Bubastis

Bubastis was the cult centre of Bastet, the cat goddess, and Herodotus described its annual festival as the largest and most riotous in Egypt, with hundreds of thousands travelling by river, singing and drinking as they came. The temple he described is now a low field of broken red granite blocks and column drums scattered across the mound, with palm trees growing among them. What draws most attention is the burial ground: extensive cat cemeteries where mummified cats were interred in large numbers, alongside bronze votive figures of Bastet found here in quantity. The site also holds a Middle Kingdom palace, Old Kingdom tomb chapels and a well-preserved cellar system, and excavation continues on the edges of the mound where Zagazig presses against it.

What you actually see

• The ruined temple of Bastet - granite blocks and column drums in a palm grove.
• Cat cemeteries - the burial ground of the goddess's sacred animals.
• Old Kingdom tomb chapels - earlier burials on the same mound.
• A Middle Kingdom palace - foundations at the edge of the site.

When to go

October to April. Two hours. It is an easy add-on to a Delta day and reachable by train to Zagazig plus a short taxi. Mornings are quieter and cooler.

Honest expectations

Very little stands and the temple is essentially rubble, so the famous festival has to be imagined entirely. The town has grown right up to the fence and rubbish blows onto the site. Signage is poor. The cat mummies themselves are in museums, not here.

Nearby

Tanis is north-east across the Delta; Cairo is about ninety minutes south-west.