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company of the gods. This was the ideal condition for the ka, part of the soul of the deceased. The
stela had the function to make this condition last forever (Málek and Baines 1981, 62-66; Katan
and Mintz 1992, 22).
Fig. 34 Stela in sanctuary (Aldred 1978, 60)
The stela located in the sanctuary of the temple of Dendur was damaged to some extend. On the
lower part no depictions can be recognised anymore, but the upper scene is still visible. On this
scene two individuals are depicted. The stela resembles the shape of a door, like Aldred also
mentions, and has the lintel shape on top and the shape of door jambs on the sides. As it is not an
actual door it is possible this functioned as a fake door.
It was not uncommon in new kingdom and later temples to find ‘false doors’, resembling those
found in private tombs of the old kingdom. A false door could also be a type of stela. According to
ancient Egyptian religion these were fully functioning portals which the spirit of the deceased
could use to leaver or enter the inner tomb and receive offerings. In new kingdom mortuary
temples the false door is usually placed at the very back of the sanctuary.
This allowed the spirit of the king to enter the temple from the burial site as this was, by this time,
located elsewhere. In the case of Dendur this is also true, the brothers might not have been buried
far away, but this door might have allowed them to enter the temple from their tomb located right
behind the sanctuary (Wilkinson 2007, Katan and Mintz 1992, 22-71).