During your holiday in Madrid, leave the sunny Spanish culture behind for a moment and immerse yourself in the most enigmatic Egyptian civilisation by walking along the Temple of Debod, one of Madrid’s most unique monuments and the oldest.
Upon seeing it, you too will surely wonder what a well-preserved 2nd century BC Egyptian temple is doing in the park of a European capital. The answer is simple: it is a gift!
It was the Egyptian government that donated the temple to Spain in 1960 at the behest of King Adijalamani in order to save it from possible flooding during the construction of the Aswan Dam.
For many centuries lying along the banks of the Nile, since 1972 it has been the exotic attraction of the Cuartel de la Montaña park, a few minutes’ walk from the central Plaza de España.
If by day it is an imposing sight, at night it is particularly impressive because its austere beauty is enhanced by spectacular plays of light and reflections on the water. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to admire one of the few complete architectural remains of Egyptian civilisation outside Egypt.
The original location of the temple is the Nile Valley, about 30 km from Aswan. The original core of the temple is a chapel dedicated to the deities of Amun and Isis built during the reign of Adijalamani of Meroe, around the beginning of the 2nd century BC; other rooms were later added to this.
The Roman emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Hadrian made further modifications to this temple, which was closed and abandoned around the 6th century.
In 1960, the Egyptian government decided to donate the temple to Spain; the building was dismantled and shipped piece by piece. Arriving in Madrid in 1968 after several stages, it underwent extensive restoration work and was opened to the public only four years later.
The pool on which the temple stands was added to recall the original arrangement along the river and the original orientation from east to west was also maintained.
It is possible to visit the Temple of Debod inside, without even having to pay an entrance fee. Due to its characteristics, however, the temple is very fragile and many measures are taken to keep it in the best possible state.
A maximum number of visitors is allowed, after which one must wait before being allowed to enter, and the visit has a maximum duration that cannot be exceeded; in addition, the temple is occasionally closed for necessary conservation work.
The interior of the temple consists of a series of rooms, some of which are decorated with hieroglyphics or scenes of offerings to the gods; information panels and audiovisual projections tell the story of this ancestral temple.
If you can’t get in, don’t despair, the temple is still worth a visit from the outside. Indeed, the outside walk along the temple is extremely fascinating and with a little imagination you will feel as if you are far away in time and space walking along the banks of the Nile in ancient Egypt.
Curiosities
Spain is not the only country to have received an Egyptian temple as a gift: the Temple of Taffa was donated to the Netherlands, the Temple of Dendur to the United States and the Temple of Ellesija to Italy.
The Temple of Debod is located in the Princesa tourist area; can be easily reached by metro and numerous buses. In particular, if you travel by metro, the closest stops are Arguelles, to the north, where lines 3, 4 and 6 run, and Santo Domingo, to the west, where line 2 stops. The two stops are roughly equidistant from the temple, but they are not exactly close: you will have to walk about 10 minutes to reach it once you get off.
The temple of Debod is located northwest of the city centre, not far from Plaza de Espana and the Cerralbo Museum. It can also be reached on foot, although the walk begins to be long.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.
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