Behbeit el-Hagar

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View of the temple site

Behbeit el-Hagar is the site of an ancient Egyptian temple to the goddess Isis. It lies in Lower Egypt along the Damietta branch of the Nile, north of Sebennytos and 8 kilometers (5 mi) west of Mansoura.[1] The temple, the Iseion, was the first large temple to have been dedicated to Isis, although in earlier shrines at the site she may have been worshipped alongside her mythological husband, Osiris, and son, Horus. It was begun by the kings of the Thirtieth Dynasty (380–343 BC) and completed under Ptolemy III (r. 246–222 BC).[2]

The Iseion became one of Isis' major cult centers, paralleling her most important temple in Upper Egypt, at Philae. Unusually, the temple was built entirely of granite. It was demolished at some point, possibly in ancient times, by an earthquake or by the removal of its stone to serve as building material. Only scattered blocks remain there today.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wilkinson, Richard H. (2000). The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. pp. 10, 104–105
  2. ↑ Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. p. 149

External links

Media related to Behbeit el-Hagar at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 31°01′40″N 31°17′15″E / 31.02778°N 31.28750°E / 31.02778; 31.28750

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