QENA -- Dendera Temple

We awoke early to catch sight of the Hot Air Ballooners at sunrise over the west bank of the Nile.


After breakfast we set sail for Qena, north of Luxor, for a 3 hour journey along the Nile.  We docked around noon and set out for the Dendera Temple around 2pm,











Qena is a return to the time of the pharaohs as we toured Dendera Temple, one of Egypt’s best -preserved temple complexes. Under police motorcycle escort, the 3 Viking buses traveleed a short distance to the Dendera Temple complex.  Located on the west bank of the Nile River on the edge of the desert, this massive complex dates back to the mid-4th century BC, though archaeologists believe a temple has existed on the site since 2250 BC.  The main temple, Hathor, has many examples of Ptolemaic Egyptian art adorning its chambers. 












The Dendera Zodiac, is a unique bas-relief sculpture from the Greco-Roman period that maps the ancient sky. The original was taken by the French in 1820 and now sits in the Louvre; what remains is a replica. 










Also, we saw the controversial Dendera Light, three stone reliefs depicting what some say was ancient Egyptian electrical lighting technology (others contest it represents Egyptian mythology). 



Some trivia  -- Cleopatra means the glory of her father!

This is BS, the god of Humor -- the ancient court jester


This is Cleopatra and her son Ceasaria

We set sail back to Luxor around 5pm and docked at Luxor at 9:30pm, getting ready for a very busy day tomorrow!

Comments

  1. SylviaApril 19, 2025 at 8:34 AM

    amazing pix...enjoying your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ReneeApril 19, 2025 at 8:38 AM

    I loved the ceilings in the Dendera Temple! The zodiac among so many other items that were taken make me so mad. There is a petition to get the zodiac back to Egypt. Great shot of the hot air balloons!!!

    ReplyDelete

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