Abusir
Absur is located west of Alexandria on the
road to Mersa Matruh. The village has some
ancient
building from the time of the Ptolemaic
rule. These include the Taposiris Magna, dedicated
to
Osiris, but all that remains is the outer
walls and pylons. Apparently animals were worshipped
at
the temple, as there is an animal
necropolis nearby. Inside the walls of the temple are
the remains
of a Christian church. Near the church,
one also finds the remains of some public baths, a
seawall,
quays and a bridge reported to have been
built by Justinian. There are also the remains of the
Burg
el-Arab, known as the Arab Tower to the
North. Though now ruined, it has a square base
surmounted by an Octagonal structure and
then a round story. Built by Ptolemy II Phiadelphus,
the
tower was said to be a duplicate of the
famous Pharos Lighthouse.
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