Dush Temple is an important landmark in Kharga Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert.
The temple dates back to the Roman era, especially the reign of emperors Domitian, Hadrian and Trajan.
It is located inside the remains of a four-story archaeological fortress, around 13 kilometres away from the city of Paris and about 113 kilometres away from the city of Kharga.
The area where the temple is located is the junction of the Oasis routes connecting the Paris oasis with Sudan, Esna and Luxor.
Dush Temple is a sandstone building, while the fortress, the fence, and the additional and auxiliary buildings around it are built of mud bricks.
It is located on one axis, running from north to south. The building’s oldest part is known as the ‘Holy of Holies’. It was constructed during the reign of Emperor Domitian. Emperor Hadrian carved inscriptions for the walls of the temple.
The temple also contains most of the scenes of Egyptian idols that highlight the emperor’s various offerings to the temple owners, which were made to please the priests and the people of the oases.
The Temple of Dush is similar in its design and architecture to the temples that were built in ancient Egypt, especially when it comes to the presence of gates followed by halls that include columns on three rows that lead to the Holy of Holies.
At the end of the halls there is a ladder leading up to the top floor of the temple. On the first main gate of the temple there is the foundational text from the era of Emperor Trajan.
The text mentions the name of the military governor of the region at the time, and the time of construction, an indication of the Romans’ control over the region in the old days, where the oasis area was made up of garrisons that belonged to the Roman Empire.
Dush Temple is located near another important area, known as Ain Manawer. It contains a temple dedicated to the idol Amun Ra, the chief of Egyptian gods.
The treasures of Dush were discovered in this area and were transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. These treasures included a wreath, bracelets and a gold necklace.
Around 212 gold ingots of different shapes and sizes were also found in the area. They were restored and assembled at the museum’s restoration laboratory, making two necklaces which weighed 275.58 grams of pure gold.
The ingots had several ancient gods inscribed on them.
Kharga city is part of the New Valley Governorate. It is an environmentally friendly city that boasts a large number of archaeological and tourist sites.
The city is an ideal place for eco-tourism, containing picturesque natural features.
The city also has hotels and tourist facilities built with distinctive materials. These facilities suit tourists with all budgets.
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