Temple of Debod

Madrid, Spain

The Temple of Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple that was dismantled and rebuilt in Madrid. The shrine was originally erected 15 kilometres south of Aswan in Upper Egypt, very close to the first cataract of the Nile and to the great religious center in Philae dedicated to the goddess Isis. In the early 2nd century BC, Adikhalamani (Tabriqo), the Kushite king of Meroë, started its construction by building a small single-room chapel dedicated to the god Amun. It was built and decorated in a similar design to the later Meroitic chapel on which the Temple of Dakka is based. Later, during the reigns of Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy VIII, and Ptolemy XII of the Ptolemaic dynasty, it was extended on all four sides to form a small temple, 12 by 15 metres, which was dedicated to Isis of Philae. The Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius completed its decorations.

From the quay, there is a long processional way leading to the stone-built enclosure wall, through three stone pylon gateways, and finally to the temple itself. The pronaos, which had four columns with composite capitals, collapsed in 1868 and is now lost. Behind it lay the original sanctuary of Amun, the offering table room and a later sanctuary with several side-rooms and stairs to the roof.

In 1960, due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam and the consequent threat posed by its reservoir to numerous monuments and archeological sites, UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical legacy. As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the Abu Simbel temples, the Egyptian state donated the temple of Debod to Spain in 1968.

The temple was rebuilt in one of Madrid's parks, the Parque del Oeste, near the Royal Palace of Madrid, and opened to the public in 1972. The reassembled gateways have been placed in a different order than when originally erected. Compared to a photo of the original site, the gateway topped by a serpent-flanked sun was not the closest gateway to the temple proper. It constitutes one of the few works of ancient Egyptian architecture that can be seen outside Egypt and the only one of its kind in Spain.

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Founded: 1972
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Spain

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4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Seokjin Ham (4 months ago)
This is an ancient Egyptian building that was received as a gift from Egypt in 1968 in return for helping move Nubian temples, which were in danger of being submerged due to the construction of the Aswan Dam, to other location. It is about 2200 years old. When brought to Spain, it was positioned so as to maintain approximately the same orientation as its place of origin, from east to west. It is a great place for a beautiful sunset.
Bradley Cronenwett (4 months ago)
A really neat piece of history, and a free experience. The queue moves very slow as the temple is quite small. There isn’t a ton to see inside, and the video is Spanish only, but there is a free information guide in a variety of different languages. A couple of the rooms were closed as well during our visit.
Leon Guerrero (4 months ago)
Lovely park with awesome views! Favourite near home, well located. An ancient Egyptian sacrificial temple gifted to Spain unensambled and ensembled back up. Lovely people and vibe, always merry. Great for sunset sights!
krishna joshi (4 months ago)
Super cute place for catching a sunset or a little picnic with a partner, friends or just yourself! Unfortunately we were there on a cloudy rainy day but still totally worth it. It’s a hidden gem not a lot of people know or think about. The monument itself is free but be prepared to wait a little
Fannie H (5 months ago)
Great experience on my first weekend in Madrid. I queued to get in for about 1hr, but it was worth to. You can then get close to those ancient mysterious architecture to have some photo with them. Photos also allowed inside, just if not to turn in the flash.
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