A private day trip from Marsa Alam to the temples of Abydos and Dendera is one of the most culturally enriching historical excursions available from the Red Sea coast. This full-day journey typically takes 14 to 15 hours and highlights some of the best-preserved ancient Egyptian art and architecture away from the main tourist crowds.
Abydos Dendera Private Trip Marsa Alam is a fascinating individual tour to Abydos and Dendera from Marsa Alam, Red Sea Governorate – Egypt!
We recommend the excursion because it allows tourists to see many attractions. These attractions exist in two cities: Dendera and Sohag. Also, these monuments are from two different eras of Egyptian history—ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire. It lets you have a lot of fun and learn more about the country’s history.
Highlights on Individual Trip to Abydos & Dendera from Marsa Alam
- See the Temples of Abydos.
- Lunch at a restaurant.
- Also, admire the Temple of the goddess Hathor in Dendera.
Itinerary of the Private Excursion to Dendera-Abydos
- Landious Travel representative will pick you up from the hotel in Marsa Alam around 04:00 am.
- After picking you up, the bus (limousine or minibus) will head towards the city of Qena. It passes the town of Safaga on its way to Abydos. The resort town of Safaga lies 45 miles south of Hurghada on the Red Sea coast. At the same time, Qena lies 340 km away in the Nile Valley. The way from the centre of Marsa Alam to Qena takes about 3 hours. From Qena, you will drive further north towards the Sohag governorate to get to the village of Abydos. It will take about one more hour to get to Abydos.
Schedule in Abydos
- Once you arrive at Sohag governorate, you will begin your excursion to the Abydos Temple Complex. It is a vast complex of temples and buildings in Abydos. The complex combines different temples and towers. Your guide will explain the place in this temple. And then, he will show the frequently visited sites of this large complex. Of course, your guide will show all these temples. Also, he will give you free time to take pictures.
Agenda in Qena
- As soon as you get Qena, you will have lunch. Then, you will drive back to Qena. It will be your first stop in this city.
- Following lunch, you will drive to the nearby village of Dendera, where you can visit the Dendera Temple Complex. Once again, your guide will explain and show the frequently visited places of this large complex. This complex has different temples and buildings. Therefore, your guide will show you all these temples. Also, he will give you free time to take pictures.
Departure to Marsa Aalm
- Finally, you return to Marsa Alam after a fantastic trip in Abydos – Dendera.
- The Private Trip to Abydos & Dendera from Marsa Alam ends at approximately 010:00 pm.
What does the Price of Abydos Dendera Private Trip Marsa Alam include?
- Tickets for visiting temples.
- Lunch.
- Drinks.
- Private guide.
- Also, a Private vehicle to Abydos–Dendera and back to the hotel.
What does the individual trip program from Marsa Alam not include?
- Additional excursion programs, if not included in the above program.
Items to take with you for the Abydos Dendera Private Trip from Marsa Alam
- Breakfast box.
- Also, bring suitable clothes for the season.
Booking Days of Abydos Dendera Private Tour Marsa Alam
- Daily from 03:00 – 20:00.
What can one expect to see during a private excursion to Abydos and Dendera from Marsa Alam?
Dendera Temple Complex
Dendera Temple, ComplexThe temple complex at Dendera is quite large, boasting a basilica, two birthhouses, a sacred lake, and numerous other temples and shrines within its walls. Structures at the site hail from various ancient Egyptian eras, with monuments from the Middle Kingdom, the Ptolemaic Era, and the Period of Roman provincial rule.
Evidence shows that the first building on the site went up around 2250 BCE, but the vertical structures mostly date from the Ptolemaic Era forward. In 1995 BCE, construction likely began on the Mentuhotep II monument, the oldest existing system, when the site was rediscovered.
The Mentuhotep monument has since been moved to Cairo. The oldest form is from Nectanebo II, built ca. 345 BCE. It may be more accurate to say the structure as we know it began in 54 BCE when construction started on the Temple of Hathor, the most prominent structure at the Dendera complex.
The Temple of Hathor is one of Egypt’s best-preserved antiquity sites today and an excellent example of traditional Pharaonic architecture. It was built primarily during the Ptolemaic Dynasty, a period of Greek rule in Egypt.
However, the Temple was completed under the Roman emperor Trajan, who is depicted on the walls of the complex making offerings to Hathor. The temple complex also includes a monumental gateway constructed by Trajan and Domitian, another Roman emperor.
Cult of Hathor
This site was the centre of the cult of Hathor. It was believed that during a period known as the Happy Reunion, Hathor would journey from her Temple at Dendera to spend some time with her husband, Horus, at his Temple in Edfu.
This “reunion” was a yearly occurrence, and at the end of the celebration, Hathor’s return to Dendera was thought to signal the official beginning of the Nile’s flood season.
Zodiac of Dendera
The Temple originally housed the famous Zodiac of Dendera. This bas-relief with human and animal figures represented a night skyscape. It was found on the ceiling of a chapel in the Temple of Hathor, where the mysteries of the resurrection of the god Osiris were celebrated. Egyptologists believe the object should be interpreted as a celestial map rather than a large horoscope or an ongoing astrological instrument.
The particular configuration of the planets among the constellations shown in the Zodiac of Dendera occurs only about once every thousand years. Two astrophysicists dated it between June 15 and August 15, 50 BCE. Two eclipses are represented on the Zodiac exactly where they occurred at that time.
The representations of the signs of the Zodiac as we know them today did not appear in Egypt until the Greco-Roman Period. This monument reflects how Egyptian cultural elements merged with Babylonian and Greek astronomical and astrological theories due to the Assyrian and Babylonian deportations of the eighth and sixth centuries BCE and the Persian and Greek invasions of the sixth and fourth centuries BCE.
The Zodiac of Dendera was transported to France in 1821 with the permission of Mohamed Ali Pasha, the Turkish ruler of Egypt at the time. It is currently on display at the Louvre in Paris. The Egyptian government has asked for its return.
- Temples of Abydos: The Abydos Temple Complex is located in Abydos Village, in the modern Egyptian town Al-Balyana, south of Sohag governorate. It lies about 11 kilometres west of the Nile River at latitude 26° 10′ N. During ancient Egypt, Abydos was the capital of the eighth Nome.