facts about Temple of the Black Head

The Black Head Temple is a small temple dedicated to the worship of the goddess Isis and was discovered in 1936, by chance, in the Black Head area, which is now located within the Mandara area of ​​the Montazah district in Alexandria.

This temple was moved from its original place to the Latin Necropolis in 1994. This unique and important temple was built by a wealthy Roman citizen in a small city about 17 kilometers from the city of Alexandria.

The temple was dedicated to the worship of the goddess Isis as a private temple, and as an expression of his thanks to her for his help. On recovery after falling from a chariot in one of the races.

The importance and rarity of this temple are that it is the only temple that was found almost completely in Alexandria, and also reflects an important historical aspect represented in revealing some of the economic conditions that the country witnessed under Roman rule.

This temple was discovered on October 29, 1936, by chance while removing sand from the Ras Al-Souda area, which is located east of the city of Alexandria. 138) Until the end of the Antonine era, that is, the temple dates back to the middle of the second century AD.

The architectural composition of the temple:

The temple is a small-sized building of the type of private temple built in the Roman style in the Tetrastyle style, and it consists of two floors, the first was designed to be a temple, and the second was to be the residence of the temple priests.

This temple was built on a high podium, to which it was climbed by ten steps of stairs from the front side of the temple only, and this staircase leads to the front of the temple, which is preceded by four alabaster columns of bright white marble in the Ionian style, and in the wide distance between the second and third columns, There is a short pillar of bluish-white marble, on the front of which is an inscription of the dedication offered by Isidore to the goddess Isis.

Basement floor:

It begins with the visitor passing through the outer hall, and the visitor reaches the main inner square-shaped room, which represents the Holy of Holies. , and the Sphinx statues, and the presence of these statues is a metaphor for their protection of the temple from any danger that might be exposed to it.

The upper floor:

This floor is in good condition, and it can be reached through a narrow staircase located in the eastern wall of the temple and consists of two rooms.

The statues that were found in the Temple of the Black Head: Five statues were found in the Temple of the Black Head in its original location, carved from fine white marble. These statues date to the Greek and Roman era (31 BC-395 AD) at the beginning of the second century AD.

They were found at the discovery site in Lower Egypt. - Alexandria - The Black Head .. These statues are now in the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria.