Egyptian Labyrinth- Labyrinth of Egypt

The Labyrinth of Egypt, the Labyrinth of Hawara, existed over four thousand years ago. It was located near the town of Arsinoe, just south of the Hawara pyramid, in the area presently known as Fayum. The historical accounts vary, and there are few remaining artifacts.

Professor Flinders Petrie discovered the actual location of the Labryinth of Egypt in 1888. At the time of his discovery, the only thing that remained was a large pile of stone fragments. Upon searching though these stone fragments and rubble, Petrie discovered several interesting artifacts. There were bits of the foundations, shrines made of granite, door jambs, a large well, and a large granite statue of Amenemhat III. Amenemhat III is largely believed to have built the labyrinth. There were enough stone fragments for Petrie to determine the scale and position of the Labyrinth structures.

It is still a matter of much discussion, about the intended purpose of the original structure. It is possible that the site was used as a local government meeting place. It is more likely that the site was intended to be a large, impressive tribute. Based on the fragments of statues of gods and goddesses that were recovered at the site, it is likely that this was a place where people came to worship many different deities.

Herodotus, the Greek writer, provided an account of his visit and his impressions after visiting the Labyrinth of Egypt. Herodotus explained in his book that the Egyptians had formed twelve kingdoms that comprised all of Egypt. Each kingdom had it's own king. These twelve kings decided to work together and create a memorial tribute to all of them. They built the Labyrinth next to the city of the Crocodiles (Crocodilopolis). Herodutus wrote in his book that the Labyrinth was beyond words and was greater in labor and expense than all the Greek buildings combined.

The Labyrinth included twelve enclosed courts that were covered with a stone slab roof. There were six courts on the North side, and six courts on the south side of the Labyrinth. The courts were interconnected. There were also two different types of enclosed room. These rooms were created on two levels, the ground level and on an underground level. Visitors were not allowed into the lower level underground chambers. The chambers were guarded and contained the twelve kings of Egypt and many guarded tombs for the sacred crocodiles.

According to Herodutus the rooms on the ground level were created at a scale that was larger than human. The winding paths through the chambers, courts and columns was intricate and perplexing. The roof slab covered the entire structure and the wall surfaces were covered with intricate paintings and engravings. Each of the courts were surrounded by perfectly symmetrical, perfectly joined stone white columns.