You may well ask what is such an Egyptian monument doing in the centre of Madrid.
Well the Debod Temple ( Templo de Debod ) was relocated to Madrid due to the construction of the Aswan Dam in 1960. During the construction of thre world famous dam in Egypt , UNESCO made a special appeal to countries around the world to help save many historic monuments that where in danger of being lost underwater maybe for ever.
The temple was dedicated to the gods of Amon and Isis and was built in the fourth century in Debod, near to the sacred temple Philae in the Nile valley, which is located not far from Aswan .
Due to the invaluable aid given by Spain at that time, and in particular in helping to save the sacred buildingsof ABU SIMBEL, the Egyptian government decided in 1968 to donate the ancient monument to the Spanish people.
In 1969 the temple was dismantled stone by stone and shipped to the Spanish Port of Valencia where it was moved to Madrid and painstakingly reconstructed, finally opening to the public in 1972. The temple is located on the site of a former army barracks within the Parque de la Montana area of Madrid.
There is also an interesting exhibition which depicts the rebuilding of the temple in Madrid.
Location : Parque del Cuartel de la Montaña
Ferraz, 1 - 28008 Madrid.
Telephone: (+34 ) 91 366 74 15
Nearest Metro: Plaza de España
Buses: Number 74
Opening times:
Tuesday to Friday, 1 April to 30 September: 10am to 2pm and 6-8pm. 1 October to 31 March: 9:45am to 1:45pm and 4:15 - 6:15pm. Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 2pm.
The temple is closed Mondays and public holidays.
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