Published caption : Thought to have been built more than 2,000 years ago and originally located on the banks of the River Nile, the Temple of Debod was dismantled in the 1960s to make way for the construction of the Aswan High Dam. It was later presented by the Egyptians to the city of Madrid in return for the financial aid provided by the Spanish government to relocate another ancient temple, Abu Simbel, whose site was also flooded to create a reservoir for the same mega dam. Now located in Madrid’s Cuartel de la Montana Park, the temple has been open to the general public since 1972, free of charge. Adijalamani, ruler of the kingdom of Meroe, commissioned the building of the Temple of Debod which was initially dedicated to the Egyptian deities Amon and Isis. Representations of this god and goddess can still be clearly seen on the reliefs and bas-reliefs decorating the interior of the temple. Extra chambers were added by subsequent pharaohs and some architectural features, such as decorative details on the tops of columns, are evidence of the influence of the Romans who later ruled Egypt. A guided tour of the temple is given every Saturday from 11.30am to 12.30pm, but places must be booked in advance.
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