The Temple of Hathor at Dendera

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On the west bank of the Nile opposite the upper Egyptian city of Qena is the temple of Hathor at Dendera, with its awe-inspiring Pharaonic architecture symbolic of the ancient Egyptian civilization that has lasted for more than 5,000 years. According to early inscriptions, there was a cult structure to the goddess Hathor at Dendera during the Old Kingdom. During King Khufu’s reign (ca. 2609-2584 BC) of the Fourth Dynasty, the owner of the Great Pyramid at Giza, this structure was rebuilt and dedicated to Hathor and her son Ihy, who formed the main triad at Dendera along with Horus, Hathor’s husband and Ihy’s father. Inscriptions in a later temple at Dendera also mention that King Pepi I constructed a temple at the site. Later additions and modifications to the temple of Hathor were undertaken by several kings of the New Kingdom (ca. 1569-1081 BC), including Thutmose III, Thutmose IV, and Amenhotep III as well as Ramses II and Ramses III.

Temple of Hathor

The Temple of Hathor square is not large, because it is built by the Greek period. Because this relatively new temple, on the external walls of the murals is also clearly visible, the composition of paintings. And other monuments related to Hathor, the temple can be seen everywhere in the top engraved with the head of Hathor pillars. There are two routes leading to the temple roof above may be overlooking the panorama of monuments. There are several very unique stone chamber.

Inside The Temple

The Temple has a very narrow access to the underground chamber, where the Egyptians will instruct you how to enter a tunnel at the entrance because of the keys in their hands. The ground floor of the Chamber of Secrets is a long connected both sides of a number of sculpture, it is not a non-view can not be too particular, just the most special room to bend over when leaning over to climb into the feeling.

The temple of Hathor at Dendara today was built on the ruins of the old temple during the late Ptolemaic period. Ptolemy XII Auletes (80-58, 55-51 BC), whose name is found in the crypts, is associated with the foundation of the temple. During the Late Period and Graeco-Roman period, several hypostyle halls, columns, kiosks, and birth houses were also added to the temple area by Nectanebo I, Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy X, and Ptolemy XI as well as by the Roman emperors Augustus, Tiberius, and Nero.

The main temple area is fronted by several Roman kiosks. Behind these is the impressive gateway of Domitian and Trajan, which is set into a massive mud-brick enclosure wall that surrounded the complex. An unfinished inner enclosure wall of stone built during the reign of Tiberius in the 1st century AD surrounds a courtyard with side entrances. This unfinished courtyard precedes the large hypostyle hall that was also added by Tiberius. The facade of the hypostyle hall fronting the main temple has a low screen created by the inter-columnar walls that leave the hall’s ceiling and 24 columns with sistrum capitals in Hathoric style in full view.

The temple consists of two hypostyle halls: an outer one and an inner hall. The outer hypostyle hall was decorated by emperors ranging from Augustus to Nero. Among the most important and beautiful scenes on the temple’s walls are those on the ceiling of the hypostyle hall, which still retains much of its original color. It is decorated with a chart of the heavens, including zodiac signs and Nut, the goddess who swallowed the sun disk in the evening and gave birth to it again at dawn. The inner hypostyle hall, known as the “hall of appearances,” is decorated with scenes that show the king in foundation ceremonies related to the temple’s construction.

Dendera

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Dendera (also spelled Denderah/Dandarah), is a little town in Egypt on the west bank of the Nile, about 5 km up Nile from Qina, on the opposite side of the Nile. Is located near Qena approx 60 km north of Luxor. Take the ferry to the west bank and the ruins are some 5 km from the Nile. Dendera was the centre for the worship of Hathor the goddess of love and joy. It compares with Venus and Aphrodite. Scenes of Roman emperors are shown on the temple walls. Six Hathor columns for the temple façade and 24 support the roof

Located rather isolated on the desert edge, about 2.5 km south-west of the Town, lay what Dendera is known for, the mostly Greco-Roman Temple Complex, Dendera, known in ancient Egyptian as Iunet or Tantere.

The modern Arab town is built on the ancient site of Ta-ynt-netert which means 'She of the Divine Pillar', or Tentyra which is Greek for Dendera.

Dendera Temple complex, (Ancient Egyptian: Iunet or Tantere). located about 2.5 km south-east of Dendera, Egypt. It is one of the best, if not the best, preserved temple in all Egypt. The whole complex covers some 40.000 square meters and is surrounded by a hefty mud brick enclosed wall.

Dendera was a site for chapels or shrines from the beginning of history of ancient Egypt. It seems that pharaoh Pepi I (ca. 2250 BC) built on this site and evidence exists of a temple in the eighteenth dynasty (ca 1500 BC). But the earliest extant building in the compound today is the Mammisi raised by Nectanebo II – last of the native pharaohs (360-343 BC).

The main features are the Temple of the birth of Isis, Sacred Lake, Sanatorium, Mammisi of Nectanebo II, Christian Basilica, Roman Mammisi, a Bark shine, Gateways of Domitian & Trajan and the Roman Kiosk – but the all overshadowing building in the Complex is the main temple, namely Hathor temple.

The Dendera complex has long been one of the most tourist-explorable ancient Egyptian places of Worship. It used to be possible to visit virtually every part of the complex, from the crypts to the top most roof of Hathor temple, to every other monument located in the complex. This has changed in recent years. The top most part of the roof of Hathor temple has been closed for some years now. The last time it was open default was in 2003. The second stage of the roof was closed in November 2004, after a tourist got too close to the edge and fell to her death on the bedrock below.

Temple of Horus in Edfu

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Edfu was the capital of the second nome of Upper Egypt, an important regional center from the Old Kingdom, partly due to the large area of fertile land belonging to the town, partly to the fact that Edfu was situated near the frontier between Egypt and Nubia, though not as close as was Philae. It was probably a starting point for desert routes leading to the Kharga Oasis in the west, and to the mines of the Eastern Desert and the Red Sea coast in the east. Edfu had an attractive geographic location, elevated within the floodplain in Upper Egypt, so logically it would have attracted settlers at that time. Edfu is located near Hierakonpolis or ancient Nekhen was a major pre-dynastic city.

Temple of Horus in Edfu

Edfu was a flourishing city in Ancient Times. Today, the most important monument in the city of Edfu is the Temple of Horus, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful and preserved Temples in Egypt.The origins of the Temple probably date back to the Second Intermediate Period, but the actual Temple only dates back to Ptolemaic times. The work of construction began during the reign of Ptolemy III (about 237 BC) and was finished during the reign of Ptolemy IV. Some other additions were made by other Ptolemaic Kings, and Roman Emperor Augustus. The construction of this Temple and its additions, inscriptions, and relief’s took about 180 years

The major Ptolemaic temple of Edfu is the best-preserved major temple in Egypt. it is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and was built over a 180 year period from 237 BC to 57 BC, the temple was excavated last century by Auguste Mariette. Its courtyard and surrounds were buried beneath sand and also houses built by local villagers. Deep within the temple is the sanctuary where a statue of Horus would have been cared for by priests.

The Temple of Horus is a large and well preserved temple located at the town of Edfu, 123 kms north of Aswan City. This Ptolemaic temple is the best-preserved temple in Egypt, and indeed in all the ancient world. An example of the Cultus Temple is the Temple of Horus at Edfu or Temple of Isis at Aswan. Temple of Horus Located on the west bank of the Nile, and Edfu is at a midway point between Luxor and Aswan. Temple of Horus at Edfu With the establishment of a centralised pharaonic state, the myriad of local gods was unified into a single pantheon.

The Temple of Horus in Edfu or the Temple of Edfu, is taken the best-preserved cult temple in Egypt. This partially because it was established later than most: in the Ptolemaic period from 237 to 57 BC.

Yet contempt its later date, it exactly muses traditional pharaonic architecture and so leaves an excellent idea of how all the temples once seemed. Edfu is also very huge: the second largest in Egypt afterwards Karnak Temple.

The provincial city of Edfu is placed about halfway between Luxor city (115km away) and Aswan city (105km) and 65km north of Kom Ombo. A very common destination, Edfu is involved in virtually all Egyptian tour travel guidebooks and can be reached by taxi or by cruise on the Nile followed by a caleche ride.

Notes:

The falcon-headed Horus was in the first place the sky god, whose eyes were the sun and moon. He was later absorbed into the popular myth of Isis and Osiris as the bright couple's child. Raised by Isis and Hathor after Osiris' murder by his brother Seth, Horus revenged his father's death in a huge battle at Edfu. Seth was deported and Horus taken the throne, Osiris ruling through him from the underworld. Thus all pharoahs involved to be the avatar of Horus, the living king.

The Temple of Edfu was abandoned after the wide spreed of the Christian in the Roman Empire and paganism was outlawed in 391 AD. It lay buried up to its lintels in sand, with homes established over the top, until it was located by Auguste Mariette in the 1860s. The sand maintained the monument over the years, leaving it very well kept today.

The High Dam

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The High Dam of Aswan is a great project. The High Dam, as-Sad al-'Aali, an embankment dam, was completed on 21 July 1970, so therefore took 10 years to build with the first stage finished in 1964. The High Dam was built 6 km down river from the Low Dam, and together the dams provide irrigation and electricity for all of Egypt.

The High Dam

The high dam at Aswan releases on average 55 billion m³ water per year of which some 46 billion m³ are diverted into the irrigation canals. The High Dam created a 30% increase in the cultivatable land in Egypt, and raised the water table for the Shara as far away as Algeria.

The High Dam added an whole new aspect to Egypt, and a new environment as well.

The Aswan High Dam was a great project! In fact it was one of the most important achievements of the last century in Egypt, for many years symbolizing the New Era of the Revolution of 1952. It provides Egypt with water and electricity, and secures the country from the risk of the destructive inundation of the River Nile. After the revolution of July 1952, President Nasser announced his proposal for building the High Dam, but was met with Western refusals to co-operate, so he turned to the Soviet Union for both technological and financial aid. The result was the present rock-filled structure. The work began on the 9th January 1960 and the completed dam was opened in the spring of 1971. This gigantic building is 111m tall, 3.5Km in length and about 1Km wide! It has a Hydro-electric plant, with 6 turbines, capable of producing 2.1 million kilowatts.

El-Kab

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During the New Kingdom, El-Kab or El Kab was one of the most important city in ancient Egypt, and when El-Kab became important early in ancient Egyptian history, the vulture soon became a heraldic creature for all of Upper Egypt. That mean the vulture was typically associated with the goddess Nekhebet who was the patroness of the city of El-Kab in Upper Egypt.

Location of EL-Kab

In general, this area is called El Kab but it is really the two ancient cities of Nekheb El Kab on the east bank of the Nile River and the older Nekhen, now known as Kom el Ahmar (the Red Mound) on the opposite bank. Before the discoveries at El Kab, it was thought that Paleolithic artifacts, even those dating to the Epipaleolithic, would not be found on the floodplain of the Nile, simply because of the action of the inundation.

The necropolis of El Kab provides the first information of importance about the beginnings of the 18th Dynasty. El Kab is indeed the symbolic city of royalty of the South, its tutelary goddess Nekhbet being the counterpart of the goddess Uadjit, representing the North. At the time when Egypt was not yet unified, the ritual of crowning of the king of the South was certainly done in the original temple of El Kab. The goddess of El Kab often carries the title of "lady of the valley" or of "the double valley".

The rocky hills in the north area are divided in the middle of the El Kab district, and you can meet successively two massifs having resisted all the forces of erosion. Most of the information from this era comes from the site of El Kab, nestled between the eastern bank of the Nile and the Red Sea Hills.

The temple is the most distant monument from the main surrounding wall of El Kab, since it is at a distance of about 3. The tomb belonged to Sobeknakht, a Governor of El Kab, an important provincial capital during the latter part of the 17th Dynasty, about 1575-1550BC.

El Kab was the birthplace of the nobles of the Middle Empire who retook Egypt from the Hyksos invasion. (2507' N 3248'E) Important settlement and cemetery site in Upper Egypt with remains of all periods.

Journey to El Kab:

The camps at El Kab were most likely occupied only during spring and summer. El Kab, whose necropolis houses some important rock-tombs of the provincial governors of El-Kab in the New Kingdom, and shows the early history of the 18th Dynasty and the reunification of Egypt. This complex is home to the tombs of Ahmose, son of Ibana, an admiral in the wars of liberation against the Hyksos, and Sobeknakht II, who saved the Theban 16th or 17th Dynasty from destruction by Kushite forces.