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Chapter Five
In the Temple of the Sun
"The Beautiful One Has Come"


"May you live again, may you live again
for thousands of years"


The Sun Disc Aten, the Face of Re, blazed down on the land in noontime fury. Waves of heat rose like the waters of the Nile in flood, blurring the air until outlines and edges of everything took on a mirage-dream quality. Hot and humid, no one wanted to linger long.

Prince Tut-Ankh-Aten raced onto the front terrace of the Palace, the Grand Entrance off the Royal Road of Aten that ran the length of the city. He wore a white linen headdress, striped in light blue, called a nemset, that fit over a light high frame made of reeds to hold the cloth off the head and shield it from the summer sun of Aten's heat. His gold blazed in the sun from necklace, bracelets, amulets-they would heat up fast.

Golden chariots pulled up at the foot of the terrace. Horses, plumed with ostrich and gold-covered harness, plunged to a stop and reared up in a showy entrance. Queen Nefertiti, the extremely beautiful one, drove the foremost one herself, her three younger daughters followed in three other golden chariots. Servants werecracing ahead with water carts, sprinkling the road fromclarge pierced jugs to settle the dust.

Queen Nefertiti was exceedingly beautiful with her large dark eyes extravagantly outlined in malachite paint, golden skin was burnished by the sun and precious oils, long straight narrow nose, large well-shaped red lips, tall and still slender, mother of six beautiful princesses. Attar of Damascus roses drifted around her. She wore a long, pleated, flowing white dress of thin gauze-like linen, with pleated shawl sleeves. Over this a broad golden collar of beads and molded shapes of ankhs and flowers, golden bracelets, armlets, rings and golden sandals. Sporting a pair of light driving gloves, she held two sets of reins to the horses.

On her head, her signature blue crown, tall blue cylinder with a rakish angled top, was tied around with embroidered golden ribbons the ends of which fluttered at her nape and mounted with the Royal Cobra of Egypt on her brow.

She blazed in the sun, Aten's face, in her gold-covered chariot drawn by a pair of golden stallions with their gaudy dangling golden trappings.

The three little princesses were gowned like their mother in white pleated flowing dresses, belted with golden ribbons long and fluttering, and lightweight driving gloves. Their little heads sported thick long sidelocks braided with golden ribbons. The grooms who rode with them, jumped down to make room for Tut's companions.

Tut-Ankh-Aten immediately sprang up into the Queen's chariot and the three lucky older schoolmates, Khai, Hiknefer and Huy, respectfully bowing and nodding, joined the three princesses in their chariots. Escorting soldiers and servants ran ahead of the group and more behind.

The entourage set out south along the Royal Road of the Sun, sunlight flashing blindingly off the Royal chariots, disorienting all who saw them pass in the heat-mirage of the day.

Into the temple they went, the unroofed, open to the Sun, temple, into the intense light of the Aten, Re at His full strength, overpowering, unbearable, the turquoise of the sky fading into white, the quality of a dream with furnace heat.

The Queen and the young Prince seemed to be the only ones immune to the punishing heat of the Sun at His Zenith. With their golden skin, the white of her robes and his kilt and headdress, and the glare of the gold they wore, they seemed creatures, gods, made of pure light as they proceeded stately to the altar, offering handfuls of flowers to the Sun. Their servants bounded forward and placed bountiful loads of bread, vegetables, fruits and more flowers upon the Great Altar of the Sun. Sweet incense was lit, fragrant smoke rising in the heat, making more magical the moment.

The Queen and the Prince sang a song of praise to The Aten:

"May the Good God live
who takes pleasure in truth
Lord of all the Sun shines upon
Lord of Heaven
Lord of Earth
The Great Living Aten
who lights the Two Lands!"

The many devotees in the temple sang in response:
"May the Father live,
Divine and Royal.
Re-Her-Ahk-a-ty, the Living,
who rejoices on the Horizon
in His form of Light
which is the Aten
who gives life for ever
and to all eternity.
The Great Living Aten
in His Jubilee!"
The Queen, the Prince and the Princesses stepped forward and laid their flowers, mandrakes and lotuses, on the offerings heaped on the Great Altar. They raised their arms to the Sun over their heads and sang their Benediction to the massed devotees of Aten:
"The Rays of Aten are a
protection over thee,
The hands of the rays of God
possess health and life,
They are to thee as prosperity
to thy members."
The people sang:
"Ankh em Maet.
Living in Truth."
And the people moved forward to present their offerings to the Royals on their separate personal altars around the immense temple courtyard.

The Queen and the Prince casually strolled out of the temple, followed by the princesses, Tut's fellow-students, and their servants. They stopped in the shaded colonnade for cooling drinks. Devotees began to follow them out.

They remounted the waiting chariots, cheered by the waiting populace. The spirited horses turned and they drove back to the Palace of Beauty, dust rising in their wake. They disappeared into the wavering haze of heat, like a dream, a mirage.

Copyright © 2001, René O'Deay
Revised -- Nov. 2003