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| Bilifiyā · بلفيا | ||
| Governorate | Beni Suef | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 22.034 (2006) | |
| height | 32 m | |
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
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Bilifiya or Bilifya, بلفيا, Bilif [i] yā, is a village in Middle Egypt in the GovernorateBeni Suef. In the center of the village are the remains of an ancient Egyptian temple from the late period, in which the serpent and crown goddess Wadjet/ Buto / Uto and which Egyptologists and archaeologists might be interested in.
background
location
Bilifiyā is on the west bank of the Nile, about 5.5 kilometers northwest of Beni Suef. The village is about eight meters higher than the surrounding agricultural areas. In 2006 there were about 22,000 inhabitants in the village. As in the past, the main line of business is agriculture.
The origin of today's name Bilifiyā is not known. However, it is not an Arabic name.
history
Like the Egyptian Egyptologist Labib Habachi (1906–1984) is only known since March 1937that Bilifiyā is on the site of an ancient Egyptian site. The ʿUmda, the village chief, reported to the antiquity service in el-Faiyūm the discovery of a grave that was from the late period but had already been completely looted. A few years later, an approximately 40 centimeter high fragment of a falcon sculpture was discovered on site and ins Cairo Museum, Inv. No. 89.076 JE. But it was not until January and May 1955 that explorations under the direction of Inspector Naguib Farag were carried out in the village to determine the significance of the archaeological site. In addition to the temple area, which at that time only consisted of a paved level, two limestone fragments as well as ceramics and column capitals were found.
The area of the present-day village has been at least since Middle realm populated. On one of the limestone fragments, the remains of a cartouche with the end of the name of one of the Sesostris kings from the 12th dynasty, loved by the falcon god Hornefer, can be made out. The fragment indicates that parts of the temple were already built from stone. The other limestone fragment contained a depiction of an incense offering and an inscription from the period Ramses ’II., in which the place name Nebt, the goddess Buto and another god, possibly the creator god Atum, were included.
The mentioned falcon sculpture made of gray granite dates from that time Nectanebos ’II. from the 30th dynasty. The king is between the claws of the falcon. The inscriptions on both sides give his royal names. The king should live forever and be loved by Edjo / Buto, mistress of Nebu. Thus, with Bilifiyā, another place is known that Nectanebo II used for his cult. It is not known whether Nectanebo II continued to use the existing temple or had a new one built. Ceramic and column capitals date from Greco-Roman times.
On other blocks of the former temple that were not found until the 1980s, the Greek place nameΒοῦτος τοῦ Μεμφίτον, Boutos tou Memfiton, which is documented both in the third BC and in the 4th to 8th centuries AD and in the Coptic name Ⲡⲟⲩⲧⲱ, Pouto, lived on. The French Egyptologist was able to Jean Yoyotte (1927–2009) the ancient Egyptian name for this Greek name Pr-WꜢḏyt and Nebyt (Nb.t, Nby.t, Nbyi and variants). From an altar Scheschonqs I., which is now in the Cairo Museum, and the Wilbour Papyrus (B), who names a Siedjo, prophet of Pi-Edjo, one also knows the religious name of the temple, Pi-edjo.
The Main deity of the temple of Bilifiyā was the serpent and crown goddess Wadjet/ Buto, mistress of Nebyt. Habachi also suggested that a triad of gods could have been worshiped here together with Hornefer and Atum.
It is unknown if and when the local temple was abandoned. The village has probably existed since Coptic times, even if its name is not known.
getting there
In the street
It is easy to get to Bilifiyā by taxi or microbus from Beni Suef out. You leave Beni Suef in a north-westerly direction on the Beni Suef-Abashna Road,طريق بني سويف أبشنا, And turns to the north shortly after reaching the village 1 29 ° 7 '36 "N.31 ° 3 '14 "E to the south. After about 500 meters you will reach a road that surrounds the village center in a ring. On this road you go west, counterclockwise, and after about 600 meters you will reach the Great Mosque.
mobility
You can walk through the village. This is a good idea because of its small size and narrow streets.
Tourist Attractions
- 1 Remains of a temple (about 100 meters east of the Great Mosque). In the center of the village are the remains of a temple, the beginnings of which go back to the Middle Kingdom. Further additions were made in the New Kingdom and in the 30th Dynasty under King Nectanebo II. Several labeled blocks were found here or reused in the buildings of the village. Nowadays only remnants of the foundation are left, which measure about 42 meters in north-south direction and 23 meters in east-west direction, consist of about three layers of stone and are surrounded by a tell. Years ago the temple was higher up. When crossing the village you can find stone blocks that are sure to come from the local temple. Shards in the area of the temple mostly come from the late antique period. The numerous garbage is of course contemporary.(29 ° 7 '18 "N.31 ° 3 ′ 1 ″ E)
- 2 Great mosque (المسجد الكبير). The mosque was restored in 2015. In addition to the Great Mosque, there are other mosques in the village.(29 ° 7 ′ 18 ″ N.31 ° 2 ′ 58 ″ E)
- 3 Villas (about 80 meters south of the temple). The two villas are around 140 years old (as of 2019). According to the villagers, they belonged to one of the richest families in the village, the Farāg family,فراجWho owed their wealth to income from agriculture. The two-storey villas are today in a deplorable condition, but still reveal their former charm. The property has a wall with an iron gate. There is a wooden bay window on the facade. A stairwell with iron railings connects the individual floors with the roof and has an octagonal light dome at the top. Geese are kept on the roof these days. Unfortunately, it cannot be ruled out that these villas will fall victim to demolition in the future.(29 ° 7 ′ 15 ″ N.31 ° 3 ′ 0 ″ E)
shop
There are at least two food markets in the village, e.g. B. in the north 1 Awlad Amam supermarket, سوبر ماركت اولاد امام. There is also a weekly market.
kitchen
There are at least two restaurants in the village (1 2 Maṭʿam Safārī Karīb, مطعم سفاري كريب) On the Ringstrasse. Otherwise there are numerous restaurants in the nearby town Beni Suef.
accommodation
Accommodation is available in the nearby town Beni Suef.
health
There are hospitals and pharmacies in the nearby town of Beni Suef.
Practical advice
- 1 Post Office Bilifiyā (مكتب بريد بلفيا). In close proximity to the Great Mosque.(29 ° 7 ′ 19 ″ N.31 ° 2 ′ 56 "E)
- 2 Co-op gas station (بنزينة التعاون) (in the north of the village on Beni Suef – Abashna Road). (29 ° 7 '33 "N.31 ° 3 ′ 16 ″ E)
trips
The sightseeing of Bilifiyā can be done with the neighboring villages Beni Suef, Nāṣir and Dalāṣ connect.
literature
- : Middle Egypt between Samalūṭ and the Gabal Abū Ṣīr: Contributions to the historical topography of the Pharaonic period. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 1991, Tübingen Atlas of the Middle East: TAVO / Beihefte / B; 69, ISBN 978-3-88226-467-8 , Pp. 94, 221.
- : Edjo, Mistress of Nebt (Bilifya, near to Ihnâsya El-Medîneh). In:Journal of Egyptian Language and Classical Studies (ZÄS), ISSN0044-216X, Vol.90 (1963), Pp. 41–49, plate VIII, doi:10.1524 / zaes.1963.90.1.41.
- : Études geographiques II: Les localités méridionales de la région memphite et le "Pehou d'Héracléopolis". In:Revue d'Egyptology (RdE), ISSN0035-1849, Vol.14 (1962), Pp. 75-111, in particular pp. 93-101, 110 f.
