Qasr el-Zayyan

Qasr el-Zayyan is located near the main road, about 75km north of Dush towards Kharga City and not far from the fortress of Qasr el-Ghweita. It can be easily reached by 2WD road and a 4×4 vehicle is not necessary. In the area of Qasr el-Zayyan there was an ancient village, known as Takhoneourit, “the Great Well” in Pharaonic times, and Tchonemyris in Graeco-Roman times. The main remains in the site are the ones of a Roman temple. It is built of sandstone and dates to the Ptolemaic period. It has an outer wall of mudbrick with a well-preserved sandstone gate. The main temple building consists of a sanctuary and an ante-chamber which are reached through a mudbrick hall. The temple was restored in the Roman period during the reign of Antoninus Pius (in AD 140). It was dedicated mainly to Amun of Hibis (Amenibis). The surrounding settlement has not been excavated but the remains of a well which could have been the “Great Well” have been found near the temple enclosure wall(CISS Inventory 2010; Vivian 1990).

Site coordinates: N 25 15 043 E 30 34 159

Price (years 2019-2020): 40 EGP (foreigner), 20 EGP (foreigner student), 10 EGP (Egyptian), 5 EGP (Egyptian student).