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Nevine al-Aref – Ahram Online
An Egyptian archaeological mission uncovered the remains of the Graeco-Roman Temple of Zeus Caseous in Tel Farama site in North Sinai on Monday.
The site is located between the Peluzium Fort and the Tezkariya Church. Remains, made of mudbricks, were found on a 170cm tall mount of debris and rubble. The mission found a collection of marble blocks which might have, once formed, a staircase to enable worshippers to reach the temple.
“The temple was not located until the Egyptian mission unearthed a collection of red granite blocks which once formed the temple’s entrance gate, It was destroyed long ago”, said Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The entrance gate comprised of a few red granite columns, 8m tall each, and an upper lintel decorated with Roman text describing the construction day of the Zeus Caseous Temple.
“In 1910, French Egyptologist Jean Cledat uncovered a collection of engraved blocks confirming the existence of the temple in the area, but he could not find it”, Waziri added.
It was not until last month that the Egyptian archaeological mission stumbled upon the blocks of the temple gate. A photogrammetry survey and study are currently being conducted on the blocks to understand the architectural design of the temple.
