Religious Motivation. As in the modern Middle East, the desire to visit places of religious significance was an important motivation for travel. Egyptians often traveled to religious sites to perform rites, to participate in festivals, or just to view famous landmarks. Many of these trips are described in Egyptian art and literature. Others are commemorated by graffiti left behind by the pilgrims themselves. These graffiti can range from a simple name scrawled on a temple wall to an elaborate inscription. They include prayers to the god being visited, descriptions of good deeds performed by the authors, and requests to future readers of the inscription to pray for the authors. Most especially they ask that no one erase the graffiti.

Pilgrimage to Abydos. Perhaps the most famous of Egyptian pilgrimage destinations was Abydos, a holy city of great antiquity. It included the reputed grave...