Hibis, the palace of Darius the Achaemenid in Egypt-the greatness of the Iranian empire

Hibis Temple was built by Darius I in Egypt!

According to the cultural heritage group "Titrik"; “Bijan Rouhani” One of the most famous and significant buildings that is almost the destination of many tourists who travel to Egypt, Hibis Temple. (To them) mentioned that it was built and completed by the order of Darius I.
Some believe that an Egyptian king originally started the construction of the temple, but Darius finished it and carved the reliefs and his name on the wall.. Arnold ascribes the foundation of the temple to the second pharaoh. (Arnold,77)

In any case, Darius built or completed this temple for the Egyptian gods and dedicated it to their worship. The temple is located in an oasis called al-Kharqa and far from the great ritual and religious centers of the pharaohs of Egypt.

The Hebis Temple is almost the only large temple that has remained relatively intact from the late ancient period of Egypt and is one of the few buildings from the Achaemenid period in Egypt.. Although in Thebes (Thebes) Remains of the temples of the 25th and 26th dynasties of pharaohs remain, but none of them can be compared to the temple of Darius in terms of dimensions and size, architecture and reliefs.. (Fighter,137)

The Temple of Darius at Al-Kharqa was originally dedicated to the worship of Amun, but other Egyptian gods were also worshiped there.. Amon was one of the main and important gods of ancient Egypt and the king of the gods.

On the one hand, the reliefs on the wall of the temple indicate religious rituals and ceremonies, and on the other hand, they are considered royal propaganda.. In almost all the scenes, Darius is depicted in the role of Egyptian pharaoh along with Egyptian gods or goddesses. In one of these reliefs, Darius stands like a naked child on a potter's wheel, and his body is being shaped by Khnum, the patron deity of pottery.. (Fighter, 139)

In ancient Egyptian mythology, Khnum, who is originally the god of fertility, creates and builds human bodies with a potter's wheel and clay.(British)

In another very important scene, Darius, who is again depicted as a hook, is depicted on the chest of a goddess named "Mut". (Mut) She drinks milk and in the image next to it, another goddess, "Amount" (Amaunet) He is hugging Dariush. (Fighter, 139)

In the image of Darius drinking milk from the breast of the goddess, he is shown without a royal crown and instead with a tuft of hair, which is a symbol of a child in the symbolic images of ancient Egypt, and in his right hand is the symbol of Egyptian rulership.. The style of architecture and rituals painted on the walls are closely similar to the "New Kingdom" temple in the city of Thebes. (Bard, 406)

In general, the reliefs indicate the desire of Darius to enter and become one with the Egyptian rituals and mythology, like the pharaohs.. Therefore, Darius I is also mentioned as one of the Egyptian pharaohs. In these reliefs, it is clear that Darius is trying to respect all the gods and religious beliefs of ancient Egypt..

On many walls of the temple, the name of Darius is written in hieroglyphs, like the names of the Egyptian pharaohs, inside the cartouche. (Cartouche) is placed. A cartouche in Egyptian hieroglyphs is a vertical rectangle inside which the name of the pharaoh or king or members of the royal family is written..

The Temple of Hibis has survived surprisingly well compared to many similar ancient structures of the same period in Egypt.. One of the important reasons can be its burial under the sand before the discovery in the 20th century. Excavations of Hibis Temple were conducted by the New York Metropolitan Museum between 1901-11.

More recent excavations in the grounds of the Hybiss temple have led to the discovery of a colonnaded courtyard. The temple inscriptions were also studied by the American delegation for five years (Bard,407). Excavations have revealed that there was a lake next to the temple in ancient times, which is not known now..

Another very interesting point in the temple is the presence of pillars in the shape of palm leaves. John Boardman, who studied the roots of Achaemenid art, believes that a part of Parse capitals (Persepolis) They have a very similar pattern to these heads.

Boardman refers to that part of Parse columns that are placed under capitals in the form of animals and winged cows; That is, where there are hanging leaves, and in some ways they are very similar to the palm leaves on the capitals of the temple of Darius in Hibis. (Boardman, 76). There are also similarities between the entrance doors of Hibis Temple and the entrance doors of Thatcher Palace in Parse..

In the 4th century, a small Christian church or chapel was also built next to the temple.

Ummah – Title one