New Kalabsha
Archaeological site in Egypt
New Kalabsha is a promontory located near Aswan in Egypt.
Created during the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, it houses several important temples, structures, and other remains that have been relocated here from the site of Old Kalabsha (Arabic: باب الكلابشة Bāb al-Kalābsha, "Gate of Kalabsha", Ancient Greek: Ταλμις Talmis) and other sites in Lower Nubia, to avoid the rising waters of Lake Nasser caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The major remains are described below:
01Kalabsha Temple
The Temple of Kalabsha (or Temple of Mandulis) is the major structure in New Kalabsha. The entire Roman period temple to the sun god Mandulis was relocated here in 1970. It was built by Emperor Augustus and was the largest free-standing temple of Egyptian Nubia. During relocation, the temple was cut into 13,000 blocks.
02Gerf Hussein
The temple of Gerf Hussein (originally known as Per Ptah, the "House of Ptah") is dedicated to Ramesses II and was built by the Viceroy of Nubia Setau. Originally, it was partially free-standing and partially rock-cut. During the flooding of Lake Nasser, the free-standing section was dismantled and then rebuilt at New Kalabsha. Most of the rock-cut temple was left in place and is now submerged beneath the waters.
03Beit el-Wali
The rock-cut temple of Beit el-Wali was moved from its original location by a Polish archaeological team. It is dedicated to Ramesses II, and the gods of Amun and Anukis (among others). It was originally decorated in bright colors, but these were mostly removed by a "squeeze" taken in the 19th century (the results of this squeeze are now on display in the British Museum).
04Kiosk of Qertassi
The Kiosk of Qertassi is "a tiny Roman kiosk with four slender papyrus columns inside [and] two Hathor columns at the entrance." It is a small but elegant structure that "is unfinished and not inscribed with the name of the architect, but is probably contemporary with Trajan's Kiosk at Philae."
05Dedwen
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “New Kalabsha”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- The Temple of Kalabsha by Dennis G. Jarvis.jpg by Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY 2.0
- The temple of Gerf Hussein by George Snyder.jpg by https://www.flickr.com/photos/mick-dede/ (Mr. George Snyder), CC BY-SA 2.0
- Hémispéos Beit el Wali.jpg by Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kiosk von Kertassi 03.JPG by Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0
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