Dendur temple moved from Egypt to USA

 

In 1963, as part of the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, UNESCO helped rescue and relocate the temple from flooding caused by the Aswan High Dam. Egypt gave the temple to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which has exhibited it since 1978

The Temple of Dendur (Dendoor in the 19th century) is a Roman Egyptian religious structure originally located in Tuzis (later Dendur), Nubia about 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of modern Aswan. Around 23 BCE, Emperor Augustus commissioned the temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis and deified brothers Pedesi and Pihor from Nubia

DENDUR 1874

History

Petronius, the Roman governor of Egypt, built the Temple of Dendur at the request of Caesar Augustus, the emperor of Rome that included Egypt at that time. Originally named Octavian, Augustus became emperor after defeating Mark Antony and Egyptian Queen Cleopatra in 31 BCE. During his reign, Augustus had Egyptian-style temples built and dedicated to Egyptian gods and goddesses. However, he only commissioned a few temples in Nubia. One of those was the Temple of Dendur which he placed on the west bank of the Nile river in Tuzis (later Dendur, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of modern Aswan). Construction started in 23 BCE and finished in 10 BCE.

Augustus used the temple to legitimize and maintain his rule. Part of his strategy was connecting his name and image with Isis, the primary deity in Dendur, and the local cult of Pedesi and Pihor. It was more than a temple—it was also a home for the gods. When the local people visited the temple and brought traditional gifts of incense, wine, cold water, clothing, food, and milk, they nurtured their ruler, Augustus, and also ensured their community's prosperity.

In the sixth century, Coptic Christians used the temple as a church.

When Egypt increased the height of the Aswan Low Dam in 1933, the temple's proximity to the Nile was problematic. The temple complex began flooding for nine months each year.