The Temple at Kalabsha

©Alberto G Rovira

©Dennis G Jarvis The Temple at Kalabsha

©Olaf Tausch

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/38- View of the Great Temple in its landscape, taken from the North East; Kalabsha; A.M. Linant de Bellefonds “This Temple at Kalapshé [Kalabsha], the largest of all those above the cataract, and inferior in extent only to those of the very first order in Egypt…

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/36- Panoramic view of the Great Temple; Kalabsha; W.J. Bankes

… is seen under the double disadvantage of having been originally left very incomplete in its details and decorations, and afterwards defaced and ruined with uncommon spite and violence.”

Extract from D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/15-16- Description of Kalabsha, written by William John Bankes.

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/32- View of the interior of the Great Temple, taken from the South East corner; Kalabsha; A.M. Linant de Bellefonds

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/41- View of the facade of the Hypostyle Hall; Kalabsha, Great Temple; W.H. Beechey or A.M. Linant de Bellefonds “It is remarkable that, dilapidated and imperfect as it is in its other parts, no temple in Egypt or Nubia can be compared with this for the magnificence and good preservation of this outermost circuit.” Extract from D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/15-16- Description of Kalabsha, written by William John Bankes.

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/40- View of the facade of the Hypostyle Hall; Kalabsha, Great Temple; W.H. Beechey;

“It may indeed at some time have been resorted to as a place of defence as it is still to this day by the peasantry against the arabs of the desert and have been dismantled and beat to pieces on that account”. Extract from D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/15-16- Description of Kalabsha, written by William John Bankes Outer Vestibule

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/3- Facade of the outer vestibule, with doorway; Kalabsha, Great Temple; A. Ricci?

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/7- Two registers of scenes; Kalabsha, Great Temple, Outer Vestibule, South wall; A. Ricci

“Wherever the sculpture and painting and architectural ornaments are finished about this building they have great delicacy and are finely executed. But even in the interior they are by no means complete many of the hieroglyphics being sketched only in red paint and the lines traced for the chizzel [chisel].”

Extract from D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/15-16- Description of Kalabsha by William John Bankes Inner Vestibule

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/8- Three registers of reliefs with hieroglyphic inscriptions; Kalabsha, Great Temple, Inner Vestibule, South wall; A. Ricci “The workmanship in the temples of Dakke, Dendoor and Tayfa, is very neat and minute; but the scale of them is inconsiderable; and they seem to have been left unfinished. That at Kalapshé [Kalabsha] is much larger, and has both sculpture and inscriptions, but is strangely beaten to pieces.”

Giovanni Finati, pp84-85

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/9- King offering incense to Osiris-Onnophris and Mandulis, with hieroglyphic inscriptions; Kalabsha, Great Temple, Inner Vestibule, South section of East wall Exterior Rear Wall and Sanctuary

D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/12- Relief with king offering incense to Isis, Horus, Mandulis; Kalabsha, Great Temple, exterior rear wall; A. Ricci D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/11- Three registers of reliefs with hieroglyphic inscriptions; Kalabsha, Great Temple, Sanctuary, South wall; A. Ricci “This small excavated temple (of the age of Sesostris) may be considered one of the best specimens existing of the early (the best) Egyptian sculpture.”

Giovanni Finati, p85 D-BKL/H/J/6/7/A/13- Relief with king presenting a long censer and pouring libation on altar in front of Osiris, Isis, Horus; Kalabsha, Great Temple, exterior rear wall; A. Ricci