Temple of Hibis
The best-preserved temple of the Persian period in Egypt, built under Darius I in the Kharga Oasis.
A temple of the Persian kings
The Temple of Hibis stands on the northern edge of the town of Kharga, the capital of the New Valley Governorate. Dedicated to Amun of Hibis, the god of the oasis, it is the largest and best-preserved temple in Egypt from the Persian period of the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Building may have begun under the last Saite pharaohs of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, but most of the decoration was carried out under the Persian king Darius I, who ruled Egypt as pharaoh after the Persian conquest; later additions were made under the Thirtieth Dynasty and the Ptolemies.
Decoration
The temple is reached through a series of gateways and a processional way. Inside, its walls are covered with reliefs and inscriptions of great importance for the study of Egyptian religion, including an unusual representation of the god Seth with a falcon's head slaying the serpent Apophis, and a long hymn to Amun, as well as an extensive catalogue of the gods of Egypt, nome by nome, in one of the inner rooms. Darius appears as a pharaoh making offerings to the gods. Near the temple, inscriptions record decrees of Roman governors, important for the history of Roman administration in Egypt.
Restoration
The temple, which stood in a low-lying area threatened by rising groundwater from irrigation, underwent a long programme of restoration and stabilisation. It is one of the main monuments of Kharga, together with the Christian necropolis of Bagawat on the hill nearby.
Exhibo editorial
Hibis is a surprise in the middle of the desert: a substantial stone temple, gateways and columns intact, decorated in the name of a Persian king who ruled Egypt as pharaoh. It's a reminder of how many empires passed through this country and wanted to be seen honouring its gods.
Walk through the gateways slowly and look for Seth with a falcon's head spearing the serpent of chaos — a rare image you won't find on the Nile. Then cross the road and climb to Bagawat for the views back over the temple and the palms.
Gallery
How to find it
The temple lies about 2 km north of the centre of Kharga, beside the road to Assiut, opposite the hill of the Bagawat necropolis. From the ticket office, walk along the processional way through the gateways to the temple.
