Abydos Temple of Seti I day trip

Abydos was one of the most sacred places in ancient Egypt, associated with Osiris, god of the dead, and its Temple of Seti I is admired for some of the most refined relief carving in the country. It lies well north of Luxor, so a visit is a full day out by road, and many travellers pair it with the Temple of Hathor at Dendera on the way back.

The temple was begun by Seti I of the Nineteenth Dynasty in the 13th century BC. He died before it was finished, and his son Ramesses II continued the work, so you can compare the delicate raised relief of Seti's time with the deeper, quicker carving of his son. Unusually, the temple has seven chapels side by side, six of them barque chapels dedicated to Osiris, Isis, Horus, Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty and Ptah, and the seventh to Seti himself as a god.

One of the temple's most famous features is the Abydos King List, carved in low relief under Ramesses II. It shows Seti and the young Ramesses making offerings to a long row of royal ancestors whose names appear in cartouches, a key source for historians. The list deliberately omits some rulers, including the Hyksos kings and Akhenaten. Elsewhere, look for the so-called helicopter hieroglyphs, a palimpsest created when a carving from Seti's reign was plastered over and recut under Ramesses II; as the plaster fell away, the overlapping signs took on strange shapes.

Behind the temple lies the Osireion, a symbolic tomb of Osiris built from massive blocks of red granite and sandstone. It measures 57 by 13 metres and parts of it now stand in groundwater, which gives it an atmospheric, half-flooded look.

The trip suits travellers with a strong interest in ancient Egypt and those who have already seen the main Luxor sites. Because of the distance, it is best done with a private car and driver or a tour operator, setting off early. Allow at least two hours at the temple, bring water and snacks, and expect a long but rewarding day. Agree the itinerary and stops with your driver in advance.