From Stargate to Abydos: I Found 76 Kings, a Little Ego, and One Very Bumpy Road

The Temple of Seti I in Abydos is now off the beaten path down a VERY bumpy road. The new road north from Luxor is great for most of the 2.5 hour trip. But for the last 4km, hold on, and make sure your drinks are completely sealed! Definitely ask your driver to stop for fresh falafel! Hot from the deep fryer and 250 EGP (less than $0.50 USD) each, it’s a perfect road trip snack for every budget.

Aliens in Egypt?

I first learned of Abydos from the show Stargate SG-1. ☺️ So many pop-culture references have interesting and true back stories.

The real city in Egypt transformed into a distant planet (thanks creative writers!) but kept the pyramids and Egyptian gods as significant characters. I visited Abydos in 2019 from Luxor. I went back in 2026 again as part of day trip to Dendera and Abydos. In the show, and the original Stargate movie the show is based on the pyramids were built by aliens.

Time Traveling Aliens?

The hierglyphs don’t prove aliens built the pyramids. But they definitely keep creating interesting stories!

Abydos Cartouche

I think one of the most significant things in the temple is the Abydos Cartouche List of Pharoahs (kings) is an ancient record of 76 pharaohs from early Egyptian history, beginning with Menes and ending with Seti I. A cartouche is an oval with a line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. It is carved onto a wall in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, Egypt. The first 2 rows list the pharoah cartouches in chronological order. The third row repeats the throne name and birth name of the reigning pharaoh, Seti I over and over. (A tiny bit egotistical. 🤏🏻)

The list intentionally leaves out pharoahs the 19th Dynasty considered illegitimate, heretical, or politically disruptive: Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, Tutankhamun, Ay, the Hyksos rulers, and the ephemeral kings of the 9th, 10th, and entire 2nd Intermediate Period. A common maxim is “history is written by the victors”. While it may not be entirely true, it is true that rulers can and have put their own spin on history. At least until such time as overwhelming evidence causes history to be revised.

The list is too big to capture in one photo, so here’s a video.

Cartouches

Now it’s common for visitors to purchase a cartouche of their own name. Again, tiny bit egotistical to buy yourself an empire. The cheapest option a silver cartouche. Most are made of gold. They are quickly produced with the oval portion and hieroglyphs pre-made on only requiring soldering of the symbols. Some people opt for their native language on one side and hieroglyphs on the other. Cost is based on the weight of the medal used. 18kt gold per gram is approximately 5,408 EGP ($104.69 USD) on 22 September 2026, compared to its all-time high of 6,098.33 EGP ($124.72 USD) per gram set on January 28, 2026 and fluctuates daily. Obviously shorter names have fewer letters and are cheaper. 😉 They are also cheaper because the oval can be smaller.

I bought a standard 18kt cartouche on my first visit to Egypt in 2001 24.77 EGP ($6.42 USD) per gram! On another visit I bought an open-faced 18kt cartouche. An open-face cartouche has the hierglyphs are soldered to the oval frame without a solid back. The standard has my full name, and the open-face has my prefered name. Does this make me a double queen? hmmm…

Abydos and Dendera make for a great day trip!