Tanis

We have arrived at the ancient city of Tanis, known in Arabic as San al-Hagar, meaning 'the place of stones'. Hidden in the northeastern Delta, far from the typical tourist routes of Luxor and Cairo, Tanis was once the political…

We are standing at the entrance to the Great Temple of Amun, a colossal religious complex that once rivaled the scale of Karnak in the south. Measuring 400 by 300 meters, it is roughly the size of the Louvre Museum. …

Hidden beneath the mud-brick hills of the city center lies the royal necropolis, discovered in 1939 by French egyptologist Pierre Montet. This find was revolutionary because, unlike the Valley of the Kings where almost every tomb…

One of the most unique aspects of the Tanis discovery is the presence of royal silver. In ancient Egypt, silver was often more valuable than gold because it had to be imported from outside the region. …

Tanis is home to an astounding quantity of obelisks—perhaps more than at any other single site in Egypt. Most of these are broken, strewn across the ground like fallen giants. …

Walking toward the right side of the temple complex, we encounter three ancient Nilometers. These stone structures were essential to life in ancient Egypt, used to measure the height of the Nile's annual flood. …

A short walk from the main sanctuary leads us to the smaller Temple of Mut, the goddess of motherhood and the universal mother of all gods. Mut was the consort of Amun, and in the Theban triad, she represented protection and…

As we conclude our exploration of Tanis, we are left with the image of a 'forgotten' capital that once rivaled the greatest cities of antiquity. From the stunning silver coffins of the necropolis to the colossal feet of fallen…