Temple of Debod in Madrid

Temple of Debod in Madrid

Temple of Debod is one of the churches, which is a bright representative of Egyptian architecture outside Egypt. In its turn, it was presented to Spain by the Egyptian authorities and transferred from Egypt to Madrid. Such architectural masterpiece is the one and only in the whole country.

Initially, this wonderful structure was built in the fertile valley of Nile, 15 km from Aswan. Temple of Debod was built in the IV century B.C. It was devoted to the goddess Isis and considered an important religious centre.

The temple stayed in its home country until 1960 (which was the year of construction of the Aswan Dam). With its construction, a part of historical monuments had to be destroyed. However, the Government decided to give the Temple of Debod to Spain to thank them for the preservation of other cultural monument- Abu Simbel. Temple of Debod was carefully dismantled, loaded on a ship and transferred to Spain. It was decided to install it in Madrid, in Parque de Oeste, located near Palacio Real. In Spain it was immediately reconstructed, and after its completion in 1972, it was open to the public.

To get to the temple, you will have to go through the two narrow gateways. After that, the visitors will get to the pretty porch, decorated by the columns. By visiting the West Hall of the Temple, you can look at the preserved ancient hieroglyphs. It also represents the pictures showing the long life of the building, especially the whole process of reconstruction in the new place.

Comparing it to the original building, you should pay attention to the gateways, which were installed in a different order during the reconstruction. The same applies to the temple gates (comparing images, they shall be placed on a completely different side).

The huge public swimming pool is located near the Temple of Debod. It offers the incredible view of Almudena Cathedral. You can also enjoy the beauty of the temple and park in the evening, when the whole park is beautifully lit, so that you can see the reflection of the trees in the water. The Park and Temple of Debod are the most popular rest place in Madrid (especially to take pictures of the sunset).