Continuing the tour of Madrid, now I want to show a very special and magical place, the Debob Temple.
Location Ferraz street.
Subway: Plaza de España (L3,L10), Ventura Rodríguez (L3)
Zone: Moncloa- Argüelles
---------------------
Admission Free
Closed Monday.
The "Templo de Debod", close to the Plaza de España (A-3) is a Egyptian temple from the 4th century before Christ. The temple was built originally 15 km south of Aswan in southern Egypt very close to the first cataract of the Nile and to the great religious center dedicated to the goddess Isis, in Philae. In the early 2nd century BC, Adikhalamani (Tabriqo), the Kushite king of Meroë, started its construction by building a small single room chapel dedicated to the god Amun.[1] It was built and decorated on a similar design to the later Meroitic chapel on which the Temple of Dakka is based. Later, during the reigns of Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy VIII and Ptolemy XII of the Ptolemaic dynasty, it was extended on all four sides to form a small temple, 12 X 15 m, which was dedicated to Isis of Philae. The Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius completed its decorations.
From the quay, a long processional way leads to the stone-built enclosure wall, through three stone pylon gateways and finally to the temple itself. The pronaos, which had four columns with composite capitals collapsed in 1868, and is now lost. Behind it lay the original sanctuary of Amun, the offering table room and a later sanctuary with several side-rooms and stairs to the roof.
In 1960, due to the construction of the Great Dam of Aswan and the consequent threat posed to several monuments and archeological sites, UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical legacy. As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the temples of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian state donated the temple of Debod to Spain in 1968.
The Debod Temple is in one of the most beautiful places from which to watch the sunset. Behind the temple the park opens into a terrace with wonderful views westward and eastward, over the Holly Oak trees and pines which soften the horizon in the wide green expanse of the Casa de Campo. With intense contrasts in colour, at one’s feet lies the Parque del Oeste, or western park, while around one is the temple and its surroundings, whose stone reflect the light of the setting sun and from whose reflecting pool this vision is magnified.
From the quay, a long processional way leads to the stone-built enclosure wall, through three stone pylon gateways and finally to the temple itself. The pronaos, which had four columns with composite capitals collapsed in 1868, and is now lost. Behind it lay the original sanctuary of Amun, the offering table room and a later sanctuary with several side-rooms and stairs to the roof.
In 1960, due to the construction of the Great Dam of Aswan and the consequent threat posed to several monuments and archeological sites, UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical legacy. As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the temples of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian state donated the temple of Debod to Spain in 1968.
The Debod Temple is in one of the most beautiful places from which to watch the sunset. Behind the temple the park opens into a terrace with wonderful views westward and eastward, over the Holly Oak trees and pines which soften the horizon in the wide green expanse of the Casa de Campo. With intense contrasts in colour, at one’s feet lies the Parque del Oeste, or western park, while around one is the temple and its surroundings, whose stone reflect the light of the setting sun and from whose reflecting pool this vision is magnified.
Even in a cosmopolitan city like Madrid we can still be surprised by what is hidden in the Cuartel de la Montaña park: the Temple of Debod, a monument that is over two thousand years old, which was brought to Spain from Egypt, stone by stone and carefully reconstructed in the capital.
No comments:
Post a Comment