Top 10 Ancient Egyptian Temples

The Egyptian temples were not only places of worship, but also served as important economic and administrative centers in ancient Egypt. The temples were dedicated to various gods, with each temple being associated with a specific deity and the city where it was located. These temples were seen as the hub of their respective regions, symbolizing the primordial home of the god and the site of creation itself.

In addition to religious practices, Pharaohs also built mortuary temples near their tombs for offerings to sustain their spirits in the afterlife. While these mortuary temples were traditionally considered separate from divine temples, recent studies have suggested that there is no clear division between the two. Rituals for both deceased kings and gods coexisted within all Egyptian temples.

Economically, these grand structures required immense resources and employed thousands of priests, craftsmen, and laborers. They functioned much like large households or estates, with servants dedicated to serving not just a master but also the temple god they worshipped. The term used for temple lands and administration - "pr" - reflected this similarity to an estate.

The economic support for these temples came from various sources including direct donations by kings from spoils of military campaigns or tribute given by client states. Private individuals also offered land or goods in exchange for services provided by priests for sustaining their spirits in afterlife.

However, most income came from internal resources such as farmlands beyond temple enclosures which produced crops or livestock; expeditions into desert areas for salt or minerals; trade conducted through fleets owned by some major shrines; among others. As such,the management power held by larger shrines extended well beyond just religious matters since they controlled significant parts of Egypt's economy.

This control over resources gave them considerable influence over local populations who relied on them economically while simultaneously posing a challenge to weak pharaohs who had difficulty managing such vast wealth independently without relying on powerful priests.

Under Roman rule, a reform was implemented to regulate land ownership and taxation. The temples were either required to pay rent for their lands or surrender them in exchange for government stipends. Despite this change, the temples continued to enjoy privileges such as tax exemptions and autonomy within their own economic sphere.

9) Dendera Temple Complex
10) Temple of Philae




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