The false door of the Egyptians: The gate to the afterlife

The false doors in the temples and tombs of the ancient Egyptians served as an imaginary passage to the afterlife. The gods or spirits of the deceased can pass through this door to receive offerings or offerings.

A false door dated to 2,400 BC. Photo: Sharron Mollerus. What is a fake door? False doors were one of the most common architectural features in ancient Egyptian tombs, mainly royal tombs, dating back to the Egypt’s Old Kingdom period. False doors first appeared in the Mastaba . tombs [loại mộ cổ hình chóp cụt] It belonged to the Third Dynasty and was widely used in tombs of the Fourth to Sixth Dynasties. False doors are usually made from a monolithic limestone rock, sometimes painted red with black spots. Its shape resembles a real door with an outer frame but is longer and narrower, such as the false door in Sean Khui Ptah’s tomb located in the Teti cemetery in Saqqara, Egypt. However, in the tomb of Hesire lăng [bác sĩ của Pharaoh Djoser] and many others, false doors can be made of wood. The fake door is almost always fixed in place. But in rare cases, they can be teleported. The original form of the false door was just a small alcove facing the west. Then, the ancient Egyptians carved out a square or rectangle at the top where they believed that gods or dead relatives would appear to receive offerings. The sides of the door are stone and linoleum [bộ phận nằm trên khung cửa có tác dụng đỡ mảng tường gạch phía trên] where the Egyptians wrote hieroglyphs. During the nearly 150-year rule of Sixth Dynasty pharaohs including Pepi I, Merenre and Pepi II, the false door underwent a series of design and layout changes. Based on that, historians can date many tombs based on the characteristics of the false doors. After the First Intermediate Period, the popularity of false doors in tombs dwindled. During the New Kingdom period, false doors became simpler, just drawings on the flat surface of a wall or stele engraved with hieroglyphs. Sometimes, fake doors are painted on the sides of the stone coffin. A grave may consist of two false doors, one for the owner of the grave and the other for his or her spouse. Also, in some cases of extended family graves, each member has their own false door. Gateway to the afterlife For the ancient Egyptians, false doors were considered a gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead. They believe that the souls of deceased relatives can pass through this door to receive offerings or offerings. The false door is usually located on the west wall of the main room in the chapel, or altar room. It is meticulously decorated, bearing the name and title of the owner of the tomb. The hieroglyphic content on the false door also refers to offerings for the deceased. Sometimes it was a curse meant to protect the mummy and their spiritual journey after death. Anyone who dares to enter or tamper with the mummy’s tomb will be met with bad luck and inevitable death. However, those with good intentions who come to make offerings will be blessed. For example, the false door in Redi-ness’s tomb at Giza (Egypt) records the following: “I never wanted to harm anyone. But anyone who dares trespass on my resting place will be punished by the gods.” The life-sized statue is walking through the fake door. Photo: Wikimedia In some of the tombs, life-sized statues were created walking out of the center of the false door. On either side of the door were painted two servants accompanying them to show their noble status. Usually, in front of the fake door there will be a stone table – where offerings for the dead are placed. Offerings can be real food or symbolic food carved directly on the table such as bread, beer, chicken, beef, etc. Currently, fake doors are one of the unique architectural features of the ancient Egyptians that are interested and studied. Although many fake doors still exist in the mausoleum grounds, there are a few that have been removed and displayed in different museums around the world. Fake door outside Egypt Egypt is not the only place where strange fake doors can be found. In 1996, tour guide Jose Luis Delgado Mamani accidentally discovered a stone gate 7m high, 2m wide in the mountains of Hayu Marca, about 35 km from the Peruvian city of Puno. It was named the “Gate of Gods”, or “Gate of the Gods”. According to legend, anyone who walks through the Gate of God will become immortal. The native Indians believe that the great heroes of the past passed through this gate to enter the land of the gods and enjoy eternal life. Gate of God in Peru. Photo: Alamy In addition to the Divine Gate in Peru, there are many ancient structures that are said to be portals to other worlds. For example, the Stonehenge stone circle in England; Gate of the Sun in Tiahuanaco, Bolivia; The Star Gate in Sri Lanka, … In January 2018, archaeologists discovered a fake door in a Greek tomb at the Al-Abd archaeological site in Alexandria. Dr Ayman Ashmawy, an expert in Egyptian antiquities, said that the fake door in this case played a role in misleading thieves, making it impossible for them to find the real door of the tomb.