Description
Embark on an enthralling individual tour to Abydos and Dendera from El Gouna, Red Sea Governorate – Egypt. This excursion presents an opportunity to witness several fascinating attractions scattered across two cities – Dendera and Sohag. Abydos and Dendera are famous for their impressive temples, Egyptian civilisation’s most significant cult centres.
These monuments represent two distinct eras of Egyptian history – Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire. This tour promises excellent enjoyment and an opportunity to learn about the country’s history.
The excursion to Abydos and Dendera offers delightful memories and a fantastic opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of the ancient culture of the world.
Highlights on Dendera Abydos Private Tour El Gouna
- See the Temples of Abydos.
- Lunch at a restaurant.
- Also, admire the Temple of the goddess Hathor in Dendera.
The highlights of the trip to Dendera and Abydos from El Gouna include a visit to the Temple of the goddess Hathor and an exploration of the Abydos Temple. It also involves relishing delectable Egyptian cuisine at a superb restaurant and an in-depth understanding of the world’s oldest culture.
Your journey commences early in the morning, as the road is long, approximately four hours one way. However, the trip is well worth it, as you can visit two of Upper Egypt’s most fantastic attractions.
The city of Dendera is the first stop, and it is breathtaking. Despite being buried in the sand and excavated only in the 19th century, it is well preserved. The city is the centre of the cult of one of the principal goddesses of Egypt – Hathor. This goddess personifies joy, love, dance, fun, and motherhood. You will also see many shrines and other buildings dedicated to other gods.
The second Temple on the itinerary is Abydos, one of the largest and most magnificent. The Temple is approximately three and a half thousand years old. And during the tour, you will see many frescoes and paintings, some of which are yet to be deciphered.
The Temple of Abydos is unique, entirely made of white marble, and features several halls inside, behind which lies the sanctuary of the six gods. The Gallery of the Kings is the most famous Temple of Abydos.
Program of the Private Tour to Dendera/Abydos
- Landious Travel representative will pick you up from the hotel in El Gouna 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 220 km away in the Nile Valley. The journey from the centre of Hurghada 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 which lies in Abydos. The complex combines different temples and towers. In this Temple, your guide will explain the place. And then, he will show the frequently visited sites of this large complex. Of course, your guide will have a task to 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 have a task to show all these temples. Also, he will give you free time to take pictures.
Departure
- Finally, you return to El Gouna after a fantastic trip in Abydos – Dendera.
- The Individual Trip to Abydos & Dendera from El Gouna ends at approximately 08:00 pm.
What does the Price of the Abydos & Dendera Individual Trip from El Gouna include?
- Tickets for visiting temples.
- Lunch.
- Drinks.
- Private guide.
- Also, a Private vehicle to Abydos–Dendera and back to the hotel.
What does the Program of Individual Trip El Gouna not include?
- Additional excursion programs, if not included in the above schedule.
Items to take with you for the Trip to Abydos from El Gouna
- Breakfast box.
- Also, bring suitable clothes for the season.
Booking Days of Dendera Abydos Private Tour El Gouna
- Daily from 04:00 – 20:00.
What can I expect to see during an individual trip to Abydos and Dendera from El Gouna?
Dendera Temple Complex
The 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 form, 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 most well-preserved antiquity sites today, an excellent example of traditional Pharaonic architecture. The Temple of Hathor was built primarily during the Ptolemaic Dynasty, a period of Greek rule in Egypt.
However, the construction of 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. 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, the return of Hathor to Dendera was thought to signal the official beginning of the flood season of the Nile.
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 determined it should be interpreted as a map of the sky rather than a giant horoscope or a perpetual astrological tool.
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 French transported the Zodiac of Dendera 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.
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