Temple of Kalabsha
Name of Building
Temple of Kalabsha
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
New Kalabsha Island, Egypt
originally located at Bab al-Kalabsha (Gate of Kalabsha)
Date the building was designed and/or first built
30 BC
1962 to 1963 (relocated)
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
Augustus Caesar
Culturally Specific Time Period
Roman era
Geo-Location
23.96097229765745, 32.86777367629409
Materials
Stone
Size and/or Scale of Building
76m x 22 m
Architectural Type
Religious
Formal Style
Nubian architecture
Building Description
The Kalabsha Temple is a large, sandstone complex that was once located at Bab la-Kalabsha, but was relocated in the 1960s to Aswan, Egypt. The temple is built on elevated ground and surrounded by high walls near Lake Nasser. The main entry point is a pylon gateway that leads directly into an open courtyard surrounded by a row of columns and doorways that lead to other halls. Movement in the temple is rather linear, as it features five interior spaces that proceed one after another. Smaller chambers can be found lining the inner passage and a chapel can be accessed using the outer one. Surfaces are decorated with carvings depicting deities, pharaohs, and other symbolic motifs which were colored with pigments that have now faded. The temple was dedicated to the Nubian god Mandulis and was commissioned by Augustus Caesar. Solidifying the monument not only as a place of religious devotion, but also as a sign of Roman authority with its massive scale and magnificence.
Names(s) and location(s) of the museum holding the object(s)
Museum Island, Berlin
Image source
Image 1: The_Temple_of_Kalabsha_by_Dennis_G._Jarvis
Image 2: Kalabsha_temple
Image 3: DSC07647_Kalabsha_Temple
Image 4:Temple of Gerf Hussein. stone, ca. 13th century BCE, portions of temple moved from original site to New Kalabsha ca. 1960s.
Image5:DSC07669_Antient_egiptian_sculpture_close_to_Kalabsha_temple
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Temple of Gerf Hussein. (ca. 13th century BCE, portions of temple moved from original site to New Kalabsha ca. 1960s). [Stone]. https://jstor.org/stable/community.8749678
Image 1: Creative Commons
Student First and Last Name
Sultana Rahim
Bibliographic references for the item
https://www.egypttoursportal.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Kalabsha
JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.8749678.
Collection
Citation
Augustus Caesar , “Temple of Kalabsha,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/44.
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