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European Heritage Days 2026: the story of Ellesiya and the Nubian temples
info@museitorino.it
011 44 06 903
From Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
On the occasion of the European Heritage Days 2026 (September 26–27), the Museo Egizio is dedicating a special story to the history of the Temple of Ellesiya, connecting it to that of three other Nubian temples now preserved in various European and American museums: Debod in Madrid, Taffeh in Leiden, and Dendur in New York.
Today, these monuments are located in different places, but they share a common history: that of the international campaign for the safeguard of Nubian monuments, launched by UNESCO in 1960 to protect temples and archaeological sites threatened by submersion following the construction of the Aswan Dam.
It is this story that the Museo Egizio, together with the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden and the City of Madrid, wishes to tell on the occasion of the 2026 edition of the European Heritage Days, dedicated to the theme "Protecting Heritage. Renewing, Resisting, Reinventing."
The Rescue of the Nubian Temples
The Aswan Dam, built between 1959 and 1970 during Nasser's government, was a major engineering project that made it possible to control the flooding of the Nile, improving agriculture and increasing energy production in Egypt and Sudan.
However, its construction also had a profound social and cultural impact. The creation of Lake Nasser forced approximately 90,000 residents to leave their homes and threatened the monuments of Nubia. To save them, essential archaeological sites such as the temples of Abu Simbel and Philae were relocated.
For this very reason, in 1959, Egypt and Sudan asked UNESCO to contribute to the preservation of this heritage. The following year, the International Campaign for the Saving of the Monuments of Nubia was launched.
The initiative led to the creation of national committees composed of experts from over 30 countries who engaged in a true race against time: archaeological sites were documented, thousands of artifacts were recovered, and numerous temples were secured—dismantled, moved, and faithfully reconstructed in locations beyond the reach of the waters.
To express gratitude to the nations most actively involved, Egypt presented four temples as gifts: Debod to Spain, Taffeh to the Netherlands, Dendur to the United States, and Ellesiya to Italy.
Concluded in 1980, the initiative is still recognized today as one of the most extraordinary demonstrations of international cooperation for the preservation of cultural heritage.
The Temple of Ellesiya at the Museo Egizio
In 1966, the Rock Chapel of Ellesiya—the oldest rock-cut temple in Nubia—arrived in Turin.
The Egyptian government decided to donate the temple to Italy as a token of gratitude for the country's participation in the rescue operation. After a complex transportation and reconstruction process inside the Museo Egizio, the monument was presented in Turin in the presence of Italian and Egyptian authorities in the autumn of 1970.
In 2023, the chapel underwent its most recent restoration project, involving the cleaning and consolidation of its surfaces carried out by the Centro Conservazione e Restauro La Venaria Reale.
In November 2024, on the occasion of the bicentennial of the museum's opening, the Museo Egizio inaugurated the new layout of the monument. It can now be experienced through a new multimedia exhibition project that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the history and original context of the temple.
The exhibition tells the story of the chapel and its transfer to Turin, helping visitors learn about the Nubian region, the carved decorations on the internal walls, and the facades of the chapel. Inside the chapel, new graphic displays facilitate the reading of the carved reliefs, guiding the public through an immersive and self-guided visit. Furthermore, a geographical and chronological overview provides additional insight into its location, period of creation, and the reasons behind its construction.
Find out more about the Temple of Ellesiya. Episode 01 - The Rock Chapel of Ellesiya and the Aswan High Dam - YouTube
A Polyphonic Story
The European Heritage Days, dedicated this year to heritage protection, offer us the opportunity to revisit the history of the rescue of the Nubian temples and turn it into a polyphonic story created by the European institutions housing these monuments: the Museo Egizio (Turin), the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (Leiden), and the City of Madrid.
We will therefore present a digital marathon that you can follow on the Museum's social media channels. Through shared daily publications, each institution will tell—in its own language with English subtitles—the story of the Rock Chapel of Ellesiya in Turin (September 26), that of the Temple of Debod in Madrid (September 27), and that of the Temple of Taffeh (September 28).
The Chapel of Ellesiya is accessible to the public free of charge, with an independent entrance on Via Duse. Book your visit HERE.
Today, these monuments are located in different places, but they share a common history: that of the international campaign for the safeguard of Nubian monuments, launched by UNESCO in 1960 to protect temples and archaeological sites threatened by submersion following the construction of the Aswan Dam.
It is this story that the Museo Egizio, together with the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden and the City of Madrid, wishes to tell on the occasion of the 2026 edition of the European Heritage Days, dedicated to the theme "Protecting Heritage. Renewing, Resisting, Reinventing."
The Rescue of the Nubian Temples
The Aswan Dam, built between 1959 and 1970 during Nasser's government, was a major engineering project that made it possible to control the flooding of the Nile, improving agriculture and increasing energy production in Egypt and Sudan.
However, its construction also had a profound social and cultural impact. The creation of Lake Nasser forced approximately 90,000 residents to leave their homes and threatened the monuments of Nubia. To save them, essential archaeological sites such as the temples of Abu Simbel and Philae were relocated.
For this very reason, in 1959, Egypt and Sudan asked UNESCO to contribute to the preservation of this heritage. The following year, the International Campaign for the Saving of the Monuments of Nubia was launched.
The initiative led to the creation of national committees composed of experts from over 30 countries who engaged in a true race against time: archaeological sites were documented, thousands of artifacts were recovered, and numerous temples were secured—dismantled, moved, and faithfully reconstructed in locations beyond the reach of the waters.
To express gratitude to the nations most actively involved, Egypt presented four temples as gifts: Debod to Spain, Taffeh to the Netherlands, Dendur to the United States, and Ellesiya to Italy.
Concluded in 1980, the initiative is still recognized today as one of the most extraordinary demonstrations of international cooperation for the preservation of cultural heritage.
The Temple of Ellesiya at the Museo Egizio
In 1966, the Rock Chapel of Ellesiya—the oldest rock-cut temple in Nubia—arrived in Turin.
The Egyptian government decided to donate the temple to Italy as a token of gratitude for the country's participation in the rescue operation. After a complex transportation and reconstruction process inside the Museo Egizio, the monument was presented in Turin in the presence of Italian and Egyptian authorities in the autumn of 1970.
In 2023, the chapel underwent its most recent restoration project, involving the cleaning and consolidation of its surfaces carried out by the Centro Conservazione e Restauro La Venaria Reale.
In November 2024, on the occasion of the bicentennial of the museum's opening, the Museo Egizio inaugurated the new layout of the monument. It can now be experienced through a new multimedia exhibition project that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the history and original context of the temple.
The exhibition tells the story of the chapel and its transfer to Turin, helping visitors learn about the Nubian region, the carved decorations on the internal walls, and the facades of the chapel. Inside the chapel, new graphic displays facilitate the reading of the carved reliefs, guiding the public through an immersive and self-guided visit. Furthermore, a geographical and chronological overview provides additional insight into its location, period of creation, and the reasons behind its construction.
Find out more about the Temple of Ellesiya. Episode 01 - The Rock Chapel of Ellesiya and the Aswan High Dam - YouTube
A Polyphonic Story
The European Heritage Days, dedicated this year to heritage protection, offer us the opportunity to revisit the history of the rescue of the Nubian temples and turn it into a polyphonic story created by the European institutions housing these monuments: the Museo Egizio (Turin), the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (Leiden), and the City of Madrid.
We will therefore present a digital marathon that you can follow on the Museum's social media channels. Through shared daily publications, each institution will tell—in its own language with English subtitles—the story of the Rock Chapel of Ellesiya in Turin (September 26), that of the Temple of Debod in Madrid (September 27), and that of the Temple of Taffeh (September 28).
The Chapel of Ellesiya is accessible to the public free of charge, with an independent entrance on Via Duse. Book your visit HERE.
info@museitorino.it
011 44 06 903
From Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
