Kalabsha Temple, On an island in Lake Nasser, near the Aswan High Dam, the Temple of Kalabsha is an imposing sandstone structure. Built—like Philae Temple—in Roman times, it’s also known as the Temple of Mandulis as a tribute to the god once honored here.
Follow the majestic stone causeway from the lake for an idea of what ancient worshippers must have felt.
Located within view of the High Dam, Kalabsha Temple is often the first stop for any cruise on Lake Nasser. It was moved to this spot from its originally location 30 miles to the south after the construction of the dam.
The temple was originally located at Bab al-Kalabsha, about 50 km south of Aswan, on the west bank of the Nile, but after the construction of the Aswan High Dam, the temple was moved to a site much closer to Aswan and safer from the waters of the newly formed Lake Nasser.
The Kalabsha Temple is a Greek-Roman temple originally It is located 56 km south of the city of Aswan, in the governorate of Aswan. It was dedicated to Isis, Osiris, and Horus-Mandulis, who was the Roman appearance of the Nubian solar god, Merwel.
This is the best example of an independent temple in Nubia, after the Temples of Abu Simbel. It is also known as the Temple of Mandulis
The ancient temple of Kalabsha was completed under the Roman Emperor Augustus, who was worshipped as a pharaoh in Egypt. The district measures 66 x 92 m in its entirety including the surrounding wall, the actual temple building measures 77 x 36 m and is thus the largest temple building in Nubia. On the way to the quay.
is the same as that of the Ptolemaic period, with two pylons, courtyard, hypostyle hall and three sanctuary rooms. Unlike other Ptolemaic temples, of course the building does not follow a straight axis, so the first pylon creates a trapezoid with the first courtyard. The first courtyard had columns on three sides with very few reliefs and some Meroitic inscriptions of King Kharamadoye and King Silko, who conquered the Nubian Blemmyes.
After the vestibule, there are three chambers including The Pronaos (a chamber preceding the sanctuary) and The Naos, or the sanctuary where the statues of the gods were located. There are also scenes depicting the king worshipping Mandulis, Horus, Min, and other deities.
Its construction began around 30 BC on the orders of the Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus, but it was never finished.
The temple of course was built in honor of a secondary solar god called “Mandulis,” who was later associated with the cult of Horus.
The entrance of the temple through the huge entrance pylon, which is mostly undecorated. If allowed, one can enter the corridors inside the pylon and climb stairs to the gate roof, from where one can have a view of the complex. Behind the pylon is the temple courtyard, of whose perimeter some columns are still preserved.
On a column on the right side, two Greek and one Meroitic inscription from late antiquity are preserved. In one of the two Greek inscriptions, the Meroitic or Nubian toddler king Silko (5th century AD) boasts of a military triumph over the Blemyer tribe.
In the vestibule, there are twelve columns with plant capitals, four of which belong to the front. The vestibule is followed by three transverse halls, the latter of which was the sanctum where the statue of the gods was kept. The core building is surrounded by an inner gallery.
The temple is considered one of the greatest examples of Nubian architecture, although it was not completely finished. Its architecture is typical of the Roman era, but it features beautiful reliefs showing Horus emerging from the reeds, as well as many later records of rulers such as Aurelius Bessarion or the Nubian king Silko, head of a Christian kingdom called Nobatia.
In the Coptic era, the temple was used as a church.
Of course The temple is considered one of the greatest examples of Nubian architecture, even though it is not completely finished. Its architecture is typical of the Roman period, but it presents beautiful reliefs illustrating Horus emerging from the reeds, as well as many later records of governors such as Aurelius Bessarion or the Nubian king Silko, head of a Christian kingdom called Nobatia.
