The Kiosk of Qertassi in New Kalabsha

In New Kalabsha stands the Kiosk of Qertassi, a small but elegant Roman structure. Originally located at the entrance to the sandstone quarries of Qertassi, the building dates to the Augustan or early Roman period and is probably contemporary with Trajan's Kiosk at Philae.

The structure is only twenty-five feet square and consists of a single Hathor court oriented north or south. It originally was surrounded by fourteen columns connected by screen walls, though only six pillars remain in place. These columns were made of brown sandstone and featured capitals decorated with Hathor heads in honour of the goddess who was the patron of quarry-men and miners.

Because Hathor was often associated with Isis, it has been suggested that this kiosk and the small temples of Dabod and Dendur were way stations on a processional route taken by priests bearing the image of Isis. The kiosk was perhaps connected to a small temple on the East Bank of the Nile that still existed in 1813. Due to a lack of timber in the region, the roof was constructed with sandstone slabs supported by architraves on its long sides.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons