The Temple of Kalabsha (Kalabsha), also known as Talmis or Temple of Mandulis, was an Egyptian temple located at the beginning (Kalabsha Gate), about 50 kilometers south of Aswan, in Lower Nubia.
Mandulis Temple
Kalabsha is particularly famous for its temple complex: the main temple was built entirely from sandstone of the Nubian god Mandulis and the goddess Isis Philae. The temple, whose temple house alone is 77 meters long, is the largest free-standing temple complex in Lower Nubia. The area of the temple, enclosed by a brick wall 15 meters high, is 66 x 92 meters.
Ptolemy VIII replaced a small temple from the Eighteenth Dynasty. This temple has been replaced by a larger complex. However, the inscriptions and decorations of the temple remained incomplete. In the Christian era, parts of the complex were converted into a church.
The temple was located on the left bank of the Nile River in Lower Nubia, and was originally built around 30 BC at the beginning of the Roman era. It was built during the reign of Emperor Augustus (reigned 27 BC - AD 14), in the old sanctuary of Pharaoh Amenhotep II, but it was not completed. It is dedicated to Mandelis (Merul), the lower Nubian sun god. The temple is 76 meters long and 22 meters wide. While the temple dates back to the Roman era, it contains many wonderful inscriptions, such as "a beautiful statue of Horus emerging from the reeds on the inner wall" of the temple. From the "rooms of the sanctuary, a staircase leading to the roof", a view of the temple itself and the sacred lake can be seen. Altogether, the complex consists of a tower, a courtyard, a hypostyle hall, two vestibules, and a temple.
Several historical records are inscribed on the walls of the temple, such as a "long inscription granted by the ruler Aurelio Pissarro in the year 250, in addition to the inscription" of the Nubian King Selko, carved in the fifth century that records his victory over the enemies. And a picture of him dressed as a Roman soldier on horseback. ”Silko was the king of the kingdom of Nobasia.
When Christianity was introduced to Egypt, the temple was used as a church.
The place saw its peak as a local center of power after the introduction of Christianity in the 6th century. To defend against nomadic attacks, it was surrounded by a city wall similar to the one built a few centuries earlier in persia and in Christian times in Ikhmendi, The gate's angled balconies were characteristic of the Nubian defenses.
With help from Germany, it was moved after the Aswan Dam was built to protect it from the waters that rose in Lake Nasser. The temple was moved to a site located south of the dam. The removal process took more than two years. It was the largest independent temple in Egyptian Nubia (after Abu Simbel) to be moved and erected on a new site. Although the building was never completed, 'it is considered one of the finest examples of Egyptian architecture in Nubia
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