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| Complex Dendera Temples |
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| Complex Dendera Temples |
1-The expansive complex spans approximately 40,000 square meters, encompassed by a robust mud brick perimeter wall. Its original dimensions measure 81 meters in length by 38 meters in width, comprising numerous temples and religious structures within.
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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2 - Dating back to the Graeco-Roman Period, the temple of Hathor stands as one of Egypt's most impeccably preserved temples from this era. Despite the destruction of the neighboring temples dedicated to Hathor's consort Horus and their child Ihy-Harsomptus, the temple of Hathor has endured.
3 - As is customary with many Egyptian temples, Dendera is aligned with the Nile. However, due to the curvature of the Nile at this location, the temple's orientation faces north, deviating from the typical east-west alignment.
4 - Surrounding the temple precinct, several Roman-period kiosks and a monumental gateway known as a "propylon" adorn the entrance. Constructed during the reigns of Domitian and Trajan, this gateway is integrated into the massive mud-brick walls enclosing the complex.
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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5- While the site notably lacks a colonnade and the two pylons that typically precede the inner temple, an incomplete inner enclosure wall of stone encircles a courtyard. This courtyard features side entrances that lead to the expansive hypostyle hall, a notable addition from the 1st century AD commissioned by Emperor Tiberius.
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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6 - In contrast to earlier temple designs, the façade of this hypostyle hall is fashioned as a low screen, revealing the hall's ceiling and the distinctive Hathor-featured sistrum capitals atop its 24 columns. Each column is adorned with a four-sided capital bearing the visage of the cow-eared goddess, albeit many of these faces were defaced in antiquity, likely during the early Christian Period.
7 - Despite the passage of time, the ceiling of the hypostyle hall retains much of its original color. It intricately depicts a complex and meticulously arranged symbolic representation of the heavens, incorporating elements such as the signs of the zodiac, introduced by the Romans, and depictions of the sky-goddess Nut. She is depicted swallowing the sun disc each evening, only to give birth to it anew at dawn—a powerful celestial metaphor.
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Complex Dendera Temples
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8 - The grand hall seamlessly transitions into a smaller inner hypostyle, known as "the hall of appearances," where the goddess's statue emerged from her sanctuary during religious ceremonies and processions.
9 - Adorning the walls of this hall are scenes depicting the king's involvement in the foundation ceremonies for the temple's construction. Flanking the hall are doors leading to three chambers, utilized as preparation areas for various components of the daily ritual.
10 - An opening in the outer eastern wall facilitated the delivery of offering goods into this area, while a corresponding passage from one of the western chambers led to a well.
11 - The temple's inner core was erected by several later Ptolemaic kings, with the inscribed cartouches on its walls reflecting the often uncertain nature of their reigns.
12 - Within the complex lies an offering hall dedicated to sacrificial rituals, and a "Hall of the Ennead," also known as the "hall of the cycle of the gods," where statues of various deities congregated alongside Hathor before processions commenced. Additionally, it houses the sanctuary of the goddess herself.
13 - Although currently vacant, decorations on the sanctuary walls imply that it once housed a stone shrine for the statue of Hathor, as well as her portable barque. During visiting festivals, it possibly accommodated the barque of her consort, Horus Edfu.
14 - The architectural layout of this edifice is distinctive, featuring a split design. While the main portion of the structure and its hypostyle hall face east, the sanctuary is rotated to gaze northward toward the principal temple of Hathor.
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Complex Dendera Temples
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15 - Surrounding the central sanctuary, eleven chapels are dedicated to the various deities associated with Hathor at this sacred site. These chapels include spaces for Hathor's principal attributes: the revered sistrum and the MENAT necklace. The MENAT necklace, characterized by multiple rows of beads culminating in a counterweight at the back of the neck, was worn by the goddess Hathor and symbolized her divine healing powers.
16 - Positioned within the wall of the chapel directly behind the main sanctuary is a niche, embedded into the temple wall precisely where a shrine dedicated to the "hearing ear" resides on its exterior surface. This architectural feature allows the goddess to hear the prayers directed towards her.
17 - Throughout the rear part of the temple, numerous crypts are situated within the walls and beneath the floors of the chambers. These crypts served as repositories for temple treasures, safeguarding valuable offerings and artifacts.
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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Complex Dendera Temples
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18 - Among the significant contents of these crypts was the preservation of the Ba, symbolizing the soul of Hathor. During the pivotal New Year's festival, this sacred object was ceremoniously retrieved from its sanctuary within the crypts and elevated to the roof of the temple, marking a momentous occasion in the annual celebrations.
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