Archaeological Sites in Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt
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2.1 Deir al-Hagar Temple
It is one of the most important temples in Dakhla, located about 47 km west of Mut.
It dates back to the era of the Roman Emperors (Emperor Nero 54–68 CE). It is
decorated with sandstone, and pictures and inscriptions on its walls representing the
Pharaonic Creed. It was built to worship the God Amun. It was called a stag meaning
“the Land of the Moon”. The site is surrounded by a wall designed to protect it from
the sand dune encroachments (Zaghloul 1999).
The temple consists of a two-column court and a court of Hepostil with four
columns, a vestibule and a sanctuary. Each column (Fig. 2) is located in the Hippostyle
Hall with inscriptions belonging to Emperor Titus. There are some interesting basic
inscriptions representing religious life. The effects of the painting are visible with
some Coptic writings, a clear indication that the temple was later used as a church
(Figs. 2 and 3).
Fig. 2 Plan of the Deir al-Hagar Temple (Kaper and Klaas1999)
Fig. 3 a and b General view of the temple Taken by the author