page_title: Temple of Hibis
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Temple of Hibis / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The Temple of Hibis was first founded by pharaoh Psamtik II (595-589 BC) of the 26th Saite dynasty of Egypt. It is perhaps the best preserved temple from the Late Period of Egypt and is uniquely situated at Kharga Oasis in Western Egypt. The temple was decorated by the Persian conqueror Darius I. Subsequent additions to the size of the temple were later made by the 30th dynasty kings Nectanebo I and II.
context_page_description: The Temple of Hibis is the largest and best preserved ancient Egyptian temple in the Kharga Oasis, as well as the only structure in Egypt dating to the Saite-Persian period which has come down to modern times in relatively good condition. Located about 2 km north of Kharga, it was devoted to a syncretism of two local forms of the deity Amun: "Amun of Hibis" and "Amun-Ra of Karnak who dwells in Hibis".
context_section_description: The temple of Hibis was once surrounded by the city of Hibis (Egyptian: Hebet, meaning "the plough"), which nowadays lies under the crops. Construction of the temple started during the 26th Dynasty, most likely under Pharaoh Psamtik II, or possibly even earlier, during the 25th Dynasty. Archaeological evidences suggest that an older temple, dating back to the New Kingdom, was already present in the same place. Several decades after Psamtik II, during the 27th Dynasty, the Achaemenid pharaoh Darius I took a particularly active part in its building, being credited of the decoration of the walls. Later, several other rulers made additions or decorations here, such as Hakor of the 29th Dynasty, notably Nectanebo I and Nectanebo II of the 30th Dynasty, possibly Ptolemy IV (Ptolemaic Dynasty), and at least one Roman emperor.
  A first excavation campaign, organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, took place in 1909–11. A more recent one, led by Eugene Cruz-Uribe, began in 1985.
caption: Palmiform columns at the Temple of Hibis
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