Private visit to the Sphinx’s paws at dawn
Over the past few years, I’ve taken part in many private visits to temples and ancient pyramids in Egypt. You’d think it would be hard to surprise me by now
But Dendera managed to
The Temple of the Goddess Hathor I had visited before, but this was my first time at night and as a private visit
And I have to admit, this encounter exceeded all my expectations
Our visit began in the evening, from seven to nine o’clock
On the way to the temple we admired the sunset, and by the time we were inside the complex, night was already falling. It gradually grew dark, the first stars appeared in the sky, then the moon rose. And along with that darkness came a truly special feeling
Dendera is stunning even in daylight. It’s one of the best-preserved temples of Ancient Egypt. But at night everything looks different
There’s no stream of visitors, none of the usual noise. There is only the temple, the silence, and you, alone with this sacred energy
In moments like these you feel the temple differently. You start noticing details you never paid attention to during the day. And most importantly, you get the chance to simply stop and feel the place. Without rushing, without fuss, in complete silence.
Besides the main Temple of Hathor, we also visited the Temple of Isis - the place where, according to ancient tradition, the goddess Isis was born from the sky goddess Nut. We walked through the complex’s inner chambers, looked into the crypts, and even had the rare opportunity to enter the Gate of Cleopatra
The whole experience was amazing, but what stayed with me most of all was the silence.
That deep silence that exists only at night. And it was precisely that silence that gave the visit its special depth and magic
It seemed to me that at night Dendera reveals a completely different side of itself. More mysterious, more mystical, and more alive
Women’s tour of Egypt’s places of power
To obtain special permission to visit places like this, you need to apply in advance, ideally 2-3 weeks ahead of time
The cost of a private visit depends on the number of people and the city of departure - you can find out more in a personal message
The duration of a private visit to Dendera is 2 hours, at any time between 19:00 and 5:00