Templo de Debod

This gem is actually from Egypt and was given as a gift to the Spanish government in 1968 as a thank you for helping Egypt rescue ancient monuments from flooding in the Nile River. It was originally built in the 2nd century BC, which makes it the oldest monument in Madrid! Now, how did it make the journey all the way to Madrid? Workers carefully deconstructed and packaged every piece, sent them to Valencia by boat, and then shipped them by train to Madrid. It took a few more years to rebuild the temple, and they reconstructed it on top of an old Civil War military base. Quick note about the military base-when Franco was approaching Madrid at the start of the Spanish Civil War the people of Madrid desperately stormed the base in order to arm themselves…and ultimately they failed. However, nowadays it is a beautiful place to watch the sun set or to walk around the Parque del Oeste that surrounds it.