Qasr al-Zayan
Vivian, Cassandra (2000) The Western Deserts of Egypt, pp. 82-3:
"The Roman temple of Qasr al-Zayyan, one of the major monuments of Kharga Oasis, was siruated in the village of Tkhonemyris in A.D. 140, when the village was, as now, full of life. This Roman temple, like those in the north, was dedicated to Amun-Re. Facing south, it is entered through a sandsrone gate erected in the mudbrick enclosure wall. Three rooms lead to the inner sanctuary. As with Qasr al-Ghweita, the temple is only a part of the fortress, the remaining areas being given over to living quarters. The present temple, built during the Ptolemaic period when it was known as the Great Well, was restored by the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius in 138. Schweinfurth, who found pottery, coins, glass, and cast bronzes in the area, recorded that one of the village families kept a bronze as a fertility amulet and the villagers believed it possessed great powers.
The temple went through an extensive restoration in 1984-86. New excavations were recently begun by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization who reconstructed parts of the temple, cleared a portion of the interior, and discovered kilns, a water cistern, and a cache of Roman coins.
The plain below Qasr al-Zayyan, 18 meters (57 feet) below sea level, is the lowest point in the oasis. It is here that the cemeteries of the ancient community are ro be found.
After returning to the main road the Nasser Village Camp is across the road. Turning south (left) Saudia village is 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) beyond on the west (right) of the road."
"The Roman temple of Qasr al-Zayyan, one of the major monuments of Kharga Oasis, was siruated in the village of Tkhonemyris in A.D. 140, when the village was, as now, full of life. This Roman temple, like those in the north, was dedicated to Amun-Re. Facing south, it is entered through a sandsrone gate erected in the mudbrick enclosure wall. Three rooms lead to the inner sanctuary. As with Qasr al-Ghweita, the temple is only a part of the fortress, the remaining areas being given over to living quarters. The present temple, built during the Ptolemaic period when it was known as the Great Well, was restored by the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius in 138. Schweinfurth, who found pottery, coins, glass, and cast bronzes in the area, recorded that one of the village families kept a bronze as a fertility amulet and the villagers believed it possessed great powers.
The temple went through an extensive restoration in 1984-86. New excavations were recently begun by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization who reconstructed parts of the temple, cleared a portion of the interior, and discovered kilns, a water cistern, and a cache of Roman coins.
The plain below Qasr al-Zayyan, 18 meters (57 feet) below sea level, is the lowest point in the oasis. It is here that the cemeteries of the ancient community are ro be found.
After returning to the main road the Nasser Village Camp is across the road. Turning south (left) Saudia village is 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) beyond on the west (right) of the road."
Page last updated, 2nd June, 2011