Behbeit el-Hagar (Temple of Isis)
A collapsed granite temple of Isis in the Delta — a mountain of carved blocks from Egypt's last native dynasty.
The Iseum of the Delta
Behbeit el-Hagar lies in the central Nile Delta near the town of Samannoud, in Gharbia Governorate. It is the site of the Iseum (Per-Hebyt), a great temple dedicated to the goddess Isis, built in the fourth century BC by the kings of the Thirtieth Dynasty, especially Nectanebo II, Egypt's last native pharaoh, and completed under the early Ptolemies, Ptolemy II and Ptolemy III. Unusually, the temple was built almost entirely of granite, brought from Aswan hundreds of kilometres to the south, and it was one of the most important sanctuaries of Isis in Egypt.
A field of granite
At some point, probably as a result of an earthquake, the temple collapsed, and it now lies as an enormous heap of granite blocks, many of them finely carved with reliefs of the kings making offerings to Isis, Osiris and other gods, and with hieroglyphic inscriptions. Some blocks were taken away in antiquity; one is in Rome. The site has been studied by French and Egyptian archaeologists, who have documented the scattered reliefs and proposed reconstructions of the temple's plan.
Visiting
Behbeit el-Hagar is off the tourist routes and visited mainly by specialists and enthusiasts. Access may need to be arranged with the local antiquities inspectorate.
Exhibo editorial
In the middle of the green Delta fields, a hill of black and grey granite rises up — not a hill at all, but a great temple of Isis that fell in on itself. Walk around it and the blocks are covered in relief: kings, goddesses, hieroglyphs, all tumbled at strange angles like a giant's game left unfinished.
It's an odd, haunting place and almost completely unknown to visitors. Go with a local guide who can arrange access, and let your imagination rebuild the temple stone by stone.
Gallery
How to find it
Behbeit el-Hagar lies near the town of Samannoud in the central Delta, about 2.5 hours by car north of Cairo, between Mansoura and El Mahalla el-Kubra. Ask locally for the temple of Isis (Ma'bad Isis); the ruins lie at the edge of the village.