The Temple of Debod[1] (Spanish: Templo de Debod) is an ancient Nubiantemple currently located in Madrid, Spain. The temple was originally erected in the early 2nd century BC at 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Aswan, Egypt. The Egyptian government donated the temple to Spain in 1968 as a sign of gratitude for their participation in the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia. It was dismantled, transported, and rebuilt in the Parque de la Montaña in 1970–1972.[2] It is one of the few works of ancient Egyptian architecture relocated outside Egypt and the only one of its kind in Spain.
Architecture and artwork
Temple of Debod in its original location in Egypt (c. 1862).
The shrine was originally erected 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Aswan[3] in Nubia, very close to the first cataract of the Nile and to the great religious centre in Philae dedicated to the goddess Isis. In the early 2nd century BC, Adikhalamani (Tabriqo), the Kushite king of Meroë, started its construction by building a small single-room chapel dedicated to the godAmun.[3] It was built and decorated in a similar design to the later Meroitic chapel on which the Temple of Dakka is based.[3] King Adikhalamani is buried in pyramid number 9 in Meroe, in Sudan. Later, during the reigns of Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy VIII, and Ptolemy XII of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the temple was extended on all four sides to form a small temple, 12 by 15 metres (39 ft × 49 ft), which was dedicated to Isis of Philae. The Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius completed its expansion.[4]
From the quay, there is a long processional way leading to the stone-built enclosure wall, through three stone pylon gateways, and finally to the temple itself.[3] The pronaos, which had four columns with composite capitals, collapsed in 1868 and is now lost.[3] Behind it lay the original sanctuary of Amun, the offering table room and a later sanctuary with several side-rooms and stairs to the roof.[3]
In 1960, due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam and the consequent threat posed by its reservoir to numerous monuments and archeological sites, UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical legacy.[5][6] As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the Abu Simbel temples, the Egyptian state donated the Temple of Debod to Spain in 1968.
The temple was rebuilt in one of Madrid's parks, the Parque del Oeste, near the Royal Palace of Madrid, and opened to the public in 1972.[7] The reassembled gateways have been placed in a different order than when originally erected. Compared to a photo of the original site, the gateway topped by a serpent-flanked sun was not the closest gateway to the temple proper.[8] It constitutes one of the few works of ancient Egyptian architecture that can be seen outside Egypt and the only one of its kind in Spain.
Following remarks made by several Egyptologists criticising the fact that unlike other donated temples, the structure continues to be exposed to the elements,[9] the Madrilenian city council made a unanimous decision to accelerate plans to finally cover the monument in February 2020.[10]
Jaramago, M. (2008) «El templo de Debod, una muerte agónica». Muy Historia, 15 (enero de 2008), p. 85.
Martín Valentín, Francisco J.; Federico Lara Peinado; Santiago Montero; Teresa Bedman; Alfonso Martín Flores (2001). Debod: Tres décadas de historia en Madrid (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain: Museo de San Isidro. ISBN84-7812-513-2. OCLC48550861.
Molinero Polo, M.A. y Martín Flores, A. (2007) «Le naos de Ptolémée XII pour Amon de Debod». En: Goyon, J.-C. y Cardin, Ch. (eds.) Proceedings of the Ninth International Congress of Egyptologists. Orientalia Lovanensia Analecta, 150(2): 1311–1325
Priego, C. y Martin, A. (1992) Templo de Debod. Madrid: Ayuntamiento de Madrid. 67 págs.
Real Academia de la Historia. (2007) «Declaración de Bien de Interés Cultural del Templo de Debod (Madrid)». En: Informes oficiales aprobados por la Real Academia de la Historia. Boletín de la RAH, 204(2): 137–138.
Roeder, Günther (1911). Debod bis Bab Kalabsche (in German). Caire: Institut français d'archéologie orientale. Series of pictures of the temple of Debod taken in 1911.
