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Temple of Ellesyia, Museo Egizio
Monument at Museo Egizio, Turin · also called Ellesiya, Ellesija, Tempio di Ellesiya, Rock temple of Thutmose III Turin
The rock temple of Ellesyia in Turin's Museo Egizio carries carved scenes of Thutmose III offering to Egyptian and Nubian gods, with his cartouches beside him. Thutmose III cut it in Nubia for Horus of Miam and the goddess Satet, and Ramesses II later restored it.
Signs to look for
- Game board Y5mn The game board (men) opens Menkheperre, Thutmose III's throne name, in his cartouches here.
- Scarab beetle L1ḫpr The scarab (kheper) is the middle of Menkheperre.
- Ibis on a standard G26ḏḥwty The ibis on a standard writes Thoth, the god in Thutmose, his birth name.
- Falcon G5ḥr The falcon names Horus, lord of Miam, the first god of the temple.
- Flowering reed M17i The reed leaf opens Amun's name, a likely target of the chisels under Akhenaten.
Names you can find here
The story of Temple of Ellesyia, Museo Egizio
The temple was cut into a cliff at Ellesiya in Lower Nubia, near Abu Simbel, and could be reached only from the river. Its plan is an inverted T: a corridor leading to a cross hall with a niche in the back wall. Three seated figures are carved there in half relief. They were Horus, Satet and the king.
Under Akhenaten the decoration was chiselled away in places. Ramesses II restored the temple and reworked the triad in the niche into Amun, Horus and the king. Christians later used it as a church and cut crosses and five-pointed stars at the doorway and on the walls inside.
Lake Nasser was going to flood the site, so the rock walls were cut away in blocks. Egypt gave the temple to Italy for its help in saving the Nubian monuments, and it reached Turin in 1967. It reopened in 2024 after restoration, for the museum's bicentenary.
What to see and read
Offering scenes of Thutmose III
The king offers to the gods on the corridor and hall walls. His throne name and birth name usually stand in cartouches beside him.
Rear niche
The rock-cut triad of three seated figures, reworked under Ramesses II. Compare the carving of the figures with the walls around them.
Chiselled signs and Christian marks
Damaged patches from the reign of Akhenaten, and later crosses and stars at the entrance. Tell the gaps from the weathered stone around them.
Reading the hieroglyphs here
- The temple is small. Step in slowly and read the walls from the corridor, then the hall and the niche last.
- Weathered sandstone reads best in raking light. Hold the camera to the side and trace any sign that will not box.
- Find Menkheperre first. Once you have the game board and the scarab, his cartouches show up all over the walls.
Hiero Lens boxes the signs and names them, on your phone; nothing is uploaded. On worn stone, trace a sign over the photo.
Questions
Is there a real Egyptian temple in Turin?
Yes. The rock temple of Ellesyia was cut out of a Nubian cliff and rebuilt inside the Museo Egizio. Its walls are original stone.
Who built the Temple of Ellesyia?
Thutmose III of the Eighteenth Dynasty, who reigned 1479–1425 BC. Ramesses II repaired it more than a century later.
Why is the Temple of Ellesyia in Italy?
Italy took part in the UNESCO campaign to save the monuments of Nubia from the Aswan High Dam. Egypt gave it the temple in thanks.
Where it is
- Temple
- Museum
Open in OpenStreetMap · Written from published sources and not yet checked on site by our team: displays and open tombs change.