Lotus flower among the ancient Egyptians
The ancient Egyptians carefully observed nature and saw that the lotus flower remained submerged at night only to reappear the next morning just like the sun, which is why they associated the lotus flower with renewal and natural cycles.
The lotus flower looks wonderful and amazing. At night, it gathers its leaves and the flower sinks under the water, and before dawn it rises again from the depths until it floats to the surface.
In furtherance of sanctification, the ancient Egyptians linked the lotus flower to the sun god Ra, and it is also the only plant that regulates its internal temperature to remain within 35 degrees, and lotus seeds can live for up to five thousand years.
It was treated as a symbol of creation among the ancient Egyptians, as the Egyptian creation myth tells us about the emergence of the blue water lily (the Nile lotus), where the ancient Egyptians watched the opening of the lotus flowers that floated in the Nile every morning, closing their corollas after each passing afternoon and then diving under the surface of the water. :
“In the beginning, mist pervaded the earth, and chaos was overwhelming, and darkness touched the face of the water. Then a water lily emerged from the deep, and slowly its petals opened to reveal the child god sitting in its heart. Its fragrant scent spread to nestle on the water, and a light radiated from the child’s body to dispel the complete darkness. That The child is the god of creation, the source of all life, the sun god Ra. At the end of each day, the primordial water lilies close their corollas, and chaos reigns throughout the night until the Creator God returns to the heart of the water lily. In order to protect his light from being extinguished, the sun god would keep his eyes closed and surround himself wrapped in water lilies.
The lotus flower played a major role in ancient Egyptian worship rituals. It is one of the holiest flowers and the most perfect flower. It is the mistress of perfumes. The sacred lilies of the Nile were offered as offerings during funeral rites. Its remains were found covering the body of Tutankhamun when his tomb was opened in 1922.
Herodotus mentioned plants in which he described ancient lotus flowers. He was called the Father of History. During his visit to Egypt in the fifth century BC, he described this plant as a type of water lily called the lotus, which was grown for the taste of its sweet roots and dried flowers that were ground. With flour for making bread.
The Egyptian army took it as its emblem in Pharaonic times.
For the ancient Egyptians, the lotus plant mimicked the Nile in its shape: its leaves were the lakes branching off from the Nile, its stem was its course, and the flower was the Nile Delta.
It was a source of artistic and architectural creativity. In the inscriptions drawn on the tombs of Thebes, a drawing was found of a boat making its way through the water, and a girl’s hand reaching out to pick one of the lotus flowers that had not yet bloomed. It is noted that the tops of many ancient Egyptian temple columns also take the shape of lotus flowers
Even in our current era, the Cairo Tower is also in the shape of a lotus flower.
In the New Administrative Capital, the iconic tower was in the shape of an Egyptian obelisk, while its facade was in the shape of a lotus flower.
In the past, it was a symbol and a meaning, and in our present and future it also remains a symbol and a meaning, and each suits the people of its time.
Source: websites