King's Quest Omnipedia
Register
Advertisement
Deserttemple

This Desert Temple is a landmark in the northern edges of the Endless Desert of Serenia.

Background[]

It has existed in the northern cliffs of the Endless Desert of Serenia for untold ages, built for some unknown deity by an unknown ancient civilization. There is no sign of to whom the temple was built, except that great stone statues of the winged horse Pegasus and lions stood at the bottom of a wide stone stair, and the carven image of some ancient demon or deity stared down from above the temple's portal.[1] The facade of the magnificent temple had been carved into the cliffs by some unknown ancient civilization.[2]

Hidden amongst the cliffs on the northern edge of Serenia's endless desert there is a deserted temple to an nameless god. Once the forgotten god had a name, and the endless desert was a fertile plain teeming with people. In the name of their deity, they practiced technology. Neither the plain, the people, nor their god survived the experience.[3] It was used by the bandits that prowl the sands as a treasure house, the door of which could only be opened by the waving of a jeweled magic staff and the voicing the words, "Open, Sesame!" Graham was able to steal the staff and enter the temple (the staff shattered in the process). Once inside, he discovered the door would quickly close behind him, and he wasn't sure that the words for opening it from inside were the same as opening from outside. He got out quick, taking only a brass bottle and one gold coin.[4]

Graham left the desert to complete his quest leaving the staff shattered on the steps of the temple. It is not known, then, if the temple can ever be opened again. It is said that a magic spell has been cast over the temple either by the anonymous god or by the bandits. Whichever is the case, many swear the temple eats those who are enraptured by its treasure.[5]

Behind the scenes[]

  • A location visited by the player in KQ V. Usually just described as the 'Temple' or 'temple' in KQ5 Hintbook. It's known as the Endless Desert Temple in the Quest for Daventry. Or the Temple in Desert in the King's Quest Companion. The Official Book of King's Quest calls it; "The Temple". The Sierra BBS Hint System described it as the 'desert temple'. The term Desert Temple also was on advertisements packed with some of the Konami NES games of the era.
  • The King's Quest V Nintendo Power Review referred to it as "Desert Temple". King's Quest V Konami Insert Ad and the back of the box for the NES game also refers to it as the Desert Temple.
  • The Temple's exterior design is a nearly exact copy of Al Khazneh, or "the Treasury", the famous facade hewn into the rocky cliffs of Petra, Jordan, although in reality the structure was never used as a treasury. In the game, the Temple is used as a treasury by the bandits, combining the existence of the real-life structure with the tale of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves.
  • The hints in the Official Book of The King's Quest makes a nod to the fact there is a connection to the Indiana Jones and this temple.
  • The temple in KQ7 shaped like a pyramid is sometimes described as a 'desert temple' as well.
  • It is filled with Treasure Chests (but this is dangerous for greedy adventurers).

References[]

  1. KQC, 2nd Edition, pg 255
  2. Narrator (KQ5)
  3. KQC2E, 516
  4. KQC2E, 516
  5. KQC2E, 51
Advertisement