It’s a long story, but we’ll keep it short. In 1960, UNESCO put out a call for international help to save ancient monuments that were about to be flooded by the construction of the Aswan High Dam on the river Nile. Spain played a major role in saving the temples of Abu Simbel and as a thank you, Egypt gave the country a complete 2nd century BC temple.

Painstakingly dismantled and shipped by boat and train to Madrid before being lovingly restored, the Templo de Debod is dedicated to the great god Amun, and now sits in one of Madrid’s most beautiful green spaces, the Parque del Oeste. Laid out as it was in Egypt, from east to west, and surrounded by a shallow pool of crystal clear water, two tall gateways lead to the colonnaded porch of the temple and its walls of mysterious hieroglyphics.

The unique site – one of the few complete temples of its kind outside Egypt, and the only one in Spain – is best visited at dusk, when the sun sets over the distant Guadarrama mountains and the scent of roses drifts up from the gardens below. Wait for the floodlights to switch on and the ancient stones to reflect in the water, and it’s easy to imagine yourself back in the world of the pharaohs.

But you’re also a short walk away from reality, for when you step out of the park and cross the Calle Ferraz you’re soon back amongst the clubs, restaurants and tapas bars of the Malasaña district, where a different face of this incredible city is waiting to be explored.