The edifice itself resembles a tiny temple, with stucco pediments and pilasters at the entryway. It is built structurally with columns all around; there are a total of twenty-nine. The walls are painted red, and inside they are decorated with blue and white stripes and designs. Isis was one of the many Egyptian goddesses who had her own cult center where priests would pray for good crops and health for their patrons. This little temple was probably located in some important place like a city gate or another sacred site. In ancient times, Egypt was full of many small villages that didn't even have a name. So to identify its location, they just numbered the villages from 1 to 78. This little temple is called "the Isan Dua" which means "the first temple" in English. There are actually several similar temples in Egypt, but this is by far the best preserved one. It's really amazing how much detail they were able to include on such a small scale building. The temple of Isis was built about 400 years before Christ. However, it wasn't until about 300 years after this image was created that it became popular among Christians for use in churches.