The ruins of ancient Bubastis, once the capital of the 18th Nome of Am-Khent (the Bubastite nome) in Lower Egypt, are located 3 km southeast from the city of Zagazig in Sharqiya. The city's name, which comes from the ancient Egyptian Per-Bastet, means 'The Place of Bastet', the cat-lioness goddess identified with Sekhmet, the wife of Ptah. It also hosted the feast celebrating the cat-goddess. The whole city acquired massive importance during the Ramesside Period and it became the capital of Egypt during the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Dynasties. Today, the site contains some blocks and ruins of temples built by both Osorkon II (883-850 BC) and Nectanebo II (360-342 BC). Additionally, there are also catacombs for cats, which date back to the Old Kingdom, from the period of King Pepi I (2...
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