This undated photo provided by the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry on Monday, April 25, 2022, shows archeologists working in the ruins of a temple for Zeus-Kasios, the ancient Greek god, at the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in the northwestern corner of the Sinai Peninsula. Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. Credit: Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry via AP
The ruins of a temple for the ancient Greek god Zeus were unearthed by Egyptian archaeologists.
The temple ruins were found in the Tell el-Farma archaeological site.
Tell el-Farma, also known as Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. The Christian and early Islamic periods are also included.
Archaeologists excavated the temple ruins through its entrance gate, where two huge fallen granite columns were visible, according to Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. He said that the gate was destroyed in an earthquake.
Waziri said the ruins were between the Pelusium Fort and a memorial church. Archaeologists found a set of granite blocks that may have been used to build a staircase for worshipers.
According to the ministry, the Zeus-Kasios temple was discovered by a French Egyptologist in the early 1900s, but he did not uncover it.
This undated photo provided by the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry on Monday, April 25, 2022, shows archeologists working in the ruins of a temple for Zeus-Kasios, the ancient Greek god, at the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in the northwestern corner of the Sinai Peninsula. Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. Credit: Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry via AP
This undated photo provided by the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry on Monday, April 25, 2022, shows archeologists working in the ruins of a temple for Zeus-Kasios, the ancient Greek god, at the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in the northwestern corner of the Sinai Peninsula. Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. Credit: Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry via AP
This undated photo provided by the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry on Monday, April 25, 2022, shows archeologists working in the ruins of a temple for Zeus-Kasios, the ancient Greek god, at the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in the northwestern corner of the Sinai Peninsula. Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. Credit: Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry via AP
This undated photo provided by the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry on Monday, April 25, 2022, shows archeologists working in the ruins of a temple for Zeus-Kasios, the ancient Greek god, at the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in the northwestern corner of the Sinai Peninsula. Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. Credit: Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry via AP
Zeus-Kasios is a conflation of Zeus, the God of the sky in ancient Greek mythology, and Mount Kasios in Syria, where Zeus once worshiped.
The director of Sinai archaeological sites said that Roman Emperor Hadrian renovated the temple.
He said experts will study the unearthed blocks and do a photogrammetry survey to help determine the architectural design of the temple.
This undated photo provided by the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry on Monday, April 25, 2022, shows archeologists working in the ruins of a temple for Zeus-Kasios, the ancient Greek god, at the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in the northwestern corner of the Sinai Peninsula. Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. Credit: Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry via AP
The temple ruins are the latest in a series of ancient discoveries Egypt has made in the hopes of attracting more tourists.
Following the popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, the tourism industry has been hit hard. The sector was hit by a number of events, the most recent of which was the invasion of Ukraine.
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