After lunch, it took us about 1 hour and 45 minutes to go from Abydos to our next stop of Dendera. It is a beautiful temple, and no doubt the highlight of the tour is the hypostyle hall ceiling.
The Temple of Hathor
“Dendera Temple Complex covers an area of 40,000 square meters ( sq. ft.) and is surrounded by a large mudbrick wall. Within this enclosure are various structures, including the Temple of the Birth of Isis, a Roman mammisi (attributed either to the reign of Trajan or Nero), a sanatorium, and a sacred lake. Nevertheless, the most impressive part of the temple complex is undoubtedly the Temple of Hathor.” https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-africa/magnificent-temple-hathor-goddess-love-best-preserved-temple-all-egypt-007537
Sandstone gate erected by Roman emperors Domitian and Trajan
Capitals of the Hathoric columns
No words could describe the beauty of this place
Sky Goddess Nut
The Yearly Walk of the High Priest
After looking around the temple for a bit, our guide Amr took us on a little adventure. See the below videos. We also had a little fun on the way down in the Eastern Stairwell!
The Crypt
After our little adventure with Amr, we were free to explore the Crypt. Here are a few shots and a short video of my exploration in the nether parts of the Temple.
Wall carving in the crypt. On the right hand wall, you can see part of the infamous “Dendera LightBulb/Crookes tube” (Google this if you want to learn more)
New Open Air-Museum
Some of the pieces of the open air museum that just opened this year.
“In collaboration with a French archaeological mission – working in the area of Dendera- Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities has completed the development of the area around the Dendera temple in Qena and turned it into an open-air museum, according to Dr. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. This development included ten stone blocks that have been created, used as bases to display the artifacts on them, which consists of 145 pieces, mostly to the Greco-Roman period and some to the Old and New Kingdom, Waziri made it clear.” http://luxortimes.com/2019/03/completed-the-open-air-museum-in-dendera-temple/
Our next stop–Luxor
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