Better (AI) transcript:
This is the ancient caravan route running east from the ancient city of Nah[ke]b over here all the way to points interconnecting with the Red Sea. Behind me is what is called in modern times Vulture Rock. It is covered with hundreds of rock inscriptions, including several that indicate the location of a lost temple.
Like most rock inscription sites, here we see inscriptions and art of multiple dates, including pre-dynastic boats and animals and then hieroglyphic inscriptions of the feronic period, especially those dating to the late old kingdom. And some of these even tell us where we are.
The courtier and inspector of priests, EIE, son of the courtier and inspector of priests, Behenni. He says, “I am a priest, master of the secrets of the high temple, beloved of his father, praised of all the colleagues with whom he does priestly service in this temple.” Since I was sent, I am indeed the one whose entrance into this temple is expected, specifically beloved of his colleagues, praised of the priests and the crew in this temple. I am indeed one whose character as in good character is in this temple in this desert since I have come out to it.
Now the real key here is this phrase in this temple in this desert. 10 is the demonstrative adjective. The feminine singular of the form referencing then uh modifying hoot nature which is a feminine noun. Hoot for domain direct genative with the masculine noun naturer making the entire direct genative a feminine noun. Now the demonstrative adjective this which is both following temple and the feminine noun means something close by. This means it is here. And if we look up we can see what this references which is the mountain itself. But the evidence doesn’t just end with the demonstrative adjective this. There is more. More answers are to be found if we ascend up to the top of this rock. This area also provides a great vantage point for the caravan tracks where we began that go from Elab all the way into the eastern desert.
And this too is an ancient track. Surprisingly, at top the rock, we have an ancient staircase. Now, there aren’t any texts associated directly with this. However, the style of the chisel marks indicates that these were carved in the Feronic period rather than the Greco Roman era.
And our next clue is all the way down over there at the bottom of the wadi. To the north of the rock is another set of stairs cut into the bed of the wadi. And this accesses a well. When we first excavated it, there’s actually water in the well. And another remarkable aspect of this area and in fact the entire region of Alcab is that it is one of the greatest producers of natron, a natural resource in the wedding nun and here and also throughout Egypt. Not only was this used for purification rituals but also for mummification.
So what does this all mean? That the rock, this part of the wadi is itself the temple with stairs going up to the top of the rock allowing for celestial observations and timekeeping at night and stairs in the bed of the body accessing water where priests could purify themselves before rituals. This rock, this area has all the elements necessary to be an ancient temple. And as the inscriptions tell us, they are coming to this temple in this desert. This is the lost temple.
[Whoops, Nekhen, Nekhbet was the female vulture deity.]