Near Eastern Institute

Dendera

Dendera, which is sometimes referred as Denderah, Tentyra or Dandarah is one of the many places in Egypt which embodies its culture and history. It is merely a little town in Egypt on the wet part of the Nile river but it is most popular due to the Greco-Roman influence of its infrastructure and grandeur. Greco-Roman is a fusion of the two civilization.

Dendera, unlike other areas in Egypt, can be difficult to locate because it is in the isolated area on the desert edge of Egypt. In the olden times, it was the capital of the 6th nome or a district or in a more profound meaning, it was a subnational administrative division of Ancient Egypt. The etymology of Dendera is signified as a willow earth or a willow wood. However, some researchers would define it as a derivation from the sky and the fertility goddess Hathor or commonly allied with the famous greek goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite. These goddesses were believed to be worshipped in Denderra as the city was considered to be arid and the land is incapable to be fertile.

Interestingly, the crocodile is the symbol of deity in the city as it was also regarden in some neighboring Egyptian cities. Although, there was a tremendous Roman influence, Dendera only acquired a diminutive Christianity. During the rise of the Ottoman expansion, Dendera became the Arab Denderah as the area was then penetrated by the Ottoman rule. During that time, there were 6000 inhabitants in the town.

One of the best preserved and well-conserved feature in the small town of Dendera is the Temple of Hathor. Most historians and researchers considered  to be the best among the temples in all Egypt. The entire temple comples covers an area of more than 40,000 square meters and as researchers describe it, the area is bordered by a heavily built mud brick enclosed wall. Historians identified the structure to have been built during the early Ptolemaic dynasty by the Roman emperor Tiberius. Tiberius is more popularly known as Tiberius Julius Ceasar Augustus who was the second emperor of ancient Rome. But earlier foundations f establishements in the small town in Dendera started even during at least as far as Khufu. Khufu is famous for building the Great Pyramid of Giza which is then included in theThe Seven Great Wonders of the Ancient World and is the second pharaoh of the fourth dynasty of Egypt. There are also remains of the spiritual belief of ancient Egypt such as Coptic churches and other inscriptions.

Currently, the area of the Temple of Hathor has been developed into a more accessible tourist area. The area now has been surrounded by far-reaching landscaping and the tourism of Egypt has developed a modern visitor centre, a bazaar and even a small cafeteria.