sacred sites: Egypt Among the hunting-and-gathering peoples who inhabit the forests of central Africa—so-called Pygmy peoples such as the Mbuti of Congo and the Aka of the Central African Republic—the forest is thought to be a divine being or spiritual force Many peoples of West Africa also consider portions of the forest sacred, while other groups, like the Tswana, consider the homeland of their ancestors to be the most sacred ground The elders and keepers of traditional knowledge among the Mijikenda of Kenya also work to protect special areas of forests that they associate with their ancestors Here it is difficult to tease apart today’s spiritual inspiration and imagination from the realities of the past For example, while oral tradition suggests the Mijikenda sacred forests were inhabited by their ancestors for at least the past 10 generations, some archaeologists think they were occupied more recently On the other hand, other experts think the occupation goes back to antiquity, much further than oral tradition suggests Similarly, while it is known that people have inhabited the forests of central Africa for thousands of years, it is not known at what point people began to consider the forest itself as sacred Finally, it should not be forgotten that both Christianity and Judaism established early roots in North Africa and in Ethiopia Today a special treasure house near the Church of Saint Mary at Axum is said by many followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to house the Ark of the Covenant, the chest that contains the original Ten Commandments EGYPT BY CHRISTINE END The ancient Egyptian worldview was embodied in the concept of maat, or divine order Under maat, Egypt was at the center of the universe; night, day, and the seasons were perfectly governed, and the cosmos was harmoniously balanced Appeasing the gods who presided over every aspect of the Egyptian world was necessary to perpetuate maat A goddess, also named Maat, personified the concept Kings frequently included “beloved of Maat” in their titles to show their devotion, and surviving reliefs show kings offering small Maat figures to a variety of gods By giving a figure of Maat, the king was ensuring that the deity would uphold maat and therefore Egypt’s position in the universe The king was not the only one to appeal to the gods; offerings were a part of life for the ancient Egyptians Excavations revealing abundant offerings indicate an especially sacred site Individuals left gifts at specific locations to venerate a particular god, to ask for help, or to mark a pilgrimage to a revered place These offerings could have been amulets, statues, mummified animals, notes or spells written on pottery, foodstuffs, offering tables, or poured unguents or pure sand Some offerings were much larger, such as shrines, stelae, or even temples These places were considered sacred because of mythological or religious connotations, the presence of exploitable resources (such as water or metal) in the area, 899 or symbolic natural or man-made landforms There are many overlaps within these categories For example, sometimes a temple was built on a natural sacred mound, or a building’s design might have imitated a natural sacred land formation The Egyptian perception of the sacred often combined the mythological and tangible worlds Some myths include descriptions of the beginning of the universe One popular Egyptian creation story begins with chaotic primordial waters, called nun (sometimes represented by a god of the same name) Nun was the first thing in the universe out of which the primeval mound, or benben, emerged This mound was the first thing the sun’s rays fell upon Bodies or sources of water were sacred because water symbolized mythological creation and also, in the tangible world, was an essential resource, particularly in the desert The Nile River was the most important body of water; it was the source of agriculture, transportation, and sustenance for Egypt’s people and wildlife This river was so sacred and boat travel was so engrained in the ancient Egyptian consciousness that some royal burials included boats so that the deceased could navigate the waters of the afterlife Sacred bodies of water could also be man-made Artificial lakes were frequently created at temples if a natural water source was not available The temples of Amon and Mut at Karnak, Hathor at Dendera, Osiris at Abydos, and other temples and temple complexes at Medinet Habu, Armant, and Tanis all incorporated man-made lakes into their environment These lakes were used for daily washing, ritual libations, watering sacred animals, and sailing sacred barks during festivals Wells, a natural water source accessed in a man-made fashion, were another way to exploit water On desert roads or in towns far from lakes or the Nile, wells were of life-sustaining importance Water was not the only exploitable natural resource for the Egyptians Mines and quarries were considered sacred places where the riches of the earth were accessible Certain gods were associated with particular types of metal or stone For example, Hathor was deemed the lady of turquoise, and Ra, the sun god, was said to possess bones of silver, skin of gold, and hair of lapis lazuli Shrines and stelae dedicated to gods were frequently erected at their mine sites Man-made mound structures were sometimes incorporated into sacred sites such as tombs, symbolically associating them with creation myths In ancient Egyptian creation mythology, the primeval mound was the first thing to emerge out of the turbulent waters Papyrus was the first thing to grow on the newly emerged mound This mimicked the agricultural cycle of the emergence of fertile silt-covered land after the Nile flood Therefore, including a mound at a site would connect it with both the tangible and mythological worlds A different type of man-made mound is found at Abydos on the west bank of the Nile Abydos was considered the mythical burial place of Osiris, god of the dead and the afterlife Pilgrimages to Abydos honoring Osiris began in early