We started our journey with the bus we boarded from Hurghada. Our first destination was Dendera. As we were leaving touristic Hurghada, we did not have the slightest idea about what Egypt was really like. Hurghada looked relatively clean organized and safe. We found the warnings of the guides that you cannot travel between cities after sunset and you must never go outside the preapproved routes a bit exaggerated. However Egypt would completely change this idea after we crossed its borders.
The Temple of Hathor in Dendera was actually supposed to be the first stop on our route. But because of what happened to us, it almost became the last place we could visit. Initially there was no sign that a storm was approaching. We thought we would visit the ancient sites calmly just like in our other travels. But later everything turned upside down.
The ancient Egyptian temple complex in Dendera is one of the best preserved historical sites in the country. Spreading over an area of approximately forty thousand square meters, this massive complex is surrounded by mudbrick walls and built from sandstone.
Although the earliest structures date back to the Old Kingdom period, most of the complex we see today was built during the Ptolemaic period. And the construction was completed during the reign of Emperor Tiberius when Egypt came under Roman rule. The site includes the Temple of Hathor, the Birth House of Isis, the sacred lake, a sanatorium, a Christian basilica, the gates of Domitian and Trajan and a Roman kiosk.
The main center of the complex is the Temple of Hathor, one of the most magnificent structures of Upper Egypt. When you step into the temple, which began to be built in fiftyfour bc, the massive scale of the architecture immediately influences you. The Inner Hypostyle Hall inside was built during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Twenty four massive columns rise to the sky with special capitals facing the goddess Hathor. The height of the columns is approximately fifteen meters. The ceilings are decorated with ancient astronomical scenes.
As you approach the temple, you immediately notice the traces of different periods in the architecture. On the exterior parts, limestone blocks bearing traces of manual labor and massive stones fitted together perfectly without mortar catch the eye.
From the seaside all the way here, for about two hundred fifty kilometers we had seen only limestone. However, at the entrance and exit of the temple, a huge surprise greeted us. Massive blocks of red Aswan granite. The weight of just one block is over thirty tons. It is truly astonishing how these massive stones were transported here and placed with such precision.
As you move towards the inside of the temple, you see the traces left by time and people. Despite thousands of years, the paints on the ceilings and walls, especialy in vibrant blue tones, still preserve their freshness of the first day. The temple remained under the sands for a long time. In later periods, the upper rooms were used as stables and the ceilings became covered with a black layer of soot from the fires lit.
During the shifts in beliefs, the faces of the figures and depictions of gods on the walls were gouged out with fury. However, since the parts remaining high up could not be reached, the reliefs there are in perfect condition. The most mysterious and narrow sections of the temple are the crypts located below ground level. The interior is quite narrow, stuffy and the temperature can rise up to forty degrees.
On the walls of these narrow passages are the famous reliefs that frequently appear in popular culture and are called Dendera Lamps by alternative history enthusiasts. In the reliefs, snake figures emerging from a lotus flower and resembling a large light bulb, along with supports holding them, are seen.
According to Egyptologists these scenes consist entirely of symbols belonging to Egyptian mythology. The snake born from the lotus symbolizes the abundance brought every year by the River Nile and the birth of new life. The pillar like structure next to it is the Djed symbol of stability representing the backbone of Osiris.
Seeing on site what these drawings resembling technical devices actually symbolize and breathing the ancient atmosphere in that narrow and hot environment is an indescribably unique experience.
Dendera is, in my opinion one of the must see places in Egypt not only with its architecture, but also with the spirit it carries, the detailed hieroglyphs on its walls and its thousands of years of mystery.
This temple, like a massive library combining history and art, reveals the deep connection that ancient humans established with the universe and nature. If your path ever falls to Egypt, be sure to add Dendera to your route.
