Location :

The temple is located in Dendara which is situated at the north of Luxor .

Who built it ?

It was built at the time of the Greaco-Romans

Why was it built ?

It was built by the Ptolemies and Romans in an effort to show their dedication to the main Egyptian gods.

Explanation :

The temple has never finished - The temple was burried in the sand up untill 1800s.

At the left of the Roman gateway , there is a small relief carving of Bes, the ugly little demi-god. Bes was thought to always be around during festivities and celebrations.

To the right, after passing through the Roman gateway, is the Roman-era Birth House which is known in the greek langauge with " Mammisiy " . Behind the Birth House, can be seen the well-preserved mud brick wall that encloses the entire temple complex.

The massive Hathor-head columns of the first Hypostyle Hall support what is considered one of very few remaining ceiling structures in ancient Egyptian temples.

Every inch of stone is carved in relief and was once painted. Black soot covers most of the ceiling and upper walls in the First Hypostyle Hall, a remnant of fires built when the temple was used as a dwelling place.

There are some relieves show the Roman emperors while making offerings to the Egyptian gods. The roof of the temple is one of a very few temple roofs that visitors are allowed to go up on. Most are nonexistent or in too poor condition to withstand the heavy visitor traffic.

A back view of theTemple of Hathor with the smaller Temple of Isis-Hathor. The palm tree that can be seen is actually growing in the unfinished Sacred Lake.

Another portion of the mud brick enclosure wall, showing its remarkable preservation. Again, the palm trees at the right of this photo are growing in the Sacred Lake that was left unfinished