The Temple of Derr or el-Derr is a speos or rock-cut Egyptian temple, now located in New Amada in Lower Nubia. It was built during the 19th dynasty by Pharaoh Ramesses II.Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, Blackwell Books, 1992. p.259 It is the only rock-cut temple in Nubia, which was constructed by this pharaoh on the right (or east) bank of the Nile and used to stand at el-Derr.John Baines and Jaromír Málek, Atlas of Ancient Egypt, Facts on File Publications New York, 1982. p.183 The temple's unique position "was probably because the river on its approach to the Korosko bend flows in an 'unnatural' southeasterly direction".Baines and Málek, p. 183 The Derr structure was known in ancient times as 'The Temple of Ri'amsese-meryamun [Ramesses II] in the Domain of ReBaines and Málek, p.183 and was dedicated to the god Ra-Horakhty.Rosalie David, Discovering Ancient Egypt, Facts on File, 1993. p.104 Scholars disagree over its precise construction date: the French Egyptologist Nicolas Grimal states that it was built in the thirtieth year of Ramesses II, presumably to coincide with his first royal jubilee.Grimal, p.259 John Baines and Jaromír Málek also write that the temple of Derr "was built in the second half of the king's reign", likely because its "plan and decoration resembles the Great Temple of Abu Simbel (minus the colossal seated statues against the facade)".Baines and Málek, p. 183 Abu Simbel was built between Year 24 and Year 31 of Ramesses' reign.Grimal, p.260 According to Joyce Tyldesley, the Temple of Derr was built by Setau, who is known to have served as Ramesses' Viceroy of Kush or Nubia between Year 38 to 63 of this pharaoh's reign.Joyce Tyldesley, Ramesses: Egypt's Greatest Pharaoh, Penguin Books, 2001 paperback, pp.104 & 167
It was relocated as part of the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia.
Description
The temple of Derr is more elaborate than the speos of Beit el-Wali and "consisted of a sequence of two hypostyle halls (probably preceded by a forecourt and a pylon) leading to a triple sanctuary where a cult of statues of Ramesses II, Amon-Re, Ra-Horakhty and Ptah was celebrated."Grimal, p.259
When cleaned and restored in modern times, Derr proved to contain unusually bright and vivid relief decorations which contrasted sharply "with the more subdued color tones" from other Egyptian temples.Baines and Málek, p.183
In 1964, the temple was dismantled and relocated, as part of the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, along with the Temple of Amada, to a new site.David, p.104Christine Hobson, Exploring the World of the Pharaohs: A complete guide to Ancient Egypt, Thames & Hudson 1993 paperback, p.177 Early travellers visited the original site, and the temple itself was first studied and published by Aylward BlackmanDavid, p.104 in 1913.Aylward M. Blackman, The Temple of Derr, (Cairo 1913)
See also List of ancient Egyptian sites, including sites of temples
References
External links Temple de Derr Egypte Eternelle