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The Top Attractions of Egypt’s Nile Delta: Bubastis

The Delta’s other notable ancient site is Bubastis, located on the outskirts of the modern city of Zagazig. Its name means “House of Bastet” and it was a center of worship for Bastet, the feline goddess of Ancient Egypt. In its heyday, Bubastis was the capital of the 18th nome, or division, of Lower Egypt but probably dates back much earlier. It was a royal residence during the 22nd and 23rd dynasties, starting in 943 BC, and only waned in power after conquering Persians dismantled its walls in the 6th century BC. Inevitably, the city was one of the country’s largest depositories for mummified cats and the red granite Temple of Bastet drew more than 700,000 pilgrims for the goddess’s annual festival. Greek historian Herodotus labeled the festival as one of the grandest in all of Egypt. There is very little left of Bubastis’ one-time grandeur. Instead, the temple has been reduced to a pile of rubble and the remains of the palace and cemetery are equally diminished. However, stelae and statuary from the site have been collected into a fascinating sculpture garden that is best explored on a guided tour.