Not far away from the Plaza España at Madrid, Spain you can find something quite suprising: an ancient Egyptian temple, the temple of Debod. How did that happen? When the Aswan dam was built in 1960 different archeological sites were threatened. The UNESCO then asked all countries around the world for help and as Spain helped to preserve the temple of Abu Simbel they received the small temple of Debod as a gift.
It was once standing at the shore of river Nile. The temple was transported by ship to Valencia and was re-errected at Madrid in 1970. If you want to get inside you need to be there during the opening hours. There is always a queue and the guards are very strict. The temple was surrounded by a pool of water which is now empty – but don’t dare to simply cross it to have a closer look. They take their job serious. 🙂
You won’t simply come across the Templo de Debod – it is standing on a small hill a bit aside. But it is worth to get there – from the terrace next to it you can have good views on the lower parts of the city and over to the Palacio Real and the Cathedral de la Almudena.
Templo de Debod
Calle de Ferraz, 1
28008 Madrid
Spain
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