This article is from Ancient Egypt issue 155
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The Egyptian mission excavating in North Sinai at Tell el-Farma – the site of the ancient border fortress of Pelusium – has uncovered a huge circular complex thought to be the remains of a temple to the local god Pelusius. The temple’s unique design consists of a massive 35-metre-diameter circular courtyard, surrounded by water channels that were connected to the Pelusiac branch of the Nile. These channels were once filled with silted water – a symbolic reference to the god, whose name was derived from the Greek word for mud (pelos). A colossal statue of Pelusius may have stood on the square base at the centre. Evidence shows the site was in use from the 2nd to the 6th century AD.
Text: Sarah Griffiths / Image: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, unless otherwise stated
