gateways to mortuary chapels. Some of these struc-
tures were quite complex, having been added to
for generations by various kings intent on demon-
strating their devotion to the god of the house.
Temple OrganizationTemples tended to have similar organizational
structure. Indeed, many of the religious buildings
in Christianity and Islam reflect the influence
of the African structure. They often had huge
entrance pylons. The floor plan included an outer
section and an inner section. The outer part would
have an entrance corridor, followed by a
columned courtyard. The pillars in the courtyard
were inscribed with the name and title of the king.
The architects of these temples ensured that the
gods of the northern region would be honored by
scenes oriented to the north on the northern
columns, as well as scenes oriented to the south-
ern gods on the southern columns.
A long corridor leading to the inner sanctuary
with niches for statues in the front chapel is stan-
dard. There is the inner sanctum that houses the
god, and behind this chapel is an offering hall.
There were also storage and annex rooms on the
sides of the main corridor. Of course, there were
slight variations in this structure in some cases.
Inasmuch as the objectives were different in the
regular houses of the gods and the mortuary tem-
ples, it was possible to see annexations and addi-
tions to the original idea in the regular complexes.
One can see an exception to this idea in the great
mortuary temple of Djoser at Sakkara, where the
original structure was built on by succeeding kings
and became a place of national sacredness.
Among the temples that have been recognized as
major sites in ancient Africa are Abu Simbel,
Aghumi Temple and the Oracle of Amen at Siwa,
Amada Temple, Great Temple of Aten at Amarna,
Beit el Wali Temple, Bes Temple at Bawiti, Dakka
Temple in Nubia, Dendera Temple, Dendur Temple
(now in New York), Heru Temple at Edfu, Kalabsha
Temple in Nubia, Kom Ombo Temple, Karnak Temple,
Luxor Temple, Temple of Montu, Philae Temple of
Auset, Khnum Temple at Esna, and the Mortuary
Temple of Merenptah. There are hundreds of other
sites made sacred by tradition, time, and myth.
However, one cannot assume that the idea of the
temple is located only in the Nile Valley, because
Africans have dealt with the notion of the house of
the God in every region of the continent.The Idea of the Temple of God
It would take the imagination of the priests of the
forests and priests of the pastoral groups to create
a new way of viewing the temple that held the
deity in perfect unity with the universe. The tem-
ple of god came to be viewed in terms of the
Earth, the sky, and the massive and infinite uni-
verse. To show the temple of God would be to
show the universe. The idea in African thought,
after thousands of years of structured buildings to
contain God, was ultimately that God was uncon-
tainable. This was expressed in the response of the
African priest in Benin, who, when asked by a
European, “Where is the temple to your god?”
replied, “God is too great to be contained in a
mere building.” This knowledge came down
through the ages in Africa after the earlier priests
had constructed huge monuments in the name of
God to contain the image of God. They discov-
ered that houses could be destroyed, become
infested with vermin who ate the provisions of the
gods, and rot and decay. It is this wisdom that one
sees in the proverbs of traditional Africans about
the immensity of the Supreme Deity. No one
would now consider the idea that Olorun, Nyame,
Abasi, or Mwari could be contained in a building
where people would go to see the deity. One can
hold only ancestors in shrines or temples, not the
Supreme Deity. In the ancient times, one could
find temples dedicated to Ra, Amen, Ptah, and
Atum, but in more contemporary times, the tradi-
tions in Africa have leaned toward the majesty of
the creator as too great to be contained in a mere
temple.Molefi Kete AsanteFurther Readings
Baines, J., & Jaromir, M. (1980).Atlas of Ancient Egypt.
Paris: Les Livres de France.
Grimal, N. (1992).The History of Egypt. Malden, MA:
Blackwell.658 Temples, Concept in Ancient Times