The temple, which measures around 450 feet in length and roughly 250 feet wide is perhaps the best-preserved in Egypt.

Egypt’s second-largest ancient temple is getting a facelift. For three years, experts have been carefully cleaning and restoring parts of the 2,000-year-old Temple of Edfu—and shedding new light on what the richly decorated house of worship looked like in its prime.

A joint archeological mission revealed the original colors of the Edfu Temple, as well as never-before-seen hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Hidden beneath layers of soot, dust and bird droppings were rare traces of colorful paintings and glimmering gold decorations. But now, the original artwork — which dates back thousands of years — has been revealed.

Archaeologists breathed new life into the ancient inscriptions of Egypt’s Edfu Temple. The ongoing restoration project revealed the temple’s original colors, as well as new insights into Egypt’s fascinating history and enduring visual culture.