Egypt in Madrid

If you want to travel far, far away you don’t have to go that many miles in Madrid, just get down to Plaza España by Metro and then take a short walk to Calle Ferraz. There in the middle of the gardens you will see an Egyptian temple, it is not a mirage and it’s not either a marketing campaign, it is an authentic Egyptian temple. This piece of Egypt in Madrid is called Templo de Debod, Debod’s Temple.

The temple arrived to Spain in 1968 as a present from the Egyptian government to the Spanish government for its services during the campaign to save the temples of Nubia. Debod is about 2,000 years old, but it’s been kept in a very good state of conservation.

The Templo de Debod can be visited and there are guided tours of the inside of the temple. Families also have an oportunity to enjoy a day together in Debod, as there are activities for the youngest ones, like colouring, cutting, pasting, writing hieroglyphics, dressing up in Egyptian attire and other activities.

Egypt can also be visited in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, in Serrano, 13, Metro Serrano. The museum has a Sala Egipcia, an Egyptian Room that contains many Egyptian artefacts.

Among the artefacts in the museum, there is an offering table, a stone carved object that was used to offer food to the gods and also several sarcophagus richly decorated in the old Egyptian style.

After visiting the Debod Temple don’t forget to spend some time walking around in the gardens and enjoying the views of the city.

Categories: General