The Temple of Dendera - How to Visit It

The Temple of Dendera is one of the best preserved and biggest temple complexes in Egypt. It is actually a large area of about 4 hectares (about 10 acres or 8 football pitches), and in this area there are Roman and Ptolemaic Greek buildings, a Coptic church building that dates to about the 5th century, and ancient Egyptian ruins.

It is off the common tourist routes in an out of the way area more than 8 hours from Cairo by road and more than 9 hours away by train. Many people who go to Luxor also visit Dendera since Luxor is only about 1½ hours from Dendera by road (about 60 km). It is also visited by tourists during a Nile cruise, since it is only about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the Nile.

The main building that people want to go and see is the Temple of Hathor that is one of the best preserved of all the ancient temples because it is one of the newer temples. Two of the last Ptolemaic rulers built it just before the Roman invasion in 30 BC, and Roman Emperors and rulers continued to decorate it until about 80 AD.

3. Visiting the Temple of Dendera
4. How to Get to the Temple of Dendera

1. What to See in the Temple of Dendera

Beautiful interior of the temple of Dendera or the Temple of Hathor

This complex of temples, a church, and other buildings is about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) outside of the town of Dendera. It is a large complex that measures about the size of two city blocks. The complex is surrounded by a mud brick wall, and the Gateway of Domitian and Trajan is built into the wall. Outside the wall, there are several kiosks that were built during the times the Romans ruled Egypt, which you can see before you enter.

The Temple of Horus at Edfu is one of the most complete and the best-preserved ancient temple structures in Egypt. Here are the main things to see starting from the Gateway of Domitian and Trajan.

1) Roman Mammisi:

Past the Gateway of Domitian (Roman emperor 81–96) and Trajan (Roman emperor 98–117), on the right, there is the Roman Mammisi. A mammisi was a place for women to give birth. It was built by the Roman Emperor Trajan or by Nero. There is an inscription on the Mammisi that dedicates the building to Trajan. Perhaps Nero was involved with constructing it also because Nero is depicted inside the Hypostyle Hall of the Temple of Hathor making an offering of a model of the Mammisi. Though it was built by Romans, its style is that of the Ptolemaic era.

2) Coptic Basilica:

The next ancient construction is the ruins of a Coptic building. It was built in the 5th century.

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3) Mammisi of Nectanebo II:

Past the Coptic Basilica, there is another mammisi. It is thought to be the oldest surviving structure. This birth house was built during the reign of Nectanebo II in about 345 BC just before the invasion of Alexander the Great in 331 BC. Nectanebo II was the last native ruler of Egypt. After the invasion, the Greek rulers of the Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt from 323 BC to 30 BC.

4) Sanatorium:

Past the second mammisi, there is a building known as the Sanatorium. It was used by Egyptians as a health spa and hospital. People went there to bathe and be cured. It is thought that doctors and priests administered medicines. The ancient Egyptians were noted for their herbal medical knowledge. To the right (east) of it is where the Mentuhotep II monument was until it was moved to Cairo. This monument was built about 1995 BC.

The roof of the Temple of Hathor

5) Temple of Hathor:

The Temple of Hathor is the main building in the complex, and it is noted for having an intact roof. It is also noted for having the clearest and brightest colors among the ancient sites of Egypt. It is thought that some of the rooms and walls look much the way they looked originally. The colors, size, and fine detail of all the writings and art are the highlights.

Here is a list of some of the highlights of the Temple of Hathor from its front door:

Six Big Columns: There are six columns that are topped with big capitals.
The Large Hypostyle Room: This is one of the grandest rooms with 18 huge columns that are 15 meters tall. The whole room is covered with hieroglyphics. The ceiling is profusely decorated with hieroglyphics and is turquoise-blue.
The Small Hypostyle Room: The second hypostyle room was where the figure of the goddess Hathor was located during the celebrations and processions that took place in the temple.
Storage Room
Room of Offerings
Hall of the Ennead
Great Seat

Second Floor

There are stairs that go up to the second floor where there are rooms you can go into. On both sides of the stairs, the walls are covered with inscriptions. There is another short flight of stairs that goes to the high roof, but the administrators recently closed this area off to the public. You can walk around the second-floor area. You can get a good view of the whole complex and surrounding scenery from the roof and take pictures.

The Sacred Lake:This area is near the back of the Temple of Hathor.

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2. History of the Temple of Dendera

The ruins of the beautiful ancient temple of Dendera or Hathor Temple

The Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt from 323 BC to 30 BC. They built temple complexes including Edfu and Dendera. Ptolemy III ruled from 246 to 222 BC, and he started building at the Dendera complex site.

Ptolemy III also began the construction of the Temple of Edfu in 237 BC. The Temple of Edfu is built in a similar style, and it is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt with an almost complete roof, and it was built on a similar scale as the Temple of Dendera.

The present Temple of Hathor was largely built by Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra VII between the years 145 BC and 30 BC. It is thought that the work of engraving and decorating the walls was left unfinished due of the Roman invasion in 30 BC. Then the building was decorated and modified by the Roman rulers including Trajan.

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3. Visiting the Temple of Dendera

The beautiful ancient temple of Dendera or Hathor Temple

Top sight: Temple Complex of Dendera. The main structure is the Temple of Hathor.

Recommended visiting duration: Half a day

Entrance fees: about 100 EGP (about 6 USD). Students get in for about half price with student identification.

When to visit Dendera: In the summer, it gets as hot as 34°C (93°F) in July and August, and the dry heat lasts till September. Tourist crowds used to arrive in the Christmas and Easter seasons before 2020, so for both pleasant weather and less crowds, the months of March, October, and November are better.

Clothing: The air is quite dry. Thin shirts and dresses will keep you cool. Wear comfortable shoes for walking around the big Temple of Dendera complex!

Where to stay: Qena is a city that is across the Nile River. There are tourist hotels in Luxor and Aswan.

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4. How to Get to the Temple of Dendera

The Temple of Dendera is not very convenient to reach by public transportation. It is about an hour and a half from Luxor. Getting to Luxor is not very convenient from Cairo and Alexandria.

From Cairo Station by train:

Cairo Train Station (a.k.a. Ramses Station or Misr Station) is on Cairo Metro lines 1 and 2 at Martyrs Metro Station (Al Shohadaa Station) on Ramses Square. From Cairo Airport (CAI), you can take a taxi and to Cairo Train Station in 19 minutes.

You could take a 9- or 10-hour train ride from Cairo Station to Qena. The cost of a ticket is about 27 USD. Once there, a taxi outside the station takes about 12 minutes and 3 USD to get to the Temple of Dendera.

By flight from Cairo Airport (CAI) to Luxor:

A flight to Luxor and then a taxi is a lot quicker than the train. A flight from Cairo Airport (CAI) to Luxor Airport (LXR) takes about an hour and typically costs 60 to 160 USD. Then, you will need a private vehicle or a taxi to take you to Dendera. The taxi ride takes about an hour and a half and costs about 14 to 20 USD. Altogether, if the connections are fast, a plane trip might take about 4 or 5 hours.

Once you are at the temple complex, walking is easy, and it is the best way to experience the place.

By road from Cairo:

A private vehicle for transportation is the best way to get around quickly and conveniently from spot to spot in Egypt. To get to the Temple of Dendera takes more than 8 hours from Cairo by road.

By Nile River cruise:

You can also go to Dendera by river cruise boat. It is one of the places where river cruises usually stop. The Temple of Dendera is about 4 kilometers from the Nile River.

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Tour recommendations:

For anyone wanting to see the Temple of Dendera, going with an experienced guide makes for a better and more convenient experience. He or she can guide you through the big complex of ruins and walls and explain what some of the inscriptions say, and show you around the insides of the big temple. They can also help with shopping, eating, seeing Qena, and steering clear of criminals.

With a tailor-made trips, you can enjoy the journey at your own pace as everything is well taken care of. Whether you want to go by river boat, airplane, or a private vehicle, having a driver and tour guide makes for a more convenient, safer, and richer experience.