KHARGA /
Qasr el-Zayan
Several guide books rate the Qasr el-Zayan fortress as in a very ruinous state. This is not entirely true, walls stand high, the centre of the temple is almost intact, and the setting is great. The main drawback is the original small size; you can cover it all in 5 minutes.
The temple itself, even if the promenade leading up to this structure was part of a whole structure.
A niche in the temple, probably used for a divine statue.
The temple was built dedicated to the go Amenebis, the local town god. It was built during the Ptolemaic period and restored under the Roman emperor Antoniunus. The local town here was known as Tchnonemyris which flourished for several centuries. The modest village here now tells nothing about the rich past. This place is the lowest in the Kharga Oasis, 18 metres below sea level.
