Amada Temples

Amada is the oldest surviving temple in Nubia, begun by Thutmose III around 1450 BC, on the east shore of Lake Nasser about 180 km south of Aswan. You reach it on a Lake Nasser cruise, and entry is included in the cruise package.

The small Temple of Amada is the oldest temple still standing in Nubia. Thutmose III began it around 1450 BC and Amenhotep II completed it. It is also the best preserved, because sand covered and protected it for most of its existence, so its reliefs keep remarkably fresh colour. It is dedicated to Amun-Ra and Re-Horakhty, and the inner sanctuary still shows deep reds and turquoise. A well-known inscription on the rear wall records Amenhotep II's harsh campaign in the Levant.

A short walk away are two more monuments moved here to escape the rising waters of Lake Nasser:

• The Temple of Derr, a rock-cut sanctuary of Ramses II painted with scenes of his Nubian wars
• The Tomb of Pennut, a small, finely decorated rock-cut tomb of a New Kingdom official in Nubia

All three were relocated in the 1960s. For Amada, engineers used an unusual solution: they set the temple on rails and slid it 2.6 km without dismantling it, to keep the wall colours intact.

What to see

• Temple of Amada, Nubia's earliest temple, with vivid colour
• Temple of Derr, Ramses II's rock-cut shrine
• Tomb of Pennut, a beautiful tomb of a local official
• The relocation story of the temple that moved in one piece

Visiting

• Opening hours: tied to Lake Nasser cruise schedules
• Tickets: included in cruise packages
• Best time: the October–April cruise season
• Nearby: Wadi al-Sebua, Abu Simbel