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Province · Upper Egypt
Qena
Qena, on the Nile bend: the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, with its zodiac ceiling and roof chapels, and the region’s water ceramics.
In the photo: The façade of the Temple of Hathor in the Dendera complex.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
The province
Get to know Qena
Qena is in Upper Egypt, on a large bend of the Nile north of Luxor. The capital, Qena, is a trading city on the east bank, and from there the road crosses the Eastern Desert to Safaga on the Red Sea.
On the west bank, opposite the city, lies Dendera, with the Temple of Hathor, goddess of love, music and joy. Built in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, it is among Egypt’s most complete temples, with its roof, stairways and crypts. The portico ceiling is covered with figures of the sky, and one roof chapel once held the Dendera zodiac, whose original is in Paris; a copy stands in its place.
On the temple walls, a relief shows Cleopatra and her son Caesarion before the gods. The enclosure also contains a sacred lake and birth houses.
Qena is known for porous clay jugs that keep water cool. Near Nag Hammadi, to the north, the Nag Hammadi codices—early Christian texts—were found in 1945.
When to go
From October to April the days are mild. From May to September highs often exceed 40 °C; Dendera’s temple has covered rooms, but the path to them is in the sun.
Getting there
Dendera is about 70 km from Luxor by car with a driver, and many visitors go on a half‑day tour or combine it with Abydos. Cairo–Luxor trains stop at Qena. The Qena–Safaga road links the governorate to the Red Sea.
Your questions
Frequently asked questions about Qena
How to get from Luxor to Dendera?
By car with a driver, about 70 km, in a little over an hour. In some seasons there are Nile boats from Luxor. A half‑day trip is enough for the temple.
What to see at the Temple of Dendera?
The portico with its ceiling of sky figures, the crypts, the stairways and the roof chapels with the copy of the zodiac, and the relief of Cleopatra and Caesarion on the rear wall.
Where is the original Dendera zodiac?
In the Musée du Louvre in Paris since the 19th century. A copy is in the temple’s roof chapel at Dendera.
Do Dendera and Abydos fit into the same day?
They do if you leave Luxor early with a driver: Dendera is about 70 km and Abydos about 170 km. It’s a long day, but it’s the most common way to see both temples.