What is the Dandra Complex
Dendera temple On the west bank of the Nile opposite the city of Qena,
2.5 km (1.6 mi) southeast of the city of Dendera lies one of ancient Egypt’s
most important religious temples. The complex is the home of the Temple of Hathor
(The deity of love, music, & fertility) one of the most preserved temples in Egypt
and other temples & sanctuaries that were unfortunately lost in time.
The complex of Dendera temple
covers 40,000 sqm surrounded by a hefty mud brick wall that contained the remains
of many shrines and temples dating all the way back to the Old Kingdom (2575-2150 BC).
All the sanctuaries were destroyed and rebuilt many times through history but the current
temple dated back to the Roman-Greco period where it was completed by the hands
of the Roman Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD) on a fountain built by Pharaoh Pepi I
of the 6th dynasty of the old kingdom. The complex holds ruins of a Coptic church,
and Mammisi (A birth house related to the nativity of the deity), a small sanctuary
located in front of the Pylon dedicated to the goddess Isis that portrays the goddess of the sky Nut giving Birth.
The Temple Of Hathor of Dendera temple
The main highlight of the complex is the majestic temple of Hathor, built-in
the 1st century Bc by Pharaoh Ptolemy VIII & Queen Cleopatra II To immortalize
their names in History and honor the deity Hathor. The temple contained
a great hall full with 18 massive decorated Hathoric columns, the complete interior
walls of the great hall contain hypnotic scenes depicting offerings made by Roman
emperors and a magical ceiling filled with enchanting astronomical decorations
such as the sky deity Nut bending herself towards the earth with the sun disc,
there is a representation of the legendary sun boat of Hathor and her husband Horus being given offerings by Ptolemy VIII.
The Zodiacs of Dendera temple
One of the main attractions of the temple is the mystical Dendra Zodiac signs
which is a map to the stars on a plane projection showing 12 constellation
found at the Osiris chapel at the Hathor temple containing Images of the ram,
the bull, the heavenly twins, the crab, the lion, the virgin, the scales, the scorpion,
the archer, the goat, the watering pots, and fishes with glittering tails.
They used in creating and organizing the ancient Egyptian calendar.
In 1820, it removed from the temple ceiling by French invaders and take to the Louvre and replaced with a fake.
The True Birthplace of Electricity Dendera temple
The temple has been the birthplace of one of Ancient Egypt most controversial
fringe thesis as it states the carving of a Djed pillar and a lotus flower spawning
a snake within it is evidence of the Egyptian obtaining electric lighting devices
resembling a lightbulb attached to an advanced electric system but many
archeologists believe it’s a mere theory and couldn’t be further from the truth, but only time will tell.
