The 1,356 stone blocks that had been brought from Egypt were placed in concentric circles at the site of the Cuartel de la Montaña barracks, where they waited to be reassembled. But before that it was necessary to do some groundwork, demolishing some parts of the old barracks and laying the foundation for the monument. Stone blocks in the Cuartel de la Montaña The temple was erected in two phases. The first phase started in October 1970 and involved the restoration and assembly of the original blocks and the two gateways of the temple. Although the images left by 19th-century travellers provided detailed information about the building, works were hampered by the lack of technical documentation on the dismantling process and the fact that the lowest blocks of the walls had not been recovered in 1960. The opening of the gardens by the Prince of Asturias on December 23 marked the end of the first phase of the project. Reconstruction of the Temple The decision to rebuild those parts of the temple that had been lost, in particular the vestibule and the front façade, was taken in 1971. The goal was to preserve the reliefs at the vestibule and all the interior spaces. The terrace was also covered to prevent water from entering the building. Barring a few minor details, the project was virtually completed in June of the same year, although the complex was not officially opened until one year later, on July 20, 1972. The following week, an Egyptian temple was finally open for public viewing in Madrid.