.
  • Rivers and natural locales with fertile soil for farmers were thought to exist in the afterlife, and drawings on tomb walls of objects such as boats were thought to make them appear in the afterlife for people who used the objects before they died.
  • The fertility of the land was greatly emphasized as this possessed two of the major rewards in obtaining immortality: access to the Nile, and the ability to farm foods.
  • As a result, the deceased ate and drank the same delicacies devoured by their gods.
  • In turn, this promoted the belief that by obtaining immortality, individuals also accumulated aspects that resembled gods.
  • Additionally, a third notable honor of residing in Aaru was the means of communication. The deceased were able to convey thoughts to one another, the gods, and those they had previously lost.
  • See more at Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs - Wikipedia.

Leaving Deir el-Medina

See also

Source

Location

Location: Al Qarna, Luxor Governorate, Egypt