Dendera Temple Colouring

The Temple of Dendera stands near Qena in Egypt, on the western side of the Nile. It was the main sacred place of Hathor, an ancient Egyptian goddess linked with music, joy, dance, motherhood and the sky. The large temple that visitors see today belongs mainly to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, although evidence shows that much older buildings once stood at Dendera, perhaps as early as the reign of Pepy I in the Old Kingdom. This long history means the site was important to many generations. Dendera is one of Egypt's best-preserved temple complexes. Its famous entrance has six enormous columns crowned with faces of Hathor. The shapes beside her face resemble a sistrum, a musical instrument used in worship. Inside are halls, chapels, stairways, roof spaces and small crypts. The ceilings carry remarkable astronomical pictures, including stars, planets and figures connected with the ancient calendar. The stone walls were once painted in bright colours, so the temple would not have looked plain when it was new. Archaeologists and conservators carefully study and clean the surviving decoration today. This colouring picture gives the temple a bold, simple facade so young artists can recognise the Hathor capitals. Start with warm sandstone shades such as cream, pale gold, beige or soft ochre. Colour the spaces between the blocks a slightly darker tan, but keep the broad walls light. The Hathor faces can be peach, brown or golden, with blue, green and red details around the hair and headdress. Try long vertical strokes on the column shafts and short curved strokes on the capitals. Make the palm leaves green, the small flowers pink, orange, purple or yellow, and the sun a cheerful gold. The water lines at the bottom can be pale blue or turquoise. You may add tiny bands of red and blue along the roof edge to imagine the temple's lost paint. Leave a little white around carved lines so every feature stays clear, and keep the open sky light so the massive doorway and columns remain the main lesson on the page.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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Make it an activity

Choose a favourite colour palette
Add a simple background
Display the finished artwork

Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.