QENA

The temple of Dendera was built to worship the goddess Hathor, the ancient Egyptian goddess of love, beauty and family on the western shore of the Nile. Its construction dates back to the Greco-Roman era, when King Ptolemy III built it from sandstone, Many Roman emperors kept adding to it making the process of building last for about 200 years.

The temple is characterised by its unique architecture, rich in paintings and inscriptions. Its walls and columns are decorated with hieroglyphic writings and carved statues with precision and beauty.

The inscriptions on the inner walls of the temple show the Roman Caesars Augustus, Tiberius and Nero making offerings to the gods as the ancient Egyptians used to do.

The temple is distinguished by its astronomical paintings that adorn its ceilings, which are considered a creative masterpiece, as it is one of the most prominent architectural masterpieces in the history of ancient Egypt. The upper ceiling can be accessed by stairs decorated with views of the priestly processions as they go up the stairs carrying the statues of Hathor in wonderful Pharaonic inscriptions, which represent the celebrations of the New Year .

The façade of the Temple of Hathor is one of the most amazing ancient Pharaonic façades of all temples, with a width of 35 meters and a height of 12.5 meters. The façade of the temple is led by impressive huge columns, the top of which is crowned with drawings of the heads of the god Hathor (Hathorian faces), as well as the second temple of the divine birth that was built during the reign of Augustus and which contains a prominent inscription that embodies an imaginary gate that reaches to the other world, topped by three winged sun disks, then a row of cobra snakes crowned with sun disks. The number of columns that bear the roof of the temple hall is 24, in addition to a large number in the rest of the temples from the inside. These columns are surrounded by a group of offering rooms.

The catacombs of the Temple of Dendera:

It is the place designated for festive celebrations in ancient Egypt, and golden statues of deities and ritual tools necessary to hold religious rituals The precious statues and valuable tools are kept inside, and it includes an important set of inscriptions and scenes, including the view of the opening of the stone door, and a winged disc that pushes the winged sun In front of him between the signs of East and West, and the ritual of offering bread to the goddess Hathor. The Lady of Dendera, in addition to the ritual of stabbing a crocodile in front of Hur with two images of the seven Hathorat scenes.