Madrid is a vast, cosmopolitan and diverse city, one in which visitors delight in wandering through its many neighborhoods to discover surprises around every corner.
The capital of Spain holds secrets when you venture a bit beyond its bustling center and begin exploring its parks and hidden corners. If you know where to look, it won’t be hard to find the oldest building in Madrid.
The most surprising part is that it wasn’t even built in the city, yet it is still more than 2,200 years old.
Located very close to the Plaza de España, on the western side of the city, the Temple of Debod stands proudly in one of the most beautiful and distinctive parks in the Spanish capital.
A building far from its origins, it draws considerable attention from visitors and locals alike, and tells a very special story about Spain’s relationship with Egypt decades ago.
A Gift Brought Directly From Egypt
To find the true origin of this temple, we must go back to the second century B.C.
The Nubian king Adikhalamani decided to build a temple in honor of Isis and Amun, turning it into an important place of worship in Debod — a city that today lies beneath the waters of the Nile River.
Over the following centuries, various monarchs and pharaohs built additional buildings around the central chapel, which together formed the Temple of Debod complex.
Fast forward to 1961. The construction of the Aswan Dam was an urgent necessity for the Egyptian government, even though it would mean losing the land where the Temple of Debod stood, along with other Nubian monuments.
The decision was made to dismantle the temples, stone by stone, and relocate them to another city while discussions continued about their fate.
Egypt requested international assistance to carry out this mission, as the cost of dismantling and relocating the monuments was enormous. Several countries contributed financially to saving these monuments, but four made especially significant contributions: the United States, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
In gratitude, Egypt decided to give each of those four countries a temple. Thus, in 1972, a massive ship arrived at the port of Valencia carrying crates containing the stones of the Temple of Debod — 2,300 original pieces, plus a set of architectural drawings to guide the reconstruction. It was decided to place it in Madrid, on a small hill where the former Cuartel de la Montaña had once stood, south of the Parque del Oeste and right next to the Plaza de España.
An Iconic Monument of Madrid
The reconstruction was no simple task. The architectural drawings were not as helpful as expected, and although the pieces came labeled, not all were marked correctly.
It was like assembling a gigantic puzzle of history with hardly any instructions. The Spanish team in charge had to try several configurations before settling on the temple’s final arrangement, while preserving, for the most part, its original aesthetic.
Thus, in July 1972, the Temple of Debod opened its doors to the public as one of the most exotic and striking monuments in all of Madrid.
It also became the oldest building in the capital, despite having been originally built thousands of miles away. That hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the most beloved spots among Madrileños today and a must-see for tourists.
Since admission is free, there is no excuse not to come and admire this piece of Egyptian history in the heart of Madrid.
The temple has undergone restorations during its time in the Spanish capital. Beautiful gardens have been created and maintained around it, and in many cases, they serve as a gathering place for locals.
Nighttime shots of the illuminated temple have become some of the most iconic images visitors take home from Madrid — after all, not every city can boast a building of this kind in nearly perfect condition.
