Duat was the region where the Egyptian sun god traveled during the night.
In Egyptian religion, the Duat was the realm of the dead and a dangerous supernatural region beneath or beyond the visible world. During the night, the sun god Ra was believed to pass through it in his solar barque. He encountered gates, hostile beings, and divine guardians before emerging again at dawn.
The journey was closely connected with renewal. Ra’s nightly passage and rebirth each morning provided a cosmic model for regeneration, while the dead hoped to join the sun god or reach other blessed destinations. Funerary books such as the Amduat and the Book of Gates describe aspects of this nocturnal journey.
Duat is sometimes translated simply as “underworld,” but it was not identical to a place of punishment. It contained dangers, judgment, divine territories, and routes that could be navigated with the correct knowledge and protection.