Description

Essentials about the Temple of Debod in brief

The Temple of Debod is the oldest monument in Madrid. However, this has nothing to do with the Spanish architecture itself, but with a donation. The Temple of Debod is in fact an ancient Egyptian-Undernubian temple that once stood on the banks of the Nile. To save it from sinking during the construction of the Aswan Dam in Egypt, the Egyptian government donated the temple to Spain in the late 1960s. Since then, there is a piece of ancient Egypt to admire in the middle of Madrid in Parque del Oeste.

The history of the Temple of Debod

In a temple complex located near Debod, the goddess Isis of Philae was worshipped together with Hor-pa-chered of Philae already in the 3rd millennium BC. The new Temple of Debod was built by the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy IV. In the early second century BC, the Nubian king Adikhalamani of Meroe had a small chapel built in honor of the god Amun of Ta-hut near the village of Debod. Due to its numerous inscriptions and reliefs, the chapel was known as the “Chapel of Reliefs”.

Later in time, various Ptolemaic kings added new chambers around the original core of the complex. The Roman emperor Augustus later had the forecourt built. Descriptions of the decorations and inscriptions of the forecourt have survived only from the accounts of travelers to Egypt. Further enlargement and embellishment work took place under the later Roman emperors Tiberius and probably Hadrian.

The construction of the Aswan Dam in 1960 put a number of archaeological monuments in the Nile region in danger of being flooded. As a result, UNESCO issued an international appeal to save the unique cultural heritage of southern Egypt. In recognition of Spain’s help in saving the Temple of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian government donated the Temple of Debod to Spain in 1968.

The Temple of Debod in Madrid

The temple found a new home in the southernmost section of the Parque del Oeste, just a short distance from Plaza de España. Open to the public since 1972, the Temple of Debod is one of the few examples of ancient Egyptian architecture that can be visited outside of Egypt, as well as the only exhibition of its kind in Spain.

During the reconstruction of the temple, its original orientation from east to west was maintained. To understand the history, decoration and significance of the temple, models are exhibited on site and audiovisual demonstrations are available. Incidentally, from the temple you can also enjoy a beautiful view of the Royal Palace of Madrid and the rooftops of downtown Madrid.

Website

templodedebod.memoriademadrid.es

Opening hours

Opening hours Apr. – Sep.:

Admission fees

Free.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Metro lines 2, 3 and 10: Stop Plaza de España

Metro line 3: Stop Ventura Rodríguez

Bus lines 62 and 74: Stop Templo de Debod

By car:

The nearest parking lot is the Parking Larga Estancia.