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The town of Gebtu was the capital of
the 5th Upper Egyptian nome. The town's importance was because of
its geographical location : it was here that the trading expeditions
set off for the Red Sea coast. Many mining expeditions into the
eastern desert also left from here. Gebtu soon became the most
important religious centre of the area. The god Min, the local
deity, was also adopted as the god of the desert region to the east.
Isis and Horus also became important, especially during the Graeco-Roman
period; one of the reasons for this was the interpretation of the
two falcons of the Herui nome standard as Horus and Min.
Monuments discovered at Gebtu cover the whole period of Egyptian
history. The largely undecorated temple of Min in the north, which
still stands, was the work of an official called Sennuu, on behalf
of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, with some later additions by Ptolemy
Philopater, Caligula and Nero. The temple stands on the site of
earlier structures .
The site of the Middle Temple also has a long history. A gate of
Tutmosis III was found, plus a set of stelae dating to the 6th and
7th dynasties, with copies of royal decrees concerning the temple
and its personnel. The Middle Temple itself was built by Ptolemy II
Philadelphus. At the Southern Temple, gates by Claudius and
Caligula; and a chapel of Cleopatra VII Philopator and Ptolemy XV
Caesarion were found. Claudius built a small temple to Min, Isis and
Horus to the northeast of the city..
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