Dendera Temple Situated in the village of Dendera, It’s associated with the Qena Center, which is part of the Qena Governorate in the Arab Republic of Egypt. It is regarded as one of the most well-known archaeological and tourist destinations. The stunning vistas of the prehistoric cultural legacy, which was created and erected by the ancient civilizations that once and currently occupy the area, draw large numbers of tourists and visitors. Numerous tourists visit the location. The Temple of Hathor, sometimes referred to as the “Temple of Dendera,” is the oldest and most significant institution for the ancient Egyptians, and it is located within this settlement.

 

Dendera Temple Complex

The Temple of Dendera Situated in the Arab Republic of Egypt, in the town of Dendera, 5 km northwest of Qena and 60 km north of Al-Aqsa, is an old Roman Ptolemaic complex. It is thought to be a collection of historic stone archeological temples that, from an economic and tourism standpoint, were strategically placed. It was constructed by Ptolemy XIII and associates while Egypt was ruled by the Old Kingdom, the Ptolemaic Kingdom, and the Roman Emperor.

The complex of temples presents a panorama of Egypt’s lengthy past. Many things regarding this past are revealed by this amazing complex. By looking into the history of this complex, we may discover that the initial structures were constructed during the reigns of the Greeks and Romans and that they date back to the ancient Egyptian era. There is proof that buildings and temples from 2500 BC exist. On this location, Pharaoh Pepi I (c. 2250 BC) erected his palace, and evidence of an 18th Dynasty (c. 1500 BC) temple exists. But the oldest structure still existing in this complex is from the time of the Almamesi, the first pharaohs, who were reared by Nectanebo II (360-343 BC).

 

The Dendera temples were impacted by the spread of Christianity in Egypt. There used to be a Coptic Christian church close to the Temple of the Nativity. Between 54 and 20 BC, Ptolemy XII began construction on the main temple, which Queen Cleopatra VII almost finished.

 

– Hathor Temple

This location was the site of the renowned Temple of Hathor. This procedure was carried out in the distant Sixth Dynasty, and the Greek and Roman eras later saw the development of its building. Construction on the sections of the temple that are currently open for visitors started during the Ptolemaic era, and the Caesars finished the work. The new temple was built over nearly two centuries, with the Romans carrying on the work. It is also characterized by a particular and unique architectural art that is abundant in murals and inscriptions. On its walls are also texts written in hieroglyphics.

Very accurate and exquisitely etched statues surround the walls and columns. The Roman general Augustus is the inspiration for the inscriptions seen on the temple’s inner walls. The procedure of making sacrifices to the gods was carried out by Tiberius and Nero in the same way that the ancient Egyptians did. Once we pass through the temple’s enormous entrance, we are greeted by a spacious hall that was begun by Tsar Augustus and finished by Tsar Nero. This hall was raised on twenty-four columns and placed in four rows. It is twenty-seven meters high and forty-three meters long.

There are eleven little side rooms and three more halls of varying sizes beyond this one. There are eighty-one meters in length and thirty-four meters in width in the temple. He started the process of uncovering and restoring the temple in the year 1807.

 

– Temple of Isis and House of Mamisi

In addition, there is the little Temple of Isis, which is situated close to the Great Temple’s western corner. Nero, the Roman Caesar, constructed it. One hundred and thirty meters separates the two temples along a temple road. Seventy meters separate it from the Temple of Isis to the north. It’s the temple that the goddess Hathor was given.

Architecture of the Temple of Dendera

The Temple of Edfu and Dendera Temple share an amazing amount of similarities in their architectural design. This is not accidental, as the two temples are completely the same. However, it represents the sacred sacrifices and rites, as well as the close bond between the machines Horus in Edfu and Hathor in Esna, in tiny form.

One of the greatest examples of an ancient Egyptian temple facade is the Dendera Temple. It measures 12.5 meters high by 35 meters wide. Six columns, topped with Hathorian heads shaped like “centrums,” which are musical instruments, top the façade.

It features hanging curtains-like “half-wall” walls dividing its halves, and a three-line Greek text penned by the Romans in AD 35 atop the structure’s central entrance. It states that Emperor Tiberius, the new Caesar Augustus and son of the heavenly Augustus, was the rightful owner of the temple and that it was governed by others.

Eighteen clay-shaped columns support the hall’s ceiling. In comparison to other temples from that era and its lighting, the temple is thought to be in a good state of preservation.

The lighting in the hall rooms is nearly exactly what it was in the past. On the left side of the front wall are various scenes showing the emperor leaving the palace to finish the ceremony in the temple while wearing the crown of Lower Egypt. He purifies Horus and Jehuti, the gods. The gods then crowned him.

The main hall’s right wall features these scenes, which depict the king’s procedures for constructing the Temple of Dendera and dedicating it to Hathor. The emperor is pictured once more on the right side of the front wall, this time donning the Upper Egyptian crown and receiving a gift from the gods.

Hathor said, “Montu and Atum”. Vandalism has been committed against the numerous images of the royal family and the gods that adorn the columns. One such image depicts the king presenting offerings to the gods.

The temple’s diminutive size and the characteristic spherical nature of Ptolemaic human representations set it apart. Astronomical scenes depicting the zodiac signs and Nut, the goddess of the sky, adorn the ceiling. The Hall of Views is a tiny hallway with two rows and three columns that is located behind the hallways. The hall is unique in that its columns and capitals are composed of sandstone, but its use of granite for column bases sets it apart. Drawings and inscriptions show the king standing before Hathor.

Regarding the scenes on the right side of the hall’s walls, they read counterclockwise in the direction of the back door entrance. These scenes, which resemble those in the vestibule, show the construction process, the laying of foundation deposits, and the work involved in dedicating the temple to Hathor. The scenes on the left side of the hall show the king presenting the temple to Hathor and Horus, and they are read clockwise, beginning at the entrance. The king’s offerings to the gods Hathor and Horus, along with their son who is using clay balls for joy, are shown on the left side of the back wall.

The Hypostyle Hall is surrounded by six chambers, each of which was designated for the presentation of offerings in the form of qualitative categories based on the food, incense, and liquid offerings within it. The king presents sacrifices to the goddess Hathor in each of them. A room on the right has ornaments made of silver, and the second room has water offerings in liquid form.

The food is in the second room, and the incense is in the first room on the left. The two rooms at the back were used to store supplies that the temple required. There are two front rooms, one behind the other, behind the hypostyle hall. The first was known as the offering hall, and it was sealed off by a huge wooden and metal door with two leaves.

The first room’s etched scenes, which show the ruler presenting sacrifices to the goddess of the Dendera Temple, portray us. Pictures may be found on both sides of the first front chamber’s staircase that leads to the temple’s roof. This area consists of a second front room called the “Divine Ennead” hall, which is encircled by several smaller rooms that house the gods’ attire and ornaments.

The “linen room” is the first room, which is the one on the left. The one on the right is known as the “Treasure Room,” while the small courtyard to the left has a staircase leading up to the pristine temple of worship. On her birthday, New Year’s Day, rituals involving the solar goddess and Hathor were conducted here.