The Famine Stela of Sehel Island

The Famine Stela is an inscription written in Egyptian hieroglyphs on Sehel Island in the Nile near Aswan. It tells of a seven-year period of drought and famine during the reign of pharaoh Djoser of the Third Dynasty. The text describes how the land was in the grip of drought and that the Egyptians were suffering and breaking the laws of the land. Djoser asked his priest staff, under the supervision of the high lector priest Imhotep, for help to find the god of the Nile, Hapi.

Imhotep investigated the archives of the temple at Hermopolis and informed the king that the flooding of the Nile was controlled by the god Khnum at Elephantine. Imhotep traveled to the temple of Khnum, called 'Joy of Life', where he purified himself and prayed for help. Suddenly he fell asleep and in his dream Imhotep was greeted by the kindly looking Khnum, who described his divine powers and promised to make the Nile flow again. Imhotep woke up, wrote down the dream, and returned to Djoser.

King Djoser was pleased with the news and issued a decree ordering priests, scribes, and workers to restore Khnum's temple and make regular offerings to the god. He also issued a decree granting the temple of Khnum at Elephantine the region between Aswan and Tachompso, along with a share of all the imports from Nubia.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons