★★★★★ 5.0
Discover
Temple of Debod
Two thousand two hundred years old. That's this temple right here, built way back by King Adijalamani on the Nile south of Aswan. In 1972, Egypt gifted it to Spain for helping save Abu Simbel from rising dam waters. They took it apart stone by stone, shipped it across the Mediterranean, and rebuilt it right here in Moncloa. You're looking at the only authentic Egyptian temple in all of Spain. Step inside and you'll find the original Adijalamani Chapel with gods carved in high relief making offerings. But here's what locals know—those three pylons guiding you forward? They're not in their original order. And the ground beneath you has even wilder layers. Before this temple arrived, this was the Cuartel de la Montaña barracks. In 1808, Napoleon's troops executed Spanish rebels right here, a scene Goya painted so powerfully it still haunts people today. Now it's gardens, sunset views over Casa de Campo, and two thousand years of history layered in one incredible space.
Did You Know?
- : The Temple of Debod is one of the few ancient Egyptian temples relocated outside Egypt, gifted to Spain in 1968 as a token of gratitude for Spain's crucial role in saving Nubian monuments from flooding caused by the Aswan High Dam construction.
- The temple was originally built by King Adikhalamani of Meroë in the 2nd century BC as a small chapel dedicated to the gods Amun and Isis, and later expanded by Ptolemaic and Roman rulers, making it a unique blend of Nubian, Egyptian, and Roman architectural styles.
- When rebuilt in Madrid’s Parque del Oeste, the temple’s gateways were reassembled in a different order than at its original site in Egypt, creating a distinctive arrangement that visitors can compare with historical photos to spot the changes.