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Fig. 13 Rough unrefined corner of the temple (Schneider 1979, 102)
Fig. 14 Rough unrefined back of the temple (Schneider 1979, 102)
Schneider implies they might have been part of the back wall on the northern side of a high wall
that was placed very closely to the temple, surrounding the compound. This wall could have had a
pylon, like the temple of Kalabsha, or a singular gate, like the temple of Dendur.
Surrounding the temple at a few meters distance stood the temenos the outer enclosure wall of
the entire complex, including a second temple, the south temple, that was located closely to the
northern Taffeh temple, which was demolished in the late 19
th
century (Wilkinson 2007, 216;
Schneider 92).
Material and Construction methods
The stones arrived roughly cut from the quarry, transported to the temple site and reworked on
site before placing them in the temple. The sandstone blocks of the temple were either shoved
into their place using a pulp or directly stacked onto each other, afterwards they were smoothed
on the sides. The material used to build the temple was sandstone. Sandstone was a material
commonly used in constructing Egyptian temples. Another was limestone, which will be
mentioned in the chapter on the temple of Shenhur (Wilkinson 2007, 40-41; Raven 1996, 40).
The foundations of an Egyptian construction were frequently not much more than a trench filled
with sand and a few courses of rough-hewn stones. The structures in the Graeco-Roman period
were made stronger by use of courses of securely laid masonry. In most periods mortar was only
used sparingly. Temple walls were built from courses of blocks carefully fitted together at their
joining surfaces. These were dressed on their outer surfaces when the wall was complete. To
support the blocks of the walls wooden braces were often places within the wall. These supported
the walls until the mortar had dried or until they were firmly locked together in the final