Temple de Debod started life in Egypt in the 2nd century BC. Over the years it was extended by various kings and Roman invaders, before being sealed and abandoned as religion changed from Egyptian gods to Christianity in the 6th century AD. Fast forward to 1960, and following the construction of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt, several temples were now at risk of being flooded. UNESCO stepped in to save some of them, and on that list: Temple de Debod. As a thanks to Spain for their help in saving other temples, Egypt donated the Temple to them.
In 1968, the move was made.

Just a short walk from the Royal Palace in Madrid, Parque del Oeste was chosen to be the new home of the temple. Temple de Debod was rebuilt in the square, and although some argue the gateways are in a different order than originally, it is the only piece of Egyptian architecture that can be seen in Spain.
These days, you can walk around the outside of the temple at your leisure. The path under the stone gateways is open when the temple interior is, and although both are free to visit, the interior might have a queue as, unsurprisingly, there’s only so much space inside an old Egyptian temple.
Not only is there a huge amount of history with the temple, and the fact it’s the only Egyptian architecture in Spain, but one of the highlights of a visit here is the sunset. As the sun sets over the mountains in the distance, the viewpoint behind Temple de Debod fills up with people coming to watch the sky change and the sun dip down behind the mountain range. As darkness falls, the temple is lit up and looks stunning. To get the most out of your visit, I’d recommend coming at the end of the day to be able to see the detail of the building in the daylight, watch the sunset and then soak up the beauty of the temple illuminated at night.

8 Comments
Happy Panda
January 17, 2021 at 9:27 amI went when there was no water in the fountains and felt sort of disappointed since it looked prettier with the water. But the night view is definitely worth it. 😊
Becks
January 17, 2021 at 9:30 amOh yeah I bet it would look super pretty with water, especially at night with the lights reflecting off. Did you go inside?
Happy Panda
January 17, 2021 at 9:41 amNo!! Unfor it was shut for renovations. 😔
Rebecca
January 17, 2021 at 11:41 pmI was especially excited to check it out, but when I went in June 2019, it was kind of a disappointment as there was no water. But considering I’ve never been to Egypt, this piece of the country in Spain makes it an interesting visit all the same!
Becks
January 18, 2021 at 12:14 amI think I was lucky that I just kind of stumbled upon it, so it wasn’t until after that I looked it up online that I realised it’d be really cool with the water in 😂 did you manage to catch a sunset there?
Rebecca
January 18, 2021 at 1:36 amI went in the afternoon, so no sunset! I imagine it must look stunning, though.
Juliette
January 30, 2021 at 1:53 pmI had no idea you could see Egyptian architecture in Spain! I would love to check it out if I have the chance to go there some day 😊
Becks
January 30, 2021 at 11:23 pmI had no idea either to be honest, I just stumbled upon it and after looking it up online was chuffed to have found it!