Temple of Hibis

[2] Several decades after Psamtik II, during the 27th Dynasty, the Achaemenid pharaoh Darius I took a particularly active part in its building, being credited with the decoration of the walls.

[1] The hypostyle hall has its walls shaped like huge papyrus rolls, bearing various decorations and several hymns dedicated to the deity Amun, many of which are known since earlier times.

[6] Among the decorations, notable is a depiction of Seth defeating Apep, a theme believed by some art historian to be a foreshadowing of Saint George and the Dragon.

At the beginning of each register, the king is depicted while performing a ritual; the Egyptian nomoi are also present, each one represented in an Osirian form.

However, since several decades the building is endangered by a rise of ground water which is damaging its foundations, and the Egyptian Antiquities Service was taking into consideration a complete dismantling and relocation of the whole temple.