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The Temples at Taffa
The temples of Taffa (Tefah) were built in Roman times. The southern of the two temples mentioned here was destroyed in the late 19th century. The remaining Northern temple of Taffa was presented to the people of the Netherlands by Egypt in appreciation of their assistance in the rescue of Nubian temples in the 1960's and is now located in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden.
And yes - more than one of our artists has moved a temple for the sake of his composition.
Taffa (Tafa) Temples
Excerpt from: Travels in Nubia
by John Lewis Burckhardt
Published in 1819.
March 29th, 1813.
We ascended the mountain which
interrupts the road along the shore. On its summit I saw fragments
of very small Egyptian columns and capitals,
lying near some Arab structures. I observed no ancient edifice near
them. At the end of
two hours travel northwards we again reached the banks of the river, at the village
of Taffa (Tafa or Tefah), close to the spot where the rock projects perpendicularly
into the water.
The Southern Temple at Taffa,
by David Roberts, 1838
Here are the ruins of two small temples: one of
them consists of an apartment ten paces square, the roof and one
side of which are in ruins; two columns are yet standing in it, two
feet in diameter, with the palm-leaf capitals. Adjoining this
apartment was the adytum, the foundations of which only remain. The
winged globe is over the entrance into the adytum; but I saw no
other sculptures, nor any hieroglyphics.
The Temple of Tafa,
by François Chrétien Gau, 1819
(L) Photograph by Maxime Du Camp, 1852,
(R) Drawing of both temples by Hector Horeau, 1841
Cutaway of the southern Temple at Taffa
by Francois Gau
Plan of the southern Temple at Taffa
by Francois Gau
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The Northern Temple at Taffa
now in the Netherlands
The Northern Temple at Taffa
by Francois Gau
The
other temple is a small square apartment, quite entire, with six
pillars in it, similar, in size and shape, to those just mentioned.
The winged globe over the gates is the only sculpture of any kind
about it. Around these two buildings are numerous remains of the
private dwellings of the ancient inhabitants, consisting of thick
and strongly built walls of stone; this material, from its greater
proximity, having been frequently used in Nubia instead of
bricks.
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The Temples of Taffa
excerpt from: Travels in Nubia
by John Lewis Burckhardt, published in 1819
Countless beautiful 19th century images of ancient Egypt
and 75 pages of architecture, art and mystery
are linked from the library page:
The Egyptian Secrets Library
