Tourism, Antiquities Ministry Completes 2nd Phase of Dandara Temple Renovation Project

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has completed the second phase of the renovation and development project of Dandara Temple in Qena.

Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the work of this phase included the renovation and cleaning of the Great Pillars Hall and the Al-Ishraq Hall (the Transfiguration II) and the development of the internal and external lighting systems of the temple, indicating that works are still continuing inside the side rooms surrounding the second transfiguration hall in preparation for its opening soon.

Director General of the Dendera Temple Abdel Hakim al-Saghir said that the maintenance and renovation work included removing soot from the archaeological surfaces constructed from sandstone, so that the inscriptions and texts appeared in their original colors.

The ministry had also completed the work of the first phase, which included the renovation of the Mammisi (the Roman birth house), the main temple gate on the north side, showing the colors on the gate, cleaning the descending stairs of the temple, the hall of the great pillars, three Catacombs and the roof of the temple.

Regarding the renovation work, Al-Saghir pointed out that the Supreme Council of Antiquities started the project of renovation and maintenance work of the temple since 2005 and then stopped in 2011 and was resumed in 2017, after the completion of the necessary scientific and archaeological studies, in addition to careful experimental studies using the best methods and modern techniques , as the temple was suffering from a deterioration in the wall carvings as a result of the layers of soot.

In 2019, the Ministry started a project to develop the courtyard of the Temple of Dendara in cooperation with the French Archaeological Mission to turn it into a museum for the artifacts.

In February 2020, Dr. Khaled Al-Anani, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, inaugurated three catacombs and a panorama (roof) of the Dandara Temple after the completion of the renovation project, stressing that the panorama (roof) of the Dandara Temple represents a new tourist attraction.

[caption id="attachment_218649" align="alignnone" width="857"] Tourism, Antiquities Ministry Completes 2nd Phase of Dandara Temple Renovation Project[/caption]