During your holiday in Madrid, leave the sunny Spanish culture for a moment and immerse yourself in the most enigmatic Egyptian civilization by strolling along the Debod Temple, One of the most unique monuments of Madrid as well as the oldest.
Upon seeing it, you will surely wonder what a Egyptian temple from the XNUMXnd century BC in good condition in the park of a European capital. The answer is simple: it's a gift!
It was the Egyptian government that in 1960 at the behest of King Adijalamani donated the temple to Spain in order to save it from a possible flood during the construction of the Aswan dam.
For many centuries lying along the banks of the Nile, since 1972 it has been the exotic attraction of Park of the Mountain Barracks, a few minutes walk from the central Spain Square.
If during the day it is an imposing sight, in the evening it is particularly suggestive because its austere beauty is enhanced by spectacular plays of light and reflections on the water. Don't miss the unique opportunity to admire one of the few complete architectural remains of Egyptian civilization outside of Egypt.
History of the Temple of Debod
The original location of the temple is the Nile valley, about 30 km from Aswan. The original core of the temple is a chapel dedicated to deities of Amun and Isis built during the reign of Adijalamani of Meroe, around the beginning of the XNUMXnd century BC; to this were later added other rooms.
The Roman emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Hadrian made further changes to this temple, which was closed and abandoned around the sixth century.
In 1960 the Egyptian government decided to donate the temple to Spain; the building was dismantled and shipped piece by piece. Arriving in Madrid in 1968 after several stops, it underwent a massive restoration and was only opened to the public four years later.
The pool on which the temple stands was added to remember the original arrangement along the river and the original orientation from east to west has also been maintained.
How to visit the Temple of Debod
You can visit the Debod temple inside without even having to pay a fee Admission. Due to its characteristics, however, the temple is very fragile and many measures are taken to keep it in the best possible condition.
A maximum number of visitors is allowed, after which it is necessary to wait before being able to enter and the visit has a maximum duration that cannot be exceeded; in addition, the temple is occasionally closed for necessary conservation works.
THEinterior of the temple it consists of a series of rooms, some of which are decorated with hieroglyphs or with scenes of offerings to the gods; information panels and audiovisual projections tell the story of this ancestral temple.
If you can't get in, don't despair, the temple is still worth a visit from the outside. Indeed, the outdoor walk along the temple is extremely fascinating and with a minimum of imagination you will feel like you are far away in time and space walking along the banks of the Nile in the era of theAncient Egypt.
Curiosity
Spain is not the only country to have received an Egyptian temple as a gift: the Taffa temple was donated to the Netherlands, that of densely to the United States and that of Ellesia in Italy.
How to reach us
The Debod Temple is located in the tourist area Princess; it can be easily reached by metro (L2, L3, L10) and numerous buses.
