Deir al-Hagar Temple in the Dakhla Oasis of Egypt

Can der Hagar (Deir al-Hagar, Deir El Haggar) be translated as "stone monastery," and was in ancient time and one Romanian temples are located to the south of the cultivated area of the Dakhla Oasis to about ten kilometers from the city of Umm Qasr in the desert. The old name was Setweh, a place to return home.
This is a sandstone temple was built during the reign of Emperor Nero (54-67 AD), and decorated during the time of Vespasian (69-79 AD), Titus (79-81 AD) and Domitian (81-96 AD), which decorated the entrance to the town of huge. Other Roman rulers made small contributions to decorate, with the latest inscriptions dating from the 3rd. Temple was dedicated mainly to the Theban, consisting of Amun-Re, Mut, and Khonsu, while Seth, which was the beginning of God of the oasis, was also honored here. Here, Seth is a hawk's head and body model of the blue.
There are cartridges of Roman emperors on the walls of the Temple of mixed among more recent additions, for almost every traveler who came to entering in the nineteenth century is recorded names, including Edmondstone, Houghton, Hyde, Cayo and Rohlf the whole issue. Edmondstone the annals of history of his visit in February 1819, the goal of the Amur as a sign of their withdrawal from the Dakhla Oasis. This indicates that visited the oasis before Drovetti. Drovetti, in his memoirs, said he had visited the temple "at the end of 1818, which became the first. All registered his name in the monastery of stone, but it's welding of Napoleon, who defected in 1801 and remained in Egypt Drovetti accompanied on his trip to the city of Dakhla. The annals of his election to the visit, 26 F. 1819. It was almost another 100 years before that the foreign tourist who was passing by, and inscriptions found in the Deir al-Hagar, Al Ain Amur Edmondstone and offered proof that he was in fact discovered in the Deir al-Hagar.
Edmondstone found in the center of the temple is filled with sand and tried to defuse the crisis, but he soon abandoned the project and measurement of simple structure. At that time, the sanctuary has a roof and parts of three columns standing in front. Rolfes related Remel removable roof shelter to clean the sand.
There is a myth surrounding the beautiful visit by Gerhard Rohlf temple. Locals believe they came to the oasis, with a book treasure in hand, to find the buried treasure. When they are not successful, but they believe that sacrificing one of the workers of his group for afrit, and spirit, and to guard the entrance to the Treasury Department. Then took the treasure and left.
In 1995, carried out restoration efforts in the temple of the Dakhla Oasis Project, under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Have been completely restored with the technology and materials used by the original craftsmen. Has been replaced many of the stones, doors, and palm fronds near built to protect the foundations of a temple for the invasion of sand. A visitor center has been built, including the images that appear in the restoration efforts. Today, the Temple of Deir al-Hagar is one of the most complete Romanian effects in this oasis.
And to build a temple measures 7.3 meters from 16.2, and has a well preserved on the outer wall of mud brick, which still draws some of the plaster are still visible. The main entrance is located on the east side of the wall, but there is another door on the south side, in the Temenos wall of the sanctuary. Here is where most of the first travelers to register, but there are also Greek inscriptions at a later date. A processional way leading from the main gate to the entrance of the temple, and through the remainder of this round, and columns of mud brick that was part of the plates of columns at the entrance to the wing. Sphinx and a few small and found in this area can now see emerging in the Heritage Museum.
Have been obtained to enter the temple through the barrier, leading to large terrace containing two columns. From there, a door leads into a room with four columns of small columns, and this in turn gives way to the deals before arriving at the room the central sanctuary. The shelter is surrounded by a two-chamber side. And one to the south contains the steps that would reach the roof. In the north, and the second house is a storage facility.
The sanctuary was decorated with spectacular astronomical ceiling, which dates back to the rule of Hadrian (117-138 AD), which may affect the relief as the primary form of the goddess Nut, who represents the god of heaven and Jeb, who symbolizes the earth. In the middle of the roof, and Osiris is represented by the constellation of Orion, while the other features are represented by a different order of the gods, whose mission is to maintain the universe. Was the Western Wall in the back of the campus where it is a good representation of the main gods, Amun-Re, Mut, while in the southern wall of the triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu represented, along with Seth, Nephthys and re-Horakhty, Osiris, Isis, Ra united. Northern wall and includes the triad of Thebes, with the gods Heliopolitan Creator, which consists of Jeb, walnuts, Shu and Tefnut.
Also in the north wall is an important representation of the god within, Amun Nakht, and recording the oldest known shrine of his visit to the oasis. This god of the desert, which seems to have characteristics of each of Amun-Re and Horus, shown with his wife, the goddess Hathor. Thoth, who are often portrayed in an oasis of comfort, as depicted with his consort, Nehmetaway.
Everything about the structure of the remainder of the other old and many of them to prove their holdings surrounding the Roman temple. Many bath houses in various stages of ruin. There is a field that contains the stone blocks west of campus, and about 800 meters to the north-west of the temple is a Romanian cemetery, with about 250 graves. Here, too raw, and rights under the chairmanship of the coffins of the Roman era pottery unearthed. When Rahlfs exploration in the cemetery, he found the coffin in the tomb of mud full and seven mummies covered bed in another country.