Kom El Sultan Abydos | Egypt History

Where is Kom El Sultan?

Kom El Sultan Abydos is located on the west bank of the Nile River near the modern Egyptian towns of El Araba El Madfuna and El Balyana.

Kom El Sultan in Abydos to the east of the Shunt El Zebib archeological area in Abydos. Also, to the northeast of Ramses II temple and Menmaatre Seti I temple in Abydos.

What is Kom El Sultan?

Kom El Sultan in Abydos Egypt is a huge place near Osiris temple and it has ruins from three different eras. It has a huge mudbrick structure from the predynastic period, a few shrines from the Middle Kingdom, and ruins of a stone temple from the New Kingdom.

How to reach Kom El Sultan from Abydos?

Once you are visiting modern Al-ʿArābā al-Madfūnah village or the Abydos temple for king Seti I and his son Ramesses II, you need to purchase a ticket.

To reach Kom El Sultan, you need to purchase a different ticket from the same place but you will be joined by a policeman and an inspector to the Kom El Sultan area.

Kom El Sultan is about 2 KM to the northeast of the Ramses II temple and 500m to the east of the Shunet El Zebib area where they found the only statue for Cheops, the builder of the Great Pyramid.

Although, you can reach the area by walking or by car as it takes 20 minutes to walk.

Who discovered Kom El Sultan?

Since Emile Amelino discovered the royal tombs in Umm El Qa’ab between 1885 to 1899 and Flinder Petrie completed the excavation in the area between 1899-1901, a lot of tombs were discovered besides animal cemeteries. Al the discoveries date back to the early Dynastic Period when Abydos was the burial place for the Thinite Period kings of the first and second Dynasties.

Why Kom El Sultan was built?

Kom El Sultan seems to have been a settlement area since the Archaic Period and it contains a temple of Osiris, the main god in Egypt since the 5^th Dynasty. Osiris was mentioned in the Pyramid Texts and yearly in Abydos was a feast called Osiris Festival. This festival took place in the month of Khoiak, when the flood water began to lower, and the fields appeared.

Abydos was the pilgrimage center where pharaohs and locals participated in festivals and processions in honor of the god Osiris. There is a path that connects Kom El Sultan to Umm El Qaab still can be seen now.

What does Kom El Sultan look like?

Kom El Sultan is a huge mudbrick enclosure wall surrounding a stone structure. Unfortunately, the stone structure seems to be a temple built by Ramesses II and is now in ruins. Inside the mudbrick walls, there are some blocks that carry the baboon’s figure and many stone fragments carry Osiris titles.

Restoration work of Kom El Sultan

Unfortunately, there is a lot of restoration work took place in the Abydos area including Shunet El Zebib, the temple of Ramesses II, and the temple of Seti I but Kom El Sultan still in bad condition. While visiting Kom El Sultan, you will see a lot of blocks on the ground and some are of important value.

Monuments near Kom El Sultan

The first and most important place near Kom El Sultan is Shunet El Zebib dated to king Khasekhemwy from the Second Dynasty
In 1988, they discovered Ibis burials and Ibis eggs inside the Shunet el-Zebib
Seal impressions from the reign of King Khasekhemwy
13 pits for boats dating back to the Thinite period (The Early Dynastic Period)
The tombs of the kings of the first Dynasty such as Narmer, Djet, Qa-aa, Semerkhet, and Queen Merytneit
Two tombs from the second Dynasty for Peribsen and Khasekhemwy
Cheops statue was found near Kom El Sultan and is now at the Egyptian Museum
Shrines from the Middle Kingdom
The temple of Osiris
Sneb-Kay king’s tomb from the Abydos dynasty during the Second Intermediate Period (1650 BC)
The temple of Thutmose III
Mayor House
In 2013, Josef Wegner found the tomb of the forgotten pharaoh, Woseribre Senebkay.
outside the east corner gateway of the Shunet el-Zebib and near Kom El Sultan was found a fine coffin of the Third Intermediate Period (c. 1075-715 BCE)
The 8 predynastic brewery sites

Kom El Sultan ticket price

You can purchase an Entrance ticket for Kom El Sultan and Shunet El Zebib by the entrance of the Abydos temple or from the visitor center

Adult: EGP 40 (1.5 $)

Students with valid cards: EGP 20 (0.5 $)

Children aged 6-12 years: EGP 40 (0.5 $)

Children under 6 years: FREE

Visiting hours of the area

Kom El Sultan is open for visitors daily from 09.00 am to 17.00 pm.

Tips for first-time visitors

Visit Abydos temple, the temple of Ramesses II, and Kom El Sultan with an archaeologist guide.

Take water and some snakes, especially in the summer

Small change for the WC

Take your hat, sunglasses, and suncream with you

Cotton dress during summer