Hermopolis (Ashmunein)
The city of Thoth — colossal quartzite baboons of Amenhotep III and the granite columns of a great Byzantine basilica.
The city of Thoth
Hermopolis Magna, at the modern village of Ashmunein near Mallawi, was one of the great cities of Middle Egypt. Known to the Egyptians as Khmun ("eight town"), it was the cult centre of the Ogdoad, the eight primordial deities of a creation myth, and above all of Thoth, god of wisdom, writing and the moon, whose sacred animals were the ibis and the baboon. The Greeks identified Thoth with Hermes, hence the city's Greek name. Its necropolis lies at nearby Tuna el-Gebel.
The baboons
The most striking monuments on the site are two colossal statues of baboons, symbols of Thoth, carved in quartzite and dedicated by Amenhotep III in the fourteenth century BC, each standing several metres high. They are among the largest animal statues to survive from ancient Egypt.
Byzantine basilica
In the Roman and Byzantine periods, Hermopolis was a major city with a monumental centre. The tall red granite columns of a large Christian basilica of the fifth century, built on the site of a Ptolemaic temple, still stand on the site and are among the most impressive remains of early Christian architecture in Egypt. The ruins also include remains of temples of the New Kingdom, including blocks from Akhenaten's capital at Amarna reused by later kings. A small open-air museum displays statues and architectural fragments.
Exhibo editorial
Hermopolis is a field of ruins among the palm groves, and two things make it unforgettable: a pair of enormous quartzite baboons sitting calmly among the stones, gods of wisdom watching over the wreckage of their city, and a forest of tall red granite columns from a Byzantine basilica rising against the sky.
It's a short stop, usually combined with Tuna el-Gebel and the Mallawi Museum on the same day. Look closely at the baboons' faces: there's something almost tender about them.
How to find it
Ashmunein lies about 8 km north-west of Mallawi, on the road towards Tuna el-Gebel. The baboon statues and the basilica columns are near the entrance to the site and the small open-air museum.
