FAYOUM OASIS /
Umm el-Baragat, or Tebtunis
Near the modern day village of Umm el-Baragat lies the ruins of the ancient town of Tebtunis. While dating back to the New Kingdom, the ruins are from the period from the Ptolmaic rulers to the Romans, 4th century BCE until 3rd or 4th century CE. At the site, there is a small temple dedicated to a local variation of Sobek, Soknebtynis, and a stone-paved processional way leading to the temple. This is protected by two lion statues made from limestone. There is also a crocodile cemetery, where more than 1000 mummified crocodiles and sarcophagi were found in 1900. Tebtunis was also the site for the find of a valuable temple library with numerous literary, medical and administrative documents as well as religious texts.
