The ancient town and temple of Taposiris Magna is located on the banks of Lake Mariut, just west of Alexandria. In modern times the town was swallowed up by the metropolitan area of the city, and is now officially within the Alexandrian suburb of Abousir. In Predynastic times it was the capital of the kingdom of Marea, yet it is most famously known for its Temple to Osiris.
There is also a Christian church, Roman public baths and a Ptolemaic tower, built by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, which was an exact replica of the fabled lighthouse at Pharos. In more recent times it was extensively researched by Napoleon’s scholars in 1801 – and most recently it has become something of a romantic spot, as many archaeologists believe it to be one of the most likely places for the tombs of Cleopatra and Mark Antony.
