Dendera (Egypt)

The site at Dendera is magnificent thanks to its imposing temple, which is almost intact. I was fascinated by this building, with its crypts, its spiral staircases decorated with hieroglyphics, its monumental columns and its massive stone roof. I recommend that you visit the outer hypostyle hall, built by the Roman Emperor Tiberius: an incredibly beautiful place with its lovely stone columns, which bear a sculpture of the head of the goddess Hathor on their four sides.

From the offering hall, take the time to visit the sanctuary, the most sacred part of the temple, which houses a statue of Hathor and the west staircase, which is richly decorated with mythological scenes. Opposite the temple of Hathor lies the temple of Isis, built by the Emperor Augustus (to the south) and the Mammisi ("birth centres", in Coptic) to the north of the temple of Hathor, both also worth the detour.