Gate- or Doorkeeper (ỉry-ꜥꜣ), also Overseer of the Gate (ỉmy-r rwyt),[1] was an ancient Egyptian occupational title held by high officials in charge of guarding the gates of a specific palace or temple domain. Gatekeepers were deployed at domains to keep out unwanted visitors; commoners were – in most cases – restricted from entry at these places. Palaces were certainly off limits without the Pharaoh's permission. While some temple courts were open for commoners during religious festivities or for prayer and offering in general, the inner parts of the temples were merely accessable by priests. The temple's inner sanctuary itself was restricted to everyone but the King, the High Priest and (in the case of the Amun priesthood at Karnak) the God's Wife of Amun.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Leprohon 1997, p. 80-81.
Bibliography[]
- Leprohon, R.J., 1997: Gatekeepers of This and the Other World. In: Studies in Memory of Ronald J. Williams. Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities. Vol. 24.