Abydos



Abydos is an important Ancient Egyptian archaeological site in Middle Egypt, a collection of temples, sites and ancient cemeteries close to the town of al-Balyana, 90 km (56 miles) north of Luxor.

Understand
The sacred city of Abydos (Abdju) is occupied since the Predynastic period; their rulers' town, temple and tombs, in the royal necropolis of Umm el-Qa'ab, have been found here.

A funerary chapel of Pepi I of the 6th Dynasty evolved over the years into the Great Temple of Osiris, and Abydos became the centre of the worship of the Isis and Osiris cult. The temple and town continued to be rebuilt at intervals down to the times of the 30th Dynasty, and the cemetery was in continuous use. The Great Temple and most of the ancient town are buried under the modern buildings, to the north of the Seti temple. Many of the original structures, and the artifacts within them, are considered irretrievable and lost, most likely destroyed by the new construction.

By train
Most travellers arrive at Abydos by train north from Luxor, alighting at the station for the town of al-Balyana. The fare is approximately LE 52, first class. From the station, either the tourist police or a police-escorted taxi will take you to the site of the Ramesside temples. Depending on local conditions and police levels of business, you should be able to get at least a couple of hours visiting the site.

At al-Balyana, there should be some police at the station. If not, ignore any touts, exit the station to the south and you will almost immediately come to the east-west road that heads out to Abydos. Start heading west along this road and you will soon come to the police checkpoint, they used to be where the road forms a bridge over the canal, and had a small blue wooden sentry box and some barriers. They will either take you to the main temple of Seti I, or arrange a taxi for you. It's usually a private taxi, but sometimes a share. As always, have small denomination notes to the pay the fare as drivers always have "no change". It's not necessary to spend money getting a private taxi to wait. When you leave the temple the police on site will find a vehicle for you to get back down to town, just so you aren't their problem anymore.

Back at the station the police will usually (not always) wait with you and see you on the train. Note that if a 3rd class train comes first (as it often does late afternoon), they will often put you on that one. It's not the most clean or comfortable experience (no air con, no guaranteed seats, sometimes not even any lighting), but the travel time isn't much different to the nicer trains. All in all, the journey is more hassle than an organised tour, but the freedom you get to spend several hours on site and explore on your own, in peace and in your own time, makes it well worth while.

By road
You can go by taxi in the police-escorted convoy to Abydos in one day, usually including Dendera as a stop-off point. A trip in a private car arranged through your hotels could cost around US$90 for two or three passengers (Oct 2018). You can likely get a better price by talking to taxi drivers directly. Make sure you agree on how much time you will spend at each temple - 90 min each is a minimum, though if you want to spend longer (especially at Abydos), then taking the train and just doing Abydos will give you much more time on site, and will work out much cheaper, though dealing with the local police is a hassle.

Also available are minibus tours from agents in Luxor, usually with a local guide of variable quality. These also travel with the escorted convoy, and can be a reasonable deal for a small group if you haggle, especially in off-season. Expect to pay around LE 300 - 400 per person, dependent on size of your group, time of year and your haggling skills. The major UK, US and European holiday companies also offer escorted tours, but these can be expensive.

Eat and sleep
The square facing the temple features several cafés.



Go next

 * Luxor
 * Dendera