SCA establishes open-air museum in Tel Basta
An open-air museum; displaying 55 items covering the history of the four ancient capitals of the Delta (Tanis, Tel Basta, Qantir and Avaris), has been established in a garden at Tel Basta near Zagazig in Sharkia Governorate by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
Tel Basta was selected owing to its important position located on a commercial caravan route in ancient times and because it also contains the monuments of Bubastis, a major city during the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC).
The idea of the outdoor display was brought about by the discovery of numerous large artifacts from the many excavations in this archaeologically-rich area.
Among the important items are statues of gods and goddesses worshipped in the Delta, such as Sekhmet, Isis and Horus. There are also statues of both Ramses II and VI, and various sarcophagi and stelae with hieroglyphic inscriptions.
The granite and basalt pieces have been specially selected as best able to withstand weathering.
Tel Basta derived its name from the local cat goddess, Bastet.
Among the city's monuments are the remains of a big temple which includes two panels inscribed with the names of the Pharaohs Cheops and Chephren, denoting that the early parts of the temple belonged to the Old Kingdom period.
The temple's stone blocks indicate that it was added to by a number of pharaohs from various dynasties over the years.
The city, which embraces the palace of the 6th Dynasty Pharaoh Pepi I, located in the northwestern part of Tel Basta.
There is a palace built by the 12th Dynasty Pharaoh Imnernhat III, comprising numerous rooms of differing sizes.
The area also includes a cemetery for sacred cats related to the Bastet cult.
Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, Sabri Abdul Aziz, said that the collection includes recently excavated items like the 4-metre high statue of Queen Merit Amon, wife of Ramses II, a statue of one of the officials at the Amon temple and 70 cm high limestone columns that date back to the New Kingdom.