Ad-Dakka (Arab: الدكة, also el-Dakka, Egyptian: Pselqet, Greek: Pselchis) was a place in Lower Nubia. It is the site of the Greco-RomanTemple of Dakka, dedicated to Thoth, the god of wisdom in the ancient Egyptian pantheon. The temple was initially a small one-room shrine or chapel, first begun in the 3rd century BC by a Meroitic king named Arqamani (or Ergamenes II) in collaboration with Ptolemy IV who added an antechamber and a gate structure.[1]Ptolemy IX "subsequently enlarged the temple by adding a pronaos with two rows of probably three columns."[2] During the Roman period, the Emperors Augustus and Tiberius further enlarged the structure with "the addition, at the rear, of a second sanctuary as well as inner and outer enclosure walls with a large pylon. The sanctuary contained a granite naos."[2] The Temple of Dakka was transformed into a temple fortress by the Romans and surrounded by a stone wall, 270 by 444 metres long, with an entrance along the Nile.[3]
A large dromos leads to the pylon, which formed the entrance to the temple. Each of the pylon's towers is decorated in high relief and bears numerous graffiti from visitors, mostly in Greek but some in Demotic and Meroitic script.[citation needed] There are reliefs of cows offered as gifts to the god Thoth carved into the naos of the Temple of Dakka.[4] While the temple of Dakka was similar architecturally to the temple of Wadi es-Sebua, it lacked a front courtyard of sphinxes; however, its 12-metre-high pylon is in near perfect condition.[5] A 55-metre-long processional approach ran from the temple's pylon to a cult terrace at the Nile.[6] During the Christian period of Egypt, the facade of the pronaos was converted for use into a church, and Christian paintings were still visible here in the 20th century before the temple was enveloped by the Nile floods.[citation needed] In the 19th century these paintings were described as rather crude and already quite damaged representations of Christian saints.[7][8]
The temple of Dakka collapsed in 1908–1909 and was subsequently rebuilt by Alessandro Barsanti.[6]
During the construction of the Aswan dam in the 1960s, the temple was dismantled and moved to the site of New Wadi es-Sebua.[9] At the time of its removal, some reused stone blocks from Thutmose III, Seti I and Merneptah were discovered which originated from an earlier New Kingdom structure in or near Kubban.[2] The temple's pylon is now separated from the remainder of the temple due to the missing enclosure walls of the open court.
Reliefsedit
Relief depicting the Kushite king Arkamani presenting an offering to the gods
^Giuseppe Forni (1859): "Viaggio nell'Egitto e nell'Alta Nubia", p. 301
^Isabella Frances Romer (1846): "A Pilgrimage to the Temples and Tombs of Egypt, Nubia, and Palestine, in 1845-6", 232
^Wilkinson, Richard H. (2000). The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. p. 219
January 01, 1970
temple, dakka, dakka, arab, الدكة, also, dakka, egyptian, pselqet, greek, pselchis, place, lower, nubia, site, greco, roman, dedicated, thoth, wisdom, ancient, egyptian, pantheon, temple, initially, small, room, shrine, chapel, first, begun, century, meroitic,. Ad Dakka Arab الدكة also el Dakka Egyptian Pselqet Greek Pselchis was a place in Lower Nubia It is the site of the Greco Roman Temple of Dakka dedicated to Thoth the god of wisdom in the ancient Egyptian pantheon The temple was initially a small one room shrine or chapel first begun in the 3rd century BC by a Meroitic king named Arqamani or Ergamenes II in collaboration with Ptolemy IV who added an antechamber and a gate structure 1 Ptolemy IX subsequently enlarged the temple by adding a pronaos with two rows of probably three columns 2 During the Roman period the Emperors Augustus and Tiberius further enlarged the structure with the addition at the rear of a second sanctuary as well as inner and outer enclosure walls with a large pylon The sanctuary contained a granite naos 2 The Temple of Dakka was transformed into a temple fortress by the Romans and surrounded by a stone wall 270 by 444 metres long with an entrance along the Nile 3 Temple of DakkaThe Temple of Dakka in NubiaShown within Northeast AfricaShow map of Northeast AfricaTemple of Dakka Egypt Show map of EgyptLocationEgyptCoordinates22 48 3 59 N 32 32 44 69 E 22 8009972 N 32 5457472 E 22 8009972 32 5457472TypeSettlementSite notesConditionrestored A large dromos leads to the pylon which formed the entrance to the temple Each of the pylon s towers is decorated in high relief and bears numerous graffiti from visitors mostly in Greek but some in Demotic and Meroitic script citation needed There are reliefs of cows offered as gifts to the god Thoth carved into the naos of the Temple of Dakka 4 While the temple of Dakka was similar architecturally to the temple of Wadi es Sebua it lacked a front courtyard of sphinxes however its 12 metre high pylon is in near perfect condition 5 A 55 metre long processional approach ran from the temple s pylon to a cult terrace at the Nile 6 During the Christian period of Egypt the facade of the pronaos was converted for use into a church and Christian paintings were still visible here in the 20th century before the temple was enveloped by the Nile floods citation needed In the 19th century these paintings were described as rather crude and already quite damaged representations of Christian saints 7 8 The temple of Dakka collapsed in 1908 1909 and was subsequently rebuilt by Alessandro Barsanti 6 Contents 1 Relocation 2 Reliefs 3 See also 4 ReferencesRelocation editMain article International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia During the construction of the Aswan dam in the 1960s the temple was dismantled and moved to the site of New Wadi es Sebua 9 At the time of its removal some reused stone blocks from Thutmose III Seti I and Merneptah were discovered which originated from an earlier New Kingdom structure in or near Kubban 2 The temple s pylon is now separated from the remainder of the temple due to the missing enclosure walls of the open court Reliefs edit nbsp Relief depicting the Kushite king Arkamani presenting an offering to the gods nbsp Relief nbsp ReliefSee also editList of ancient Egyptian sites including sites of templesReferences edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Temple of Dakka Dieter Arnold Nigel Strudwick amp Sabine Gardiner The Encyclopaedia of Ancient Egyptian Architecture I B Tauris Publishers 2003 p 65 a b c Arnold Strudwick amp Gardiner p 65 Dieter Arnold Temples of the Last Pharaohs Oxford University Press 1999 p 244 Laszlo Torok The Image of the Ordered World in Ancient Nubian Art Brill 2002 p 260 Wadi es Seboua Temple of Dakka Archived from the original on 30 September 2018 Retrieved 28 September 2008 a b Arnold Temples of the Last Pharaohs p 244 Giuseppe Forni 1859 Viaggio nell Egitto e nell Alta Nubia p 301 Isabella Frances Romer 1846 A Pilgrimage to the Temples and Tombs of Egypt Nubia and Palestine in 1845 6 232 Wilkinson Richard H 2000 The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt Thames amp Hudson p 219 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Temple of Dakka amp oldid 1218770298, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
