In ancient Egyptian afterlife belief, the Book of Gates described twelve gates.
The Book of Gates is a funerary composition describing the sun god’s journey through the underworld during the night. The route is divided into regions or hours, with gates separating sections and guardians confronting the divine procession. The deceased hoped to understand or accompany this passage through knowledge, ritual, and identification with the sun god.
The twelve gates are linked with the twelve hours of nighttime travel. Each section presents distinctive beings, guardians, waterways, and judgments. The composition appears particularly prominently in royal tombs of the New Kingdom.
The Book of Gates is not the same as the Book of the Dead, which was a broad collection of spells and illustrations used in funerary contexts. It is also distinct from the Book of Caverns and the Book of the Earth, though all belong to the wider tradition of Egyptian underworld literature.