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Trip ideas  /  4 days in Madrid  /  Temple of Debod
Temple of Debod, Madrid, Community of Madrid
Historic site · Madrid, Community of Madrid

Temple of Debod

A temple from Egypt.A gift to Spain in 1968.Rebuilt between 1970 and 1972.The only one in Spain.

Photo: Matt Joseph, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Nubia

A Kushite king began the temple in the early 2nd century BC

The shrine was first built 15 km south of Aswan, close to the first cataract of the Nile. In the early 2nd century BC Adikhalamani, the Kushite king of Meroë, began it with a small single-room chapel dedicated to the god Amun.

Extended

Ptolemies and Roman emperors enlarged it for Isis

Under Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy VIII and Ptolemy XII the temple was extended on all four sides, to a small temple of 12 by 15 metres dedicated to Isis of Philae. The Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius completed its expansion.

A gift

Egypt gave the temple to Spain in 1968 as thanks

In 1960, because of the Aswan High Dam, UNESCO made an international call to save the monuments of Nubia. As a sign of gratitude for Spain's help in saving the Abu Simbel temples, the Egyptian state donated the Temple of Debod to Spain in 1968.

Rebuilt

It was taken apart and rebuilt near the palace

The temple was taken apart, transported and rebuilt in Madrid in 1970 to 1972, near the Royal Palace, opening to the public in 1972. The gateways were put back in a different order than when first erected.

Open air

Egyptologists criticised leaving it exposed to the weather

Several Egyptologists criticised the fact that, unlike other donated temples, the structure continues to be exposed to the elements. In February 2020 the Madrid city council unanimously decided to speed up plans to cover the monument.

Day 3, evening

It comes after Gran Vía.

More stories from this trip idea

The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Temple of Debod, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.

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