Abydos and Dendera (or Denderah) are two magnificent temples on the west bank of the Nile, north of Luxor. They aren’t usually included in a standard tour of this area of Egypt, simply because Dendera is located 70 km north of Luxor, and Abydos is a further 100 km away. Visiting these two temples, therefore, requires a full day. And in the always packed itineraries of trips to Egypt, there is rarely time for an extra day to spend in the region.
It’s a real shame that Abydos and Dendera are not visited as much as other temples, because I think they were among the most beautiful I saw, not only in Luxor but in the whole of Egypt. Only Karnak and Abu Simbel temples can compare in beauty and charm, in my opinion. I strongly recommend visiting them, as they are truly special monuments.
Two features make these two temples particularly attractive. The excellent restoration work still underway on many monuments in the Luxor area certainly helps visitors to gain a more realistic idea of their original appearance. However, what also plays in favour of both Abydos and Dendera is that they have been particularly well preserved over time, compared with other temples around Luxor. The second feature is the absence of large crowds of tourists. Compared to the overcrowded Valley of the Kings and Queens, Luxor Temple, Karnak, or Abu Simbel, Abydos and Dendera feel almost deserted. Their visit can be enjoyed on an almost private level.
How to reach the temples of Abydos and Dendera from Luxor
Abydos is about a three-hour drive from Luxor, and on the way, you pass through Dendera. The highway connecting the three cities is partly new. When I travelled on it in 2019, some sections were still under construction, and there was definitely a lack of road signs! It is also far from being a “straight” road, so the journey feels long, despite there being almost no traffic at all.
Seti I temple in Abydos
Abydos has always been the centre of the cult of Osiris, as it was believed that his head was buried here. The reason lies in one of those mythological stories that are as absurd as they are macabre. We are talking about murders, resurrections, somewhat questionable sexual relations, and a finale involving the dismemberment of a corpse. Let’s leave this legend aside and talk about the Temple of Abydos.
The Temple of Abydos, like that of Dendera, is practically desolated. The lack of crowds makes it one of the most enjoyable visits in the Luxor area.
The main monument of the complex is the Temple of Seti I. I believe it’s also the best-preserved in all of Egypt. In fact, the restoration work here has focused mainly on recovering the original colours of the decorations, rather than on structural issues.
Unique architectural features of the Temple of Abydos
The temple was dedicated to Osiris and six other deities, including the one who commissioned the work, Pharaoh Seti I himself. After all, if he was spending money on such an imposing monument, why not have an altar dedicated to himself? Abydos is certainly not the only temple in Egypt with multiple altars. However, what stands out in Seti I temple are the seven sacred chapels at the rear of the building. They are lined up side by side, equal in terms of position. They are somewhat reminiscent of the chapels in larger Catholic churches along the sides of the main nave. The decorations in their inside each are truly incredible, with details that even include the transparency of the garments!
Upon entering the two hypostyle halls, the almost completely blackened ceilings immediately catch your attention. While some colours can still be faintly seen on the columns and lower parts of the walls (even though they are nowhere near as vivid as those at Dendera) the ceilings appear severely damaged. In reality, this is the result of smoke. Years of candles and torches burning for long periods have completely covered the upper parts of the temple in soot. I suppose no one was particularly concerned with cleaning up there. Over time, the black soot has covered all the decoration. Restorers are slowly trying to uncover the colours beneath decades of smoke, but it’s a slow process, and so far, with limited success.
However, the most striking architectural curiosity lies in the shape of the temple, which is unique in Egypt. Just after the seven chapels dedicated to the deities, instead of continuing straight, the temple “turns” to the left. This L-shape is truly a novelty, but it wasn’t an artistic decision. It seems that while digging the temple’s foundations, workers discovered a pre-existing structure, completely buried and forgotten. This was the Osireion, a mortuary chamber surrounded by water channels, accessible only via an underground tunnel. Like other sacred structures, the Osireion could not be demolished. So, in order to complete the temple, they had to change the orientation of the second part of the building. This last-minute change of plan gave the curious L-shape the temple ended up with.
The king list
In the Temple of Abydos, we can see a document of immense historical value. Carved on the walls of one of the side corridors is a list of kings and pharaohs, from Narmer, the first pharaoh of the First Dynasty, up to Seti I (1200 BC). Some names were likely omitted on purpose, such as Queen Hatshepsut, while others may have already been forgotten. Nevertheless, the list of 76 names gives us an idea of how many tombs are still missing across Egypt!
Hathor Temple in Dendera
Dendera is a small town overlooking the Nile, just under 70 kilometres north of Luxor. The temple you can visit here is dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Hathor. It’s an impressive structure, and its interior is absolutely spectacular. It rivals the attractions of Luxor and can be explored at a leisurely pace without the usual crowds of tourists.
The decorations: between colours and defacements
Thanks to restorations and a fortunate durability over the centuries, the Temple of Dendera has retained its original structure, with its circular columns still supporting the intact roof. In stark contrast to such wonderfully preserved architecture are the figures, especially the faces, of almost all the representations of humans and deities carved into the columns and walls of the temple. In ancient Egypt, the image of a person was closely tied to their afterlife. Defacing a sculpture, making it unrecognisable, essentially meant denying that person the opportunity for an afterlife. This happened, for example, in the mortuary temple of the queen pharaoh Hatshepsut, a fascinating story where the vengeful Thutmose III and Amenhotep II disfigured the images of Egypt’s only female pharaoh. However, in the case of Dendera, it was not an act of revenge. It is evident because the damage was done indiscriminately to all the figures. It was likely a Medieval iconoclastic act, which unfortunately ruined the carvings across most of the temple.
Another feature of the temple’s decorations relates to the cartouches. Catouches are the oval shapes that contain the hieroglyphs of the names of those depicted in the various scenes, usually deities, pharaohs, royal figures, and other powerful individuals. This temple was built during a period of great political instability. The artists responsible for the decorations seemed uncertain as to who would hold those places of honour on the temple’s eternal walls. To be on the safe side, they left the spaces blank. And that is exactly how they have come down to us today.
Despite the damage, the temple is captivating. The great hypostyle hall is decorated on every inch, walls, columns and ceiling. The latter still retains its original colours, giving an impression of the temple’s magnificence in its glorious days. The columns of Dendera’s hypostyle hall are some of the most imposing I’ve seen in Egypt: more colourful than those at Abydos and second only to the towering columns of Karnak Temple in Luxor.
The secret chambers hidden in the temple
It’s well known that the ancient Egyptians loved to hide things. From the pyramids to the tombs of the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, they always tried to prevent thieves from stealing. The Temple of Dendera is full of hidden passages and secret doors. Some have been discovered several metres above the ground, opening into niches whose purpose remains unknown. The most interesting and accessible passage is located at the back of the temple, with a guard controlling the entrance. It’s unclear how access is managed, but, as often happens in this country, a small tip can unlock almost any door, including the one to secret passages. You have to descend a set of steps and pass through a low opening, practically kneeling to the ground. This leads to two narrow corridors, each around ten metres long. Avoid entering this passage if you suffer from claustrophobia.
The purpose of these tunnels is unclear, as there are neither doors nor any further openings. Or perhaps they have yet to be discovered. It’s believed that the priests used it to hide valuable items belonging to the temple. But it doesn’t matter, because the true attraction here are the walls of these passages. The intricacy of the carvings is so astonishing that it leaves you in awe.
The outdoors: the rooftop and the other buildings
On both sides of the temple, two narrow and richly decorated staircases lead up to the roof. This part of the temple is more worn, but there are a couple of interesting features. In one corner of the structure, a small room hides an elaborate zodiac carved into the ceiling. It is so detailed and fascinating from a historical and cultural point of view that the original was moved to Paris, leaving only a copy in its original location in the Temple of Dendera.
In the small temple at the opposite corner, Hathor and Horus would meet. Time has been less kind to the roof, and the sculptures are less detailed compared to those inside the temple. But here, in the open air, the statues of the two deities were left to rejoice in each other’s love once every year.
Like in many other temples of Luxor, there is also a sacred lake on one side of the Temple of Dendera. It was used by priests for washing and purification, but today it no longer contains any water. In the courtyard in front of the temple, there are the remains of a small, now-ruined Coptic basilica and two dark, rather crude buildings. The latter were used by the sick and women in labour, who would come to the temple for assistance during childbirth or perhaps for an extra prayer.
The celebrations at the Temple of Dendera
The most important festival celebrated at the Temple of Dendera was the harvest festival. In Egyptian mythology, the goddess Hathor was the wife of Horus, whose most famous temple was in Edfu. Luxor is roughly halfway between Dendera and Edfu. Yet, each year, the statue of Horus was loaded onto boats and transported along the Nile for the entire 150 kilometres to Dendera. This arduous pilgrimage gave the two deities the opportunity to meet and enjoy each other’s presence, ensuring a fruitful season and, more broadly, a prosperous year.
For other information about Egypt and Luxor area, you could also check out:
Luxor: what to visit in 2-3 days
The Temple of Hatshepsut, the pharaoh queen
Tips and tricks to visit the Nile area in the South of Egypt
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