Gate of the temple of Kalabsha
Roman Period, ca. 20 A.D.
Nubian sandstone
Height 6,90 m
Kalabsha
Present of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the German government
Many temples were saved in 1963 from the floods of the Aswan Dam through an action initiated by the
UNESCO.
In some cases temple were disassembled block by block, and reassembled in a higher location. During this salvage work German engineers and archaeologist discovered ca. 100 decorated blocks in the foundation of the Kalabsha temple. These proved to be part of a monumental gateway to the temple which had been removed for unknown reasons only a few years after its erection and the blocks reused in the forecourt of the temple. The blocks decorated in relief show the emperor Augustus ( who also build the rest of the temple) in Pharaonic garb in front of Egyptian gods.
Ten years after their discovery the Egyptian government gave the blocks to Germany where they were assembled and exhibited in the Egyptian Museum in Charlottenburg. The gate remains in Charlottenburg even after the closure of the Museum and its move to the Old Museum. It will be able to be seen from the middle of 2008 when the house in Charlottenburg reopens as the new Scharf-Gerstenberg Museum.
The final move of the Kalabsha gate to the Museum island will have to wait until the completion of the reconstruction works in ca. 0 years.