The Temple of Kalabsha



The Temple of Kalabsha (also Temple of Mandulis) is a Ancient Egyptian temple that was originally located at Bab al-Kalabsha (Gate of Kalabsha), approximately 50 kilometers south of Aswan. The temple was situated on the west bank of the Nile River, in Nubia and was originally built around 30 BC during the early Roman era. While the temple was constructed in Augustus's reign, it was never finished. The temple was a tribute to Mandulis (Merul), a Lower Nubian sun god. It was constructed over an earlier sanctuary of Amenhotep II. The temple is 76 meters long and 22 meters wide in dimension. While the structure dates to the Roman period, it features many fine reliefs such as "a fine carving of Horus emerging from reeds on the inner curtain wall" of the temple. From Kalabsha's "sanctuary chambers, a staircase leads up to the roof of the temple" where one can see a splendid view of the temple itself and the sacred lake. Several historical records were inscribed on the temple walls of Kalabsha such as "a long inscription carved by the Roman Governor Aurelius Besarion in AD 250, forbidding pigs in the temple" as well as an inscription of "the Nubian king Silko, carved during the 5th century and recording his victory over the Blemmyes and a picture of him dressed as a Roman soldier on horseback." Silko was the Christian king of the Nubian kingdom of Nobatia.
When Christianity was introduced to Egypt, the temple was used as a church.
With help from Germany, the temple of Kalabsha was relocated after the Aswan High Dam was built, to protect it from rising waters on Lake Nasser. The temple was moved to a site, located just south of the Aswan High Dam. The process of moving the temple took more than two years. The temple of Kalabsha was the largest free-standing temple of Egyptian Nubia (after Abu Simbel) to be moved and erected at a new site. Its design was standard for the Ptolemaic period with pylons, courtyard, hypostyle hall and three room sanctuaries. Although the building was never completed, it "is regarded as one of the best examples of Egyptian architecture in Nubia."
Enjoy a 3/4 Hours Tour to visit Kalabsha temple accompanied by a private Egyptologist tour guide and your personal professional driver for only 30 usd .read more:
http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/aswan_private_tour_to_kalabsha_temple_on_lake_naser.php 










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Valley of the Golden Mummies

Image
"When people ask me which of my discoveries has meant the most to me personally, I often think first of the Valley of the Golden Mummies at Bahariya Oasis. Introducing this amazing site to the world propelled me into an international spotlight. I feel privileged to have been a part of this story, which is so much a part of my own personal history as well as the history of Egyptian archaeology." Dr. Zahi Hawass Bahariya Oasis  Bahariya, known in ancient times as the "Northern Oasis," lies in a depression in Egypt's Western Desert, about 260 miles southwest of Cairo. Surrounded by high limestone cliffs, the oasis consists of about 1,240 square miles of land irrigated by a multitude of springs. The oases of the Western Desert have long been places where the water supply was constant and assured, and agriculture could flourish. Dates, grapes, and figs have grown in abundance at Bahariya for millenia. The inhabitants of the oasis in ancient times produced
Read more

"Welcome to the age of Facsimile Tourism"

Image
Fit for a king: Tutankhamun’s replica burial chamber Almost a century after its discovery, the burial chamber of Tutankhamun is being recreated down to the minutest detail in the Egyptian desert  . High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. I n November 1922, Howard Carter, a British archaeologist who had spent all his adult life in Egypt, made the discovery that resonated throughout an incredulous world, and continues, even in the age of cinematic blockbuster and virtual-reality-on-demand, to enthral us. Carter was a man who combined practical ingenuity and a vivid sense of romance: he had spent five years, supported by his patron, Lord Carnarvon, excavating in the Valley of the Kings in Thebes (modern-day Luxor), conducting a passionate and well-planned search for the royal tombs of ancient Egypt. But the results were discouraging. This was to be his final d
Read more

The Valley of the Golden Mummies

Image
"When people ask me which of my discoveries has meant the most to me personally, I often think first of the Valley of the Golden Mummies at Bahariya Oasis. Introducing this amazing site to the world propelled me into an international spotlight. I feel privileged to have been a part of this story, which is so much a part of my own personal history as well as the history of Egyptian archaeology." Dr. Zahi Hawass Bahariya Oasis  Bahariya, known in ancient times as the "Northern Oasis," lies in a depression in Egypt's Western Desert, about 260 miles southwest of Cairo. Surrounded by high limestone cliffs, the oasis consists of about 1,240 square miles of land irrigated by a multitude of springs. The oases of the Western Desert have long been places where the water supply was constant and assured, and agriculture could flourish. Dates, grapes, and figs have grown in abundance at Bahariya for millenia. The inhabitants of the oasis
Read more