Kalabsha Temple in Aswan

Kalabsha Temple in Aswan

Kalabsha Temple - Kalabsha is another Nubian temple that was part of the operation to save monuments threatened by the waters of Lake Nasser. The temple was brought to its present site courtesy of the Federal Republic of Germany, in a rescue operation sponsored by UNESCO in 1960.

Its original location was 56 km south of Aswan, until it was dismantled and moved to an island now called New Kalabsha, south of the High Dam. It can be seen from the dam with a good pair of binoculars.

Kalabsha Temple, anciently Talmis, was built in the Roman period. It was dedicated to Isis, Osiris and Horus-Mandulis. It is perhaps the best example of a free-standing temple in Nubia, built of sandstone blocks. The sanctuary area consists of three chambers, each entered from the rear, with a pair of columns in each room. The holiest entrance was in the innermost room, which was later used as a Christian church.