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Kalabsha Temple
 Kalabsha Temple originally built at Kalabsha (Talmis) was moved
to its present location at New Kalabsha (Chellal) in 1970,
together with other monuments from Nubia. This sandstone edifice
was built by the Roman Emperor Octavius Augustus (30 to 14 BC)
and dedicated to the fertility and Nubian Solar deity known as
Mandulis (Merwel who was the Nubian counterpart of Horus).
It was the largest free-standing temple of Egyptian Nubia and
the design of Kalabsha Temple is classical for the Ptolemaic
period with pylons, courtyard, hypostyle hall and three room
sanctuary.
 However, the Pylon is offset, which creates a
trapezoid in the courtyard beyond. It was built on the site of
an earlier structure built by Ptolemy IX as evidenced by a
chapel. There is also a small chapel and gate on Elephantine
Island from Kalabsha, and a gate built by Augustus was given to
the Agyptisches Museum in West Berlin. The courtyard inside the
pylon once had columns on three sides.
There is also a small chapel, which can be reached from stairs
in the first chamber, which then descend from the roof into the
chapel set inside the wall.As you leave the temple, be sure to
note the rear wall with images of Mandulis with his
vulture-feathered cloak. |
