Bubasteum in hieroglyphs | |||||||
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Dehenet-ankh-tawy [1] Dhnt-ˁnḫ-t3.w(j) Cliff of Ankhtawy[A 1] | |||||||
Greek | Βουβαστειών |
The Bubasteum or Bubasteion was a Ptolemaic and Roman temple complex dedicated to Bastet in the cliff face of the desert boundary of Saqqara. In Arabic the place is called Abwab el-Qotat ("The Gates of the Cats").[1]
The temple complex is surrounded by a 275 m (902 ft) wide and 325 m (1,066 ft) long enclosure wall and is located southeast of the Pyramid of Teti and south of the Anubieum. It had a large entrance way in the south wall, a feline necropolis and settlements. In the New Kingdom, the location was already the site of a temple of Bastet, who was honoured as the Lady of Ankhtawy.
Proper investigation of the site was begun in 1976 by Alain-Pierre Zivie and the first excavations began in 1980. In 1986, the Mission Archéologique Française du Bubasteion (MAFB), was founded, which has overseen all investigations of the site since then.[2]
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