The temple was erected very far from Madrid around 200 BC. by King Adikhalamani of Meroe in the Nubian village of Debod, on the banks of the Nile. The area was one of the natural limits of ancient Egypt, a rich region that supplied the Egyptians with gold and other products. According to the inscriptions of the temple, which are still preserved, the building was initially dedicated to Amun. Yet, later, in the Ptolemaic period, a new room was created for the veneration of Isis. The temple was revamped during the Roman times by the emperors Augustus and Tiberius, who enlarged it adding a portico. Yet its glorious days would soon be over... A few centuries later, when Christianity had spread across the Roman Empire, Emperor Justinian issued a decree ordering the closure of all Egyptian temples, including Debod. However, the temple never ceased to attract travelers and visitors - nomads, pagan pilgrims, even Christians and Muslims, would stop by to admire its beauty.