Temple of Debod: the Egyptian Temple in Madrid
Madrid is the capital of Spain, a large city with modern architecture, well-kept parks and gardens. But few people know that in the neighborhood of European palaces, there is a real ancient Egyptian temple – the temple of Debod, which is over 2000 years old.
Temple of Debod is located near the Royal Palace of Madrid inside the park on the picturesque hill of Prince Pio.
The temple of Debod was built in Egypt in the 4th century BC, 15 km from the city of Aswan.
The temple was originally intended to worship the god Amon, then became the center of the cult of the goddess Isis – goddess of abundance and fertility, the patroness of marital fidelity and femininity.
In 1968, construction began on the Aswan Dam, which threatened to flood the ancient Egyptian monuments located nearby. Spain was one of the countries that helped Egypt in saving the ancient Egyptian treasures.
In gratitude for their help, the Egyptian government gave Spain the temple of Debod. The structure was dismantled into blocks, transported to Madrid, and reassembled. Till nowadays, the temple has survived without essential changes. In the photo, you can see the temple’s appearance when it was still in Egypt.
Inside the temple of Debod, hieroglyphs and cave paintings of ancient Egyptian rituals have been preserved on the walls. Also in the temple are photos, documents, and layouts that tell the history and details of the move from Egypt to Spain. You can visit the temple inside completely free from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm.
The park next to the temple of Debod offers a magnificent, postcard view of the Royal Palace, the Cathedral of Almudena (Catedral de la Almudena), and the neighboring residential areas.
