The Egyptian god, Montu
was an important falcon headed god early in the history of the
Thebean region. Not only was a temple dedicated to him at Thebes,
but also nearby in ancient Madu, today's Medamud about eight
kilometers northeast of Luxor.
In addition, had cult centers at Armant,
and Tod.
While there was a Middle Kingdom temple built to the god, and
possibly even an earlier structure, it was destroyed. That
temple was mainly built by Senusret
III, with perhaps additions by Nebhepetre Mentuhotep.
Kings of the late Middle Kingdom and 2nd
Intermediate Period continued to build there, including
Amenemhet VII, Sebekhotep II and Sebekhotep III of the 13th
Dynasty, and Sebekemzaf I of the 17th Dynasty. We may also see
some scattered remains of the New Kingdom and Late Period.
However, a ruined temple of the Graeco-Roman
period survives, which together with the war like god, Montu, is also dedicated
to Rattawy (the female counterpart of Re
who is often depicted like Hathor
as a cow with a sun disk surmounting her head) and Harpocrates
(Horus the Child). It is possible it may have been built on
the site of the older temple.

The main portal entrance was built by Tiberius,
but its facade consists of an unusual triple portal formed by
three kiosks of Ptolemy
XII. In the southern kiosk, the screen walls were
decorated with reliefs of singers and musicians along with a
dancing goddess, Bes.
The portal leads through the facade to a large peristyle
courtyard, with an altar, which was embellished by
Antoninus Pius. It in tern leads to a hypostyle hall built by Ptolemy
VIII. Regrettably, only a few large columns, of various
types, in the peristyle court built by Ptolemy
VII and the outer part of the hypostyle hall are all that
survive today. However, a granite doorway depicting Amenhotep
II before Montu-re has also been preserved.
Behind the main sanctuary dedicated to Montu, his consort
Rattawy and Harpocrates, is the smaller sanctuary of the
sacred bull of Montu, with only a small section of exterior
wall remaining. However, on one of these walls, a scene
depicting the king (Trajan) worshipping the bull at the point
were oracles were delivered is still visible. This small
sanctuary probably
included rooms for the living animal. Some
of the walls within the main temple and the smaller Montu
sanctuary show to have been decorated by the emperors Domitian
and Trajan.
This temple is surrounded by an brick enclosure wall, also
built by Tiberius, and within the wall was a sacred lake, a
well and granaries. There once also stood a Ptolemaic chapel,
built by Ptolemy
II Philadelphus, Ptolemy
III Euergetes I, and Ptolemy
IV Phiopator, at the southwest corner of the wall, and
processional way lined with sphinxes ran from the main temple
entrance to a quay which stood on a canal linking this temple
to the temple
of Montu in the Karnak
precinct. The temple's axis at Karnak faces this temple.
To the east of the temple precinct was a cemetery. A block field on the southern side of the temple is worth investigating as it contains many interesting fragmentary
reliefs including a lintel of Ramesses
III and the lower portion of a seated statue of Senusert
I. However, much of this material did not come from this
particular temple.

It should also be noted that a Christian
church,
perhaps dating as early as the 4th century was built within
this temple. Its ruins are still traceable, and the remains of
its pillars can still be seen. Unfortunately, these early
Christians caused considerable damage to the temple reliefs,
often carving out the faces of kings and deities alike.

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References:
| Title |
Author |
Date |
Publisher |
Reference Number |
|
Ancient Gods Speak, The: A Guide to Egyptian Religion |
Redford, Donald B. |
2002 |
Oxford University Press |
ISBN 0-19-515401-0 |
|
Atlas of Ancient Egypt |
Baines, John; Malek, Jaromir |
1980 |
Les Livres De France |
None Stated |
|
Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, The |
Wilkinson, Richard H. |
2000 |
Thames and Hudson, Ltd |
ISBN 0-500-05100-3 |
|
Gods of the Egyptians, The (Studies in Egyptian Mythology) |
Budge, E. A. Wallis |
1969 |
Dover Publications, Inc. |
ISBN 486-22056-7 |
|
History of Ancient Egypt, A |
Grimal, Nicolas |
1988 |
Blackwell |
None Stated |
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