Visit Dendera on Your Dahabiya Nile Cruise with Us
At Dendera, where the beautiful Hathor, goddess of love, joy and beauty, reigns supreme. It is truly one of the most amazing places to visit in Egypt. Most Nile cruises miss this unbelievable site, since they go straight downstream from Luxor to Aswan to visit many other stunning places to sightsee in Egypt. But we are going upstream to El Minya on our unique Dahabiya Nile cruise, so you have the chance to partake in not just one, but several archaeological tours of a lifetime.
Dendera is pure magic. The minute you start walking towards that towering ancient gate, still buttressed by the original mud brick walls of the temple enclosure, you start to feel it. There is a sense of awe, but not just that, no… There is also a sense of welcome, a sense of joyous, heartfelt warmth. That is the nature of the Lady of this place, Hathor, the Golden One.
Dendera – One of Many Magic Experiences when Sailing the Nile on Dahabiya ABUNDANCE
As you pass through the towering gate, immediately you can see that she is right there. The columns of the temple that greet you in the distance all bear her wondrous visage and they draw you to her immediately. To your right, you pass two mammisis, or birth houses, and the famous Roman sanatorium where many an illness was cured. To your left stand many other interesting archaeological remains…
But right now, they do not matter. The Lady is calling you. Her main temple beckons you forward, with promises of cool shade and shining beauty. As you walk into the first hall, the columns of her hypostyle hall draw your gaze upwards to her face again and you can’t help but gasp! Such colors! Such beauty!
In between the columns, you see astronomical depiction after astronomical depiction, all carefully freed from centuries old layers of black soot that once covered them to reveal the most amazing blues and reds and whites. Figures that tantalize the imagination, rows of stars and constellations – what could they all mean? It is literally an experience that transports you away from this earth and up into the galaxy of stars, thanks to the master restorers who over many years painstakingly cleansed these ceilings to reveal the wonders underneath.
An actual stairway to the skies is there, oh, and look! The goddess Nut of the heavens, and a bull, could it be Taurus? There is just so much to see on those ceilings in that first hall that it is hard to draw yourself away and go explore further, but you must, you feel drawn inside…
As you proceed further into the temple, a darkness descends after the colorful glory of that first hall. But it is a warm darkness, an enveloping sense of comfort as in the mother’s womb. This, you can feel, is where creation took place. Each and every day, as the goddess was awoken, this is where everything was born anew, bright and fresh and beautiful.
Around and behind the holy of holies where this miracle occurred every day, there are many smaller chambers with the most marvelous depictions. So much to see! But we have to go right behind the holy of holies and descend into the earth through a narrow opening to see one of the most mysterious rooms in the temple, the famous Dendera Crypt. The walls are decorated so beautifully it takes our breath away…
Take Time to Enjoy the Magic of Egypt on our Dahabiya Nile Cruises
We don’t want to leave but there is so much more to see… And the magic of our Dahabiya Nile cruise to Minya, is that you have the time to do so… We are in no rush. We simply want to share these unbelievable places to sightsee in Egypt with you.
Stay tuned for Dendera Part Two – Rising to the Heavens
