Archaeologists have discovered a rare circular structure dedicated to a local Egyptian deity called Pelusius, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The 2,200-year-old religious building includes complex water infrastructure and was once connected to the Nile, suggesting it was used for sacred water rituals.
The temple was found at the site of Tell el-Farama in the ancient city of Pelusium, located on the eastern edge of the Nile Delta in the North Sinai governorate. In 2022, archaeologists also discovered a temple to Zeus made from pink granite at the same site.
Due to its strategic location near the mouth of the Nile, Pelusium was once a busy port city. It served as a fortress during pharaonic times and later became a customs station during the rise of the Roman Empire.
Experts first uncovered part of the structure in 2019. At that time, a partial excavation covering about one-quarter of the site revealed a red-brick circular building.
Archaeologists initially believed it was the city’s senate house. However, after completing a full excavation and exposing the entire structure, this interpretation was revised.
The sanctuary complex is centered around a circular basin measuring approximately 115 feet (35 meters) in diameter. A square pedestal stands in the middle, which likely once supported a large statue of the god Pelusius. The name Pelusius comes from the ancient Greek word for “mud” or “silt.”
The structure includes surrounding water channels and reservoirs. The basin was connected to a branch of the Nile, and archaeologists found water and Nile silt inside it which suggests a symbolic link between the deity and water.
Based on stratigraphic layers, experts believe the temple was built in the second century B.C. and remained in use until the sixth century A.D.
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