Combine a morning in Dendara where you can visit the Temple of Hathor, before continuing for an afternoon of sightseeing in Abydos, home to "The Cult of Osiris" . It is a place where most ancient Egyptians would have made a pilgrimage to at least once in their lifetime.
The approach path to the Temple of Hathor is between two Roman fountains that end at the massive entry gate. Hathor was the goddess of pleasure and love and was generally shown as a cow, or woman with a cow's head.
The enclosure walls are mud-brick and date to the Roman era. Within the walls are the temple, two birth houses, a Coptic Basilica, a sanitarium, a sacred lake and the Temple of the Birth of Isis. The temple has a long history with evidence that Pepi I (Old Kingdom) rebuilt the temple, while other texts refer to reconditioning by Thutmose III, Amenhotep III and Rameses II and III (New Kingdom). Additions were made during the Greek, Roman and Ptolemy periods.
Abydos in Middle Egypt is an ancient holy place and burial ground of the rulers of the late prehistoric proto-kingdom, as well as the first attested kings of the politically unified Egyptian state.
Buildings constituting the settlement area in northern Abydos dating back to Predynastic times have been found around Kom es-Sultan, while recent excavators have found an Old Kingdom residential area to the south-east which contains a street of mudbrick houses with courtyards and a faience workshop with its kilns.
Abydos is home to "The Cult of Osiris", the god of the dead. It is said the head of Osiris was buried at the site after he was murdered by his brother.
This is a private tour allowing you to determine the amount of time spent at each of the sites during the tour.
I highly recommend going to Dendara and Abydos for anyone going to Luxor and have a day to spare. The colours of the paintings in the Dendara temple are amazing and for me it was the highlight here, Abydos is also great yet not as awe-inspiring, but still in better shape than most ancient remains around Luxor. The temples are relatively well preserved considering being over 3000 and 2000 years respectively, and having served as monasteries, churches etc, and there were only 10-20 other tourists there at the same time as us. The tour guide Mr Ahmed was very knowledgable, friendly and flexible. The journey along the Nile was quite arduos, going at a slow speed because of all the bumps at the intersections, but there's not much that can be done about that. Bring some snacks and water and perhaps something to read if you don't want to look at miles and miles of farmland and villages.
Review by: Teresa, March 2016
Fantastic! Our guide Yolanda and the car driver Nobel made our vacation run so smoothly. Yolanda used English / American word association with a little story which help us remember how to correctly pronounce the names of the Kings and Queens. She gave us a first class tour. I highly recommend her.
Review by: jwat20n, December 2013
Osiris Temple @ Abydos and Dendara temples are a hidden gem, not commonly visited the history and colors in both temples were fascinating. Make the effort you won't be disappointed!!
Review by: James D, September 2012
A long journey but worth it,quite stunning
Review by: brewmc, August 2012
This was a fantastic trip. We were picked up on time, and the guide and driver were excellent. I would have no hesitation in recommending this trip. South Sinai Travel were extremely good, and next time I go to Egypt I want them to take care of all my travel arrangements.
Review by: Michael W, April 2012
A long day in the car from Cairo but worth seeing if it is your one and only trip to Egypt.
Review by: Brad F, April 2012
Outstanding! We were provided a personal driver and an English speaking tour guide for the all day excursion. They arrived promptly on time at our hotel and were very friendly and courteous. It is a long drive and they ensured we were comfortable. The guide's narrative about the sites as well as Egypt in general was very informative. The driver was very professional and safe. I would definitely recommend this tour.
Review by: CEILA P, August 2011
This sites are amassing!!! But again you need a good tour guide that is proactive and shows you all the hiding treasures!!!
Review by: Alvin M, June 2011
Worth doing, Dendara and Abydos. A good drive(distance) to and from. As the guide book says these two are in better shape than most temples and offer some fantastic viewing. only thing is you only have so much time at each one because of time constraints. One would like to take time and just look around at these. The guide was knowledgeable and offered good information. The trip to and from also allows one to see parts of rural Egypt you might not see otherwise. Some Egyptian driving at times on the part of the driver. Heads up on that.
Review by: Jerome S, May 2011
The young gentleman who was my guide did an excellent job and I would like you to thank him again for me. Abdos and Dendara was a lifetime dream that he helped to fulfill.
Review by: Robert S, November 2010
Well worth the trip excellent guide and driver
Review by: Alvin M, October 2010
Worth doing, Dendara and Abydos. A good drive(distance) to and from. As the guide book says these two are in better shape than most temples and offer some fantastic viewing. only thing is you only have so much time at each one because of time constraints. One would like to take time and just look around at these. The guide was knowledgeable and offered good information. The trip to and from also allows one to see parts of rural Egypt you might not see otherwise. Some Egyptian driving at times on the part of the driver. Heads up on that.
Review by: Robert S, September 2010
Well worth the trip excellent guide and driver
Review by: Thomas G, United States of America, April 2010
This is a must do, was great tour.
Review by: Winifred R, February 2010
Superb service - highly professional.
Review by: Winifred R, United States of America, November 2009
Superb service - highly professional.
Review by: William Z, May 2009
Picked up early in the morning by our guide. Long drive, but beautiful countryside and easy to sleep along the way. Well worth the trip, however, since very different from other sites in Egypt. Abydos is incredibly preserved, great hypostyle columns, and wonderful reliefs. Dendara was being conserved as we arrived, shows great potential, with lots of great areas. Roof view was incredible. After Karnak, Luxor, Valley, Giza, and Sakkara, this helped to round our our understanding and conceptualization of Egypt. Highly recommended.
Review by: Gillian R, May 2009
Fantastic tour. Both guide and driver made it a wonderful trip Abydos was a dream. Dendara was equally special but as it was a holiday for the local children, we were followed by large numbers of children - most of whom were lovely.
Review by: William Z, United States of America, April 2009
Picked up early in the morning by our guide. Long drive, but beautiful countryside and easy to sleep along the way. Well worth the trip, however, since very different from other sites in Egypt. Abydos is incredibly preserved, great hypostyle columns, and wonderful reliefs. Dendara was being conserved as we arrived, shows great potential, with lots of great areas. Roof view was incredible. After Karnak, Luxor, Valley, Giza, and Sakkara, this helped to round our our understanding and conceptualization of Egypt. Highly recommended.
Review by: Gillian R, United Kingdom, December 2008
Fantastic tour. Both guide and driver made it a wonderful trip Abydos was a dream. Dendara was equally special but as it was a holiday for the local children, we were followed by large numbers of children - most of whom were lovely.
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