The Temple of Dendur

Begin near the base of the temple, where carved papyrus and lotus plants rise beside figures of Hapy, the Nile god. The building’s decoration moves upward from water and growing plants toward the sky. Its porch columns resemble bundled stalks, and winged sun disks spread above the entrances. The ruler making offerings on the outer walls is Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Rome governed Egypt, but these carvings show him wearing the traditional regalia of an Egyptian pharaoh. Follow one of his offering gestures toward the deity facing him. The temple honored Isis and two deified brothers, Pedesi and Pihor, from a local Nubian ruling family. Dendur once stood in Nubia, far south of this room. It was dismantled during the international effort to save monuments threatened by rising reservoir waters. Egypt later gave it to the people of the United States. Its gateway, columns and carved walls now stand together in Gallery 131. Follow a plant stem up the stone before looking out toward the gallery’s glass wall.