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Temple of Debod, Madrid
Site, Museums outside Egypt · also called Templo de Debod, Debod Temple, Egyptian temple Madrid, Temple of Debod Parque del Oeste
The Temple of Debod in Madrid holds carved offering scenes of three ages: the Meroitic king Adikhalamani in its oldest chapel, Ptolemaic kings on a portal and a granite shrine, and the emperor Augustus as pharaoh before the gods. It was built in Nubia and rebuilt in the Parque del Oeste.
Signs to look for
- Cartouche V10 Cartouches hold the names of a Meroitic king, Ptolemies and Roman emperors, all in the same Egyptian form.
- Flowering reed M17i The reed leaf opens Amun's name, the first god of the temple, as Amun of Debod.
- Seat Q1st The seat writes Isis, the temple's second owner, whose main sanctuary was on Philae.
- Recumbent lion E23rw The lying lion writes the l of Ptolemy in the cartouches on the naos.
- Ankh S34ꜥnḫ The gods hold out the ankh to Adikhalamani and to Augustus in the offering scenes.
The story of Temple of Debod, Madrid
Adikhalamani, a king of Meroe in today's Sudan, built the first chapel at Debod in Lower Nubia, between 195 and 185 BC according to the city's museum. He dedicated it to Amun of Debod, a local god, and to Isis of Philae. Its inner walls carry two registers of offering scenes, once painted in bright colours, with the king before the gods. Apart from a fragment of a stela found at Philae, this chapel is the main record of his reign.
Ptolemy VI built the second portal in 172 BC and probably enlarged the temple around the chapel. Ptolemy XII later had a granite naos carved for Amun of Debod. Under Rome, Augustus decorated the vestibule and the front with scenes of himself offering to the gods, and Tiberius went on with the vestibule. That scene of Tiberius was destroyed in the nineteenth century.
The temple stood in the path of Lake Nasser. Egypt gave it to Spain in 1968 for Spanish help in saving the temples of Abu Simbel. The blocks were rebuilt in Madrid from 1970, with lost parts recreated in new stone, and the temple opened in July 1972.
What to see and read
Chapel of Adikhalamani
The oldest room, now between the vestibule and the sanctuary. The king offers to the gods of Debod in two bands of relief, and his names stand in cartouches like a pharaoh's.
Naos of Ptolemy XII
A granite shrine in the main sanctuary that once held the statue of Amun of Debod. The king's titles run down both sides of the niche.
Second portal of Ptolemy VI
Its cornice carries an inscription in hieroglyphs and a Greek one, so the two scripts of Ptolemaic Egypt stand together.
Reliefs of Augustus
The emperor offers to Isis, Osiris, Amun of Debod, Mahesa and Thoth of Pnubs. Mahesa, a lion god, appears at Debod again and again beside Amun.
Loose blocks and models
A block with the titles of Adikhalamani, a Roman block showing Amun of Debod, a model of the temple in the first century AD and one of Lower Nubia with the rescued temples.
Reading the hieroglyphs here
- The reliefs are inside. Go in with time to let your eyes adjust, and read the chapel of Adikhalamani first.
- Worn stone reads better from the side, where any lamp throws the carving into shadow. Trace a sign over its photo when the camera cannot settle on it.
- Read the loose blocks and the model of Lower Nubia as well: they show where each part of the temple once stood.
Hiero Lens boxes the signs and names them, on your phone; nothing is uploaded. On worn stone, trace a sign over the photo.
Questions
Why is there an Egyptian temple in Madrid?
When the Aswan High Dam was built, UNESCO called on other countries to help move the Nubian temples. Spain helped at Abu Simbel and received Debod as a gift.
Who built the Temple of Debod?
Its core is the chapel of Adikhalamani, a Meroitic king. Ptolemaic kings and Roman emperors from Augustus on added rooms, gates and reliefs.
Are there hieroglyphs inside the Temple of Debod?
Yes. The offering scenes in the chapel and the vestibule have columns of text naming the king and the god in each scene. The naos and the Ptolemaic portal are inscribed too.
Where it is
Open in OpenStreetMap · Written from published sources and not yet checked on site by our team: displays and open tombs change.