The temple of Hathor at Dendera is about 90 minutes away from Luxor by taxi. It's usually visited in conjunction with Abydos using the convoy system, but recently it has been possible to take a day cruise there from Luxor. This leaves the Luxor Novotel at 7am, and takes 4 hours to get to Dendera - not an unpleasant way to get there! The drawback is that it takes 5 hours to return, as the ship is going against the flow of the Nile. It is also possible to visit Dendera by train or by bus, and then get a taxi to the temple. The admission is 20LE.

A misty riverbank

A hot riverbank!

The entrance gate to the temple. The gates were the only stone objects in the mud-brick wall surrounding the temple. The small picture above shows a scarab on the underside of the lintel.

On the way to the temple entrance, there are several interesting buildings on the right. There are two mammisi or birth houses, one built by the pharaoh Nectanebo, and the other by the Romans. They are separated by the remains of an early Coptic church.

The Roman birth house, started during the reign of Claudius. The purpose of the birth house was to celebrate Hathor's giving birth to Horus - and as such was used as a place of pilgrimage by mothers-to-be in order to be sure of a safe birth. The wall panels on the side of the birth house are almost pristine in their condition.

These photographs are much reduced from the originals - but if you're interested, mail me, and I will send you the full size pictures of these and other panels.

The columns supporting the roof of the birth house are headed by sculptures of the god Bes - a protective deity. There is an excellent figure of Bes in a small collection of column heads and other sculpture opposite the birth house.