What was the ideal afterlife paradise called in ancient Egyptian religion?

The ideal afterlife paradise was called the Field of Reeds in ancient Egyptian religion.

The Field of Reeds, also known as Aaru, was imagined as a perfected version of Egypt. Its fields were fertile, its waters abundant, and its inhabitants could enjoy familiar activities such as farming, boating, and family life. It was not simply an abstract heaven detached from the physical world.

A deceased person needed to pass through dangerous regions and succeed in judgment before reaching this destination. Funerary texts supplied names, spells, and instructions intended to help the dead navigate the afterlife. The deceased might also rely on shabtis to perform agricultural labor.

The Duat is often confused with the Field of Reeds. The Duat was the wider and more dangerous realm of the dead, through which the deceased traveled. Aaru was the rewarding destination within the broader Egyptian vision of the afterlife.