Temple of Taffeh

History

The Temple of Taffeh, constructed from sandstone, dates to the period between 25 BCE and 14 CE under Roman emperor Augustus. It was situated within the Roman fortress called Taphis, with dimensions of 6.5 by 8 meters. The north temple features two front columns made of square pillars, each with engaged columns on all four sides. Inside, the rear wall contains a niche for a statue. In 1960, UNESCO issued an international appeal to save Nubian monuments and archaeological sites, including the temple of Abu Simbel, from the rising waters of the Aswan High Dam’s reservoir. In recognition of significant responses to this plea, Egypt gifted several monuments to countries like the Netherlands. Dutch Egyptologist Adolf Klasens, then director of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, helped arrange the agreement that gave the temple to the museum. The structure consists of 657 blocks, weighing about 250 tons. It arrived in the Netherlands in 1979 and was reassembled in a newly built museum wing. This wing was designed to protect the stone from Dutch weather, allow natural light to illuminate the temple, and let visitors see it before paying admission. Only a minimal number of damaged stones were replaced. Carved into the walls are a Greek inscription and a Christian cross.