The Temple of Dush in the Western Desert - Dedicated to Osiris Isis & Horus, its inner walls were covered in Gold.

Our Guide Ibrahim took us to the temple of Dush deep in the sahara desert, that was once the area of a Roman garrison. The Energy within the temple was wonderful, the desert winds lifted the sand eroding and cleansing us. We had a wonderful meditation within the temple and then Ibrahim expalined the history to us.

The temple is dedicated to Osris Isis and their son Horus. The Romans, embraced and accepted these three ancient Egyptian Gods, because Osiris like Jesus was reborn, Isis like mary, had to protect and hide her child horus from Set who would kill him, Osiris promised the Romans something that no Roman God offered them, life after death, rebirth, to the lands of Aleysia, if they passed his judjment, and proved they had led a worthwhile life.




The temple was build by Domitian between 81 and 96 AD. Trajon also added to it in 117 AD and Hadrian also added to the temple. It is believed that the inner room of the temple walls were partly believed to have been coverd in gold. The temple comprises several areas including two courts, a small hypothyle hall with only four coloms and a sanctuary. Full of inscriptions tot the Roman emperors Hadrian and Trajon. The gateway was also used by 19 century travellers, who added their own names to the gateway.

Numerous artifacts have been unearthed in and around the temple area including pottery, coins, ostraca and jewelry. Among the most interessing of these finds have been letters, receipts, garrison lists and bills.

In 1989 during a French excavation of the temple, archaeologists discovered a magnificent collection of artefacts, now known as the ‘Dush Treasure’ which is now in the Cairo Egyptian Museum.

They first uncovered a linen-wrapped gilded statuette of Isis, a small bronze figure of Horus dressed as a Roman legionary, and a bronze figure of Osiris. Nearby, a large loose-lidded pottery jar which had been concealed by masonry, was found to contain a hoard of magnificent gold religious jewellery and ex-votos objects. These precious items had obviously been gathered together for safety and hidden in the jar during the 4th to 5th centuries AD. The religious treasure was of the highest quality craftsmanship and included a golden crown depicting the Roman god Serapis as well as bracelets and pendants of gold and semi-precious stones.

This temple is about 300 km west of Luxor and about 90 km south of Kharga.The remains of the once-thriving town of Kysis are scattered over the hillside around the fortress,and temple together with its associated cemeteries on the northern and western sides. The Roman cemetery,has undecorated tombs,a Christian church was also here, the town was probably abandoned when its wells dried up, some time after the fourth century AD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld7FTvwpEcU